WOCCU’s Ukraine Efforts to Take Center Stage at GAC

During last year’s CUNA GAC, as the Russian military invaded Ukraine, WOCCU and the Worldwide Foundation for Credit Unions (WFCU) launched the Ukrainian Credit Union Displacement Fund to assist Ukrainian credit unions and their members and employees.

One year later, the war continues and WOCCU President/CEO Elissa McCarter LaBorde has been given a platform on the CUNA GAC’s main stage to update the industry on the Fund’s progress, as well as other global priorities facing the credit union movement.

“Worldwide Foundation for Credit Unions’ launch of its Ukrainian Credit Union Displacement Fund during the week of CUNA GAC 2022 got the attention of U.S. credit union leaders, who responded with overwhelming generosity,” McCarter LaBorde said. “They are responsible for driving nearly $2 million in donations to date, which have gone to support Ukrainian credit unions and to keep their member farmers solvent. I can’t think of a better place to say, ‘thank you’ than at GAC 2023.”

According to the GAC schedule, WOCCU and WFCU will dive deeper into Ukrainian credit union issues to provide GAC attendees with updates on the continued work in Ukraine during the breakout session “Why International Advocacy Matters – A Ukraine Case Study.” The session, hosted by WOCCU SVP of International Advocacy and General Counsel Andrew Price, will cover how regulatory issues faced by Ukrainian credit unions are tied to advocacy efforts here in the U.S.

According to WOCCU, other speakers involved in the breakout session will include:

• Rafal Matusiak, WOCCU board director and president of the National Association of Cooperative Savings and Credit Unions (NACSCU – Poland)
• Alisa Stetsyshyn, consultant, USAID/WOCCU Credit for Agriculture Producers’ Project
• Anatoli Murha, SVP, Ukrainian Selfreliance Federal Credit Union

McCarter LaBorde is scheduled to speak on March 1 and the breakout session is slated for Feb. 28.