Poroshenko urges UN to recognize Holodomor as genocide of the Ukrainian nation
During open debate at the UN General Assembly in New York, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko once again urged the UN to recognize the Holodomor (famine genocide) as a genocide of the Ukrainian nation.
Poroshenko said that between 2019-2021, in connection with membership in the UN Economic and Social Council, Ukraine will strive to implement the sustainable development agenda for the period leading up to 2030, and of the 17 goals, the UN’s initiatives towards overcoming world hunger are welcomed most of all.
“Today, under conditions where 850 million people in the world are undernourished, my country cannot stand idly by, and is prepared to offer assistance in dealing with matters of food security. Ukraine, like no other, knows the price of this tragedy,” he said.
The Ukrainian President pointed out that November will be the 85th anniversary of the Holodomor.
“This terrible crime, mass death from hunger, was artificially organized by the Stalin regime. The Holodomor claimed 7 million Ukrainians. In this regard, I would like to reiterate my call to the Assembly to honor one of the greatest tragedies in human history by adopting a corresponding declaration,” he said.
Poroshenko had already urged the UN to recognize the Holodomor as genocide during the UN General Assembly in 2017.
In 2016, Poroshenko instructed Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs to begin work towards international recognition of the Holodomor of 1932-1933 as a genocide of the Ukrainian people. The Verkhovna Rada later asked democratic countries to recognize the Holodomor as such.
At present, 12 states of America recognize the Holodomor as genocide: Ohio, Missouri, Washington, Wisconsin, Illinois, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania and Kansas.
A corresponding decision has also been adopted by the parliaments of a number of countries, including Canada, Australia, Georgia, Poland, Portugal, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Ecuador, Columbia, Mexico, Paraguay, Peru and Chile.
In 1921-1923, 1932-1933 and 1946-1947 there was mass starvation in entire regions of Ukraine, due not only to crop failure, but also to the deliberate actions of the Soviet government.