United Macedonia Diaspora

[julie]

Andrew sounds like someone that will do us proud. Our future is in our youth

[Mikail]

Originally Posted by UMDiaspora.org

Vangelovski - excellent research! We are going to look into this closely and see if we will be considered for any U.S. government funding for specific democracy-building projects.

The building of what? What have you undertaken with money you've raised to date. Who does UMD support other than UMD?

[Vangelovski]

Its quite telling that Meto jumped at the opportunity to gain State Department funding, yet failed to notice this 'piece of research' on transparancy:

Originally Posted by Vangelovski

Here's some advice from the Institute of Charted Accountants in Australia:

Although not-for-profit (NFP) organisations come in many shapes and sizes, they must all communicate with the people who give money or time to them, as well as those who buy goods or services from them. Annual and financial reports represent a prime opportunity to do this. As well as demonstrating transparency, a good report will underline achievements and show where an organisation has made a difference.

http://www.charteredaccountants.com....t_guidance.pdf

[Rogi]

Given that Panko Stamkovski, bog da go prosti, has been brought up in this thread, I think that he and his newspaper, "Makedonija" should be given a dedicated thread here on this forum.

The man was a legend who advocated a free, independent and united Macedonia when most others were afraid or couldn't imagine a life without or beyond Yugoslavia.

Indigen, perhaps you could begin the thread?

[UMDiaspora.org]

About Archimandrite Nikodim Tsarknias:

http://umdglobalconference.com/index...116&Itemid=132

[Bratot]

Of course NOT!

[julie]

That would be awesome to hear him speak, UMD seeing you are handing out awards and medals, this is someone that is more than worthy of being honoured

[Mastika]

There is no one representative of the Macedonian diaspora, I am not a member of the UMD so I cannot say that they are "my" representative, even though they claim to act on the behalf of more people then their membership. UMD represents a position which is hopefully representative of its members, after all that is the point of any group. Once representatives are elected from the diaspora, the diaspora will have even more representatives. The more the better!

[Piperka]

I'm not a member, therefore they are not my representative.

[UMDiaspora.org]

On June 5, 2010 at 11:00 a.m., UMD will honor four distinguished individuals for their work in advancing the human rights of Macedonians in Southeast Europe. Below are their biographies. Hope you can join us in paying tribute to them!

Liana Dumitrescu

Liana Dumitrescu was born and raised in Romania. Her ancestors arrived in Romania from Macedonia in the 17th and 18th centuries. Liana is a lawyer by trade having earned her law degree from the University of Bucharest in 1996. She has attended both the Romanian National Institute of Administration and the Romanian Diplomatic Institute, taking courses related to development and project management and international relations and European integration respectively. She is currently working on her doctorate degree from the University of Bucharest in history.

From 1996 to 1997, Dumitrescu had her private legal practice. She moved on to work as a legal adviser in the Romanian Parliament to the Chamber of Deputies (one of Romanian Parliament's highest bodies) till 2004. Then from 2004 to 2006, she worked as the Secretary of the Parliamentary Group of National Minorities. Since 2004, she has been a member of Parliament elected as the representative of the Macedonian community of Romania, and has been elected for two consecutive terms as a member of the Chamber of Deputies. Since 2008, Liana has been a lecturer at the University Mihai Viteazu's Law School in Commercial and Roman Law.

Dumitrescu's involvement in the Macedonian community in Romania has been extensive. In 2000, she helped found the Macedonian Association of Romania, of which she serves as its Vice President since 2004, and helped initiate the state processes for the state to recognize the Macedonian community as an official minority of Romania, which was successful. Romania is currently the only European Union and NATO member, which recognizes an official Macedonian minority. In 2002, Liana succeeded in placing Macedonian on the official Romanian census, and in 2008, succeeded in getting state funds for the education of the Macedonian language in primary schools throughout Romania. She has the co-author of the book History of the Macedonian Minority in Romania and is the current director of the monthly newsletter Macedoneanul.

