The Honorable Hillary Rodham Clinton
Secretary of State
U.S. Department of State
2201 C Street NW
Washington, D.C. 20520

Dear Madame Secretary:

On the occasion of the convening of the 56th session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women, The World Federation of Ukrainian Women’s Organizations would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your support of Ukraine’s former Prime Minister and opposition leader Yulia Tymoshenko, for your recent letters on her behalf, your discussions with Ukraine’s President Yanukovych in Munich, and for your meeting with Evegenia Tymoshenko in Washington DC, all within the span of a few weeks. We are grateful for your visible and consistent support of Yulia Tymoshenko and the efforts of the U.S. Department of State to reverse her imprisonment, a dramatic travesty of justice, and an egregious example of selective prosecution.

The World Federation of Ukrainian Women’s Organizations continues to hold great hope for the development of democracy in Ukraine. Since 1948, the WFUWO, through our network of women’s organizations, now in 17 countries, has supported all efforts to bring dignity to the people of Ukraine. The empowerment of the individual citizen in a democracy is one of the most profound ways in which to provide people with dignity and we are emboldened by your support.

With deep respect,

Maria Szkambara

President

Hand-delivered to the Permanent Mission of the United States to the United Nations on March 1, 2012