BRAMA, September 6, 2000, 9:00am EDT

United States and Other World Ukrainian Credit Union Leaders Meet in Ukraine

- ©Morgan Williams US Credit Union delegation bus arrives at Mayor Anatoly Kuckoba's Office in Poltava, Ukraine on Monday, August 21, 2000. Main theme of meetings: expanding credit union development in Ukraine - ©Morgan Williams Tamara Denysenko, Chairperson of the USA Credit Union Delegation, presenting a gift book to Mayor Kuckoba of Poltava. Ms. Denysenko is Chief Executive Officer of the Rochester Ukrainian Federal Credit Union. She is flanked by Ihor Laszok (Vice Chairperson of the Ukrainian National Credit Union Association (USA)) on her left and Dmytro Hryhorczuk on her right. Mr. Laszok hails from Newark, New Jersey and is President/CEO of the Selfreliance UA Federal Credit Union. Mr. Hryhorczuk is President/CEO of the Ukrainian National Credit Union Association (USA) headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. - ©Morgan Williams Bohdan Watral, Vice Chairperson, External Affairs, Ukrainian National Credit Union Association (USA), addressing the Credit Union Conference in Kyiv, Ukraine on Friday, August 25th. Mr. Watral is President/CEO of the Selfreliance Ukrainian Federal Credit Union in Chicago, Illinois. Mr. Watral has been a major leader in the drive to establish credit unions in Ukraine. Seated is Petro M. Kozynets, President of the Ukrainian National Association of Savings and Credit Unions (Kyiv). The National Association in Ukraine represents more than 80 credit unions. - ©Morgan Williams Olexandra Volodymyrivna Kuzhel (left), Head of the State Committee on Regulative Policy and Entrepreneurship in Ukraine, addressed the Credit Union Conference in Kyiv on Friday, August 25, 2000. Ms. Kuzhel gave a forceful talk urging more credit union development in Ukraine, the adoption of new legislation supporting credit unions, and called on everyone to work together to push credit unions forward in Ukraine. - ©Morgan Williams Travelers to the meetings in Poltava were greeted with the traditional "Pryvit."

Thirty-five United States credit union leaders participated in the Fourth Conference of the World Council of Ukrainian Credit Unions (Svitova Rada Kredytovykh Spilok) which took place in Kyiv and Poltava, Ukraine during the week of August 21 to August 25, 2000. Prior to the Conference in Kyiv, a set of meetings were held in Poltava. The primary focus was on the development of credit unions in a multi-oblast regional area centered around Poltava. Credit union leaders and other interested financial and economic development organization and individuals from the United States, Canada and Ukraine participated in the discussions. The Poltava gathering was held upon the invitation of Mayor Anatoly Kuckoba who warmly welcomed the participants on the opening day of the conference in his city. Discussions covered topics such as how to expand and strengthen existing credit unions, how to create new credit unions, making small business loans and how to loan to agricultural producers. The second day of the meetings continued with a series of roundtable workshops. Speakers in Poltava included Petro M. Kozynets, President of the Ukrainian National Association of Savings and Credit Unions, Tamara Denysenko, General Manager and CEO of the Rochester Ukrainian Federal Credit Union who is also Chairman of the Board of the Ukrainian National Credit Union Association (USA), Dmytro Hryhorczuk, President of the Ukrainian National Credit Union Association (USA) , Halyna Zhulynska, Chairperson of the Turbota Credit Union of Kyiv and a member of the board of the National Ukrainian Association of Savings and Credit Unions; Ihor Eugene Laszok, President/CEO of the Selfreliance UA Federal Credit Union of Newark, New Jersey, Zorian B. Dubenko, Chairman of the Board, Ukrainian Selfreliance Federal Credit Union, Philadelphia, PA. The Fourth Conference of the World Council of Ukrainian Credit Unions was held in Kyiv, on Friday, August 25th. The Conference has been held regularly in Ukraine every two years since 1994. Participants included representatives of credit unions from the United States, Canada, Australia, and other countries. The Conference focused in depth on several topics of interest to both Ukraine and member credit unions from around the world. The presentations and discussions that followed covered a multitude of issues including: the history of credit union development in Ukraine the present status of the credit union movement how to rapidly expand credit unions in Ukraine new federal legislation needed for credit union development concentration of more credit unions in rural areas the need for private agricultural related loans the need for small business loans the need for a central stabilization fund development of a liquidity pool establishment of a self-regulatory organization managed by the credit unions through their national organization. In addition to the national Ukrainian and American leaders who spoke in Poltava, speakers at the Conference included Olexander Volodymirivna Kuzhel, Head of the State Committee of Regulative Policy and Business in Ukraine; Bohdan Watral, President and CEO of the Selfreliance Ukrainian Federal Credit Union, Chicago; Dean Mahon, World Education, Boston, MA; Bohdan Kozy, Project Manager, Ukraine Credit Union Development Assistance Program, Canada; Lucy Ito, World Council of Credit Unions, Madison, WI, USA; Nataliya Shulga, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, USA: Grace Warnecke, Country manager for a large women's development program which supports small business loans to women through Credit Unions; Winrock Foundation; Morgan Williams, Consultant, US-Ukraine Foundation, Washington, D.C.; Stephen Silkoks, USAID, Kyiv; and Marta Kolomayets, CEO of a large market education program in Ukraine which promotes credit union development. Morgan Williams, Kyiv

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