Hristo Ivanovski

Hristo Ivanovski is a Macedonian journalist with extensive experience, particularly with regard to the international arena. After earning his degree in Journalism from the University "St. Kiril and Metodij" in Skopje, Ivanovski began working for Nova Makedonija, which was at the time the largest newspaper in Macedonia. He also lived in Australia where he worked with ethnic Macedonian newspapers in Melbourne. By 1998, Ivanovski had become the editor of Dnevnik. He also served as a monitor for general elections in Slovakia for the International Republican Institute, participated in the International Visitors Program for print journalism in the United States, was a Fulbright scholar at Duke University, lectured at Harvard University, and is a member of the Board of Macedonian Helsinki Committee for Human Rights. In addition to these accomplishments, Ivanovski is a published poet whose poems have been translated into English, German, and Romanian. His poetry was included in Einstein Complex anthology and the World Healing anthology dedicated to the terror attacks of 2001 in the United States.

Ivanovski has traveled extensively, reporting from Taiwan, Japan, United States, and many countries in Europe. He has also reported from big events such as Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe Summit in Istanbul, NATO Summit in Prague. Moreover, he is very familiar with the structure of the Council of Europe, PACE, and European Court of Human Rights. During his trips to Strasbourg, Ivanovski has interviewed the General Secretary of the Council of Europe H.E. Terry Davis, Thorborn Jagland, and the President of the European Court of Human Rights, Mr. Jean Paul Costa.

Ivanovski's specialty is human rights issues, specifically the situation of the Macedonian minorities and the Macedonian Diaspora. Currently, he is the diplomatic editor of the newspaper Dnevnik, a political analyst, and political commentator.

Edmond Temelko, Mayor of Liqenas (Pustec), Albania

Edmond Temelko has been a long-time activist for the rights of the Macedonian minority in Albania. In 2000, he became the chairman of the Association for Protection of the Rights of the Macedonian Minority in Albania "Prespa." From 2003-2007, he was a member of the Council of the town of Liqenas (Pustec in Macedonian), and in 2007, became Mayor of the town and currently holds this position. Since 2009, he has been the President of the Macedonian Alliance for European Integration, a political party in Albania advocating for greater engagement by the Macedonian minority in Albania's institutions.

In March 2009, the Commission for Minority Issues of the Foreign Ministry of Albania announced the results of its study about the national minorities in the country. According to the study, there are 4,148 Macedonians (0.14% of the total population) living in the country. Temelko criticized the report and said that "this number once again proves that the Albanian Government denies the existence of the Macedonian minority." He stated that the population of Liqenas, which is mainly populated by ethnic Macedonians, is close to 5,300 and that the Macedonian minority in Albania is close to 150,000.

Temelko earned his BA in Veterinary from the University of Tirana, Albania. He is fluent in both Albanian and Macedonian.

Archimandrite Nikodim Tsarknias

Archimandrite Nikodim Tsarknias is a monk of the Orthodox Christian faith. He is a citizen of the Republic of Greece and is a member of the ethnic Macedonian national minority in that country. He was an ordained member of the Orthodox Church in Greece (the only legal Orthodox Church in Greece) from 1973 until 1991. Archimandrite Tsarknias served as a personal secretary to the Florina/Lerin diocese's bishop, Augustine. Archimandrite Tsarknias opposed bishop Augustin's attempt to eradicate Macedonian religious customs, which have been suppressed by the Greek Government since the end of the Second Balkan Wars in 1913.

After openly declaring his ethnic Macedonian identity in 1991, and having communicated with parishioners in the Macedonian language, he was dismissed from his ecclesiastical post in the diocese of Florina/Lerin. He assumed the same post in Edessa/Voden but was subsequently dismissed there also. On March 11, 1992, he was expelled from the Orthodox Church in Greece altogether. Archimandrite Tsarknias became an ordained member of the Macedonian Orthodox Church following his expulsion from the Orthodox Church in Greece.

Archimandrite Tsarknias continues to experience difficulties in his spiritual duties to the ethnic Macedonian minority, a result of longstanding Greek Government policy towards minorities.

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