Hennadiy Udovenko
Encyclopedia
Hennadiy Yosypovych Udovenko is a Ukrainian politician and diplomat. He has served as Minister for Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, has been the 52nd President of the United Nations General Assembly
(1997–1998) and Member of the Verkhovna Rada
(parliament) of Ukraine (1998–2007). He is from Dnipropetrovsk Oblast
. He has studied international relations at Kiev University
, having graduated in 1954. He also did graduate studies in agricultural economics at the Ukrainian Research and Development Institute for Agricultural Economy and Organization from 1956 to 1959.
From 1977 to 1980, he was Director of the Interpretation and Meetings Division at the Department of Conference Services of the United Nations office in New York.
In 1980–1985, he was Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic, and was assigned the rank of Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary in January 1985.
From February 1985 to March 1992, he was Permanent Representative of Ukraine to the United Nations and Vice-Chairman of the United Nations Special Committee against Apartheid. 1989–1991 – Vice-President of the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations. At the same time, in 1991–1992, he was Deputy Foreign Minister of Ukraine. In 1992–1994, he served as Ambassador of Ukraine to Poland
.
From 1994 until 1998, he was Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine and member of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine
. In September 1997, he was elected President
of the 52nd Session of the United Nations General Assembly
for one year, continuing as President of the 10th emergency special and 20th special sessions of the UN GA.
(Narodnyi Rukh Ukrainy) political party, having served as acting chairman since the end of March 1999, when the previous Chairman of Rukh, Vyacheslav Chornovil
, had died in a car accident. He was reelected in 2001 and served as Chairman of the party until May 3, 2003, having been succeeded by Borys Tarasyuk
who had earlier also succeeded him as Ukraine's Foreign Minister.
As member of Rukh, he was elected to the Verkhovna Rada
, the Parliament of Ukraine, in 1998. In 2002, he again became Member of Parliament as part of the electoral list of Our Ukraine
bloc, which had been created with active cooperation on the side of Udovenko. During the 3rd and 4th convocations of the Verkhovna Rada, he was Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on Human Rights, National Minorities, and Inter-ethnic Relations.
In the 2006 parliamentary elections, he was again part of Our Ukraine list, but declined laying down his parliamentary mandate during the political crisis in the spring of 2007
, when more than 150 MPs from Our Ukraine
and Yulia Tymoshenko Bloc resigned from the parliament, giving the President the legal grounds for dissolving Verkhovna Rada. Aged 76, Udovenko didn't take part in the new elections.
President of the United Nations General Assembly
The President of the United Nations General Assembly is a position voted for by representatives in the United Nations General Assembly on a yearly basis.- Election :...
(1997–1998) and Member of the Verkhovna Rada
Verkhovna Rada
The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine is Ukraine's parliament. The Verkhovna Rada is a unicameral parliament composed of 450 deputies, which is presided over by a chairman...
(parliament) of Ukraine (1998–2007). He is from Dnipropetrovsk Oblast
Dnipropetrovsk Oblast
Dnipropetrovsk Oblast is an oblast of central Ukraine, the most important industrial region of the country. Its administrative center is Dnipropetrovsk....
. He has studied international relations at Kiev University
Kiev University
Taras Shevchenko University or officially the Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv , colloquially known in Ukrainian as KNU is located in Kiev, the capital of Ukraine. It is the third oldest university in Ukraine after the University of Lviv and Kharkiv University. Currently, its structure...
, having graduated in 1954. He also did graduate studies in agricultural economics at the Ukrainian Research and Development Institute for Agricultural Economy and Organization from 1956 to 1959.
Early career
He started his career in 1952 as secretary to the Minister and secretary to the Governing Board of the Ministry of the building materials industry of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic. From 1955 to 1958, he was head of the collective farm in the Domantivka village of the Skvyra district of the Kiev region.Diplomatic career
Hennadiy Udovenko entered diplomatic service in 1959 as 1st secretary, counsellor at the Department of International Economic organizations of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic. In 1965–71, he worked at the United Nations Office at Geneva. In 1971–77, he was successively head of the personnel department and head of the International economic organizations department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Ukrainian SSR.From 1977 to 1980, he was Director of the Interpretation and Meetings Division at the Department of Conference Services of the United Nations office in New York.
In 1980–1985, he was Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic, and was assigned the rank of Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary in January 1985.
From February 1985 to March 1992, he was Permanent Representative of Ukraine to the United Nations and Vice-Chairman of the United Nations Special Committee against Apartheid. 1989–1991 – Vice-President of the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations. At the same time, in 1991–1992, he was Deputy Foreign Minister of Ukraine. In 1992–1994, he served as Ambassador of Ukraine to Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
.
From 1994 until 1998, he was Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine and member of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine
National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine
National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine , locally referred by its abbreviation RNBO, is an organizational state body in Ukraine tasked with developing national security policy on domestic and international matters in advising the President of Ukraine .The Council was originally created in...
. In September 1997, he was elected President
President of the United Nations General Assembly
The President of the United Nations General Assembly is a position voted for by representatives in the United Nations General Assembly on a yearly basis.- Election :...
of the 52nd Session of the United Nations General Assembly
United Nations General Assembly
For two articles dealing with membership in the General Assembly, see:* General Assembly members* General Assembly observersThe United Nations General Assembly is one of the five principal organs of the United Nations and the only one in which all member nations have equal representation...
for one year, continuing as President of the 10th emergency special and 20th special sessions of the UN GA.
Political activities
On May 14, 1999, Udovenko was elected Chairman of the People's Movement of UkrainePeople's Movement of Ukraine
The People's Movement of Ukraine is a Ukrainian center-right political party...
(Narodnyi Rukh Ukrainy) political party, having served as acting chairman since the end of March 1999, when the previous Chairman of Rukh, Vyacheslav Chornovil
Vyacheslav Chornovil
Viacheslav Chornovil was a Ukrainian politician. A prominent Ukrainian dissident to the Soviet policies, he was arrested multiple times in the 1960s and 1970s for his political views...
, had died in a car accident. He was reelected in 2001 and served as Chairman of the party until May 3, 2003, having been succeeded by Borys Tarasyuk
Borys Tarasyuk
Borys Ivanovych Tarasyuk is a Ukrainian politician. He has twice served as the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Ukraine. He is from Zhytomyr Oblast. Tarasyuk studied international relations and international law at National Taras Shevchenko University of Kyiv, and graduated in 1975...
who had earlier also succeeded him as Ukraine's Foreign Minister.
As member of Rukh, he was elected to the Verkhovna Rada
Verkhovna Rada
The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine is Ukraine's parliament. The Verkhovna Rada is a unicameral parliament composed of 450 deputies, which is presided over by a chairman...
, the Parliament of Ukