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IATP News from Western Eurasia

February 4-17, 2005

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UKRAINE

Lisa Heller (left) and Dr. Ransom
(right) address questions posed by
alumni across Ukraine

Veteran of Civil Rights Movement Chats Online with Alumni Across Ukraine
On February 15, twenty IATP access sites throughout Ukraine hosted a nationwide online chat with Dr. Elbert Ransom, a veteran of the US Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s and a friend and colleague of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. More than 30 alumni of US government-sponsored programs, nongovernmental organization (NGO) representatives and other interested citizens joined Dr. Ransom in the chat. He is in Ukraine at the invitation of the Public Affairs Section of the US Embassy for a series of lectures on how social movements can maintain interest and energy after the big victories have been won. The topic is especially relevant after Ukraine’s so-called “Orange Revolution” in December, in which protesters pressured the government to hold a third round of presidential elections after the second round was widely considered to be fraudulent. With the assistance of the US Embassy’s Cultural Affairs Officer Lisa Heller and chat moderator Yulia Vorobkevych, Dr. Ransom began the chat by expressing his positive attitude toward recent events in Ukraine. “I relate the Orange Revolution to the Civil Rights Movement in America during the 1960s. Much of what you did is very familiar with me and as a result, your result was victorious and I applaud all participants.” He also emphasized the importance of maintaining momentum for social change, for example by actively monitoring human rights violations. Participants brought up topics such as the role of media in overcoming violations of the law and educating young people to be active citizens. The chat provided alumni and citizens across the country with the opportunity to compare notes with a US activist on the expansion of democracy.

"Evening in Washington DC,” by
Svitlana Furda (CI 03) – the
winning photo

IATP Awards Winners of Second Ukraine Alumni Photo Contest
On February 4, the Public Affairs Section (PAS) of the US Embassy in Ukraine hosted an awards ceremony for an online photo contest among alumni of US government-sponsored programs entitled Exploring America. The contest was dedicated to International Education Week, lasting from November 15 to December 31, 2004, and sponsored by IATP in partnership with PAS, American Councils for International Education, Project Harmony, and the Fulbright office in Ukraine. Alumni participating in the online competition submitted 578 striking photographs capturing different aspects of their stay in the United States, including study and travel, social activities, and US culture and traditions. The winners were selected by an independent judging committee that included representatives of PAS, administering organizations and professional photographers. Cultural Affairs Officer Lisa Heller presented prizes to the winners in several categories, such as Most Original Photo and Funniest Photo, as well as to the three grand prize winners. The first prize winner was Svitlana Furda (CI 03) from Ivano-Frankivsk with a photo entitled, "Evening in Washington DC," who won a digital camera and color printer from Hewlett-Packard Ukraine. Sergiy Green (CC 01) and Oksana Osadcha (Muskie 00), who won second and third prizes, respectively, received USB flash drives from Gilan-Lava Ltd., a local Internet business. All the participating photos, as well as other details about the contest, are available at http://alumni.iatp.org.ua/photo2/.

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MOLDOVA

The three experts moderate the
countywide chat at the IATP access
site in Chisinau, Moldova

IATP Empowers Alumni to Discuss Preparations for Parliamentary Elections in a Countrywide Online Conference in Moldova
On February 10, over 60 citizens of Moldova, including alumni of US government-sponsored exchange programs, journalists, educators, nongovernmental organization (NGO) representatives, and students, gathered at eight IATP access sites across the country for an online discussion about the upcoming parliamentary elections scheduled for March 6. The online conference participants examined ways to raise the average electoral activity of their compatriots and analyzed the upcoming parliamentary elections from three different perspectives: civil society values, election mechanics (where, when, and how to vote in accordance with the Electoral Code), and media coverage of the electoral campaign. Director of the Association for Participatory Democracy (ADEPT) Igor Botan (CI 00), Director of Independent Journalism Center Angela Sirbu (IV 98), and Coordinator of Election Process Monitoring Project with the Helsinki Committee for Human Rights Dorin Chirtoaca were the three conference experts who responded to the questions the alumni raised. The experts explained the traditional precedent of the electorate’s non-participation and encouraged the audience to study the electoral platforms of all of the candidates prior to voting. Aside from the technical aspects surrounding the elections, the participants also learned about exit polls, which will be implemented in Moldova for the first time. The participants noted that public media coverage often tends to favor the governing party and that it has yet to improve in equally presenting the diversity of opinions. The alumni concluded that only through active participation in the elections can one make a difference and agreed that it does take time to set true democratic standards for elections in Moldova. While keeping in mind that the predominantly one-sided media coverage of the electoral campaign may not correspond with reality in Moldova, the alumni will further analyze the issues surrounding the upcoming parliamentary elections with the above experts on the IATP VIP online forum.

Young voters learn about the
election at the IATP access site in
Causeni, Moldova

IATP Partners with International Republican Institute in Energizing Young Generation to Vote
From February 15 to 17, over 100 young citizens of Moldova, including high school students, college students, and nongovernmental organization (NGO) representatives, visited the IATP access sites in Soroca, Causeni, and Orhei, to learn more about the upcoming parliamentary elections scheduled for March 6. Representatives of the International Republican Institute (IRI) collaborated with IATP in raising awareness among young people of the importance of active participation in the parliamentary elections. IRI Program Officer Marian Bunescu (CC 03) traveled to IATP access sites throughout Moldova to explain voting procedures and motivate young people to go to the polls. He also handed out brochures and showed nonpartisan videos about the elections created by IRI, Transparency International, and the Adept Association for Participatory Democracy. Attendees also explored a website for first-time voters, which is administered by Adept and sponsored by the Soros Foundation. Participants also had the opportunity to interact with local representatives of the Party of Communists of the Republic of Moldova, the Social Democratic Party of Moldova, the Christian Democratic People’s Party, and the Moldova Democratic Electoral Bloc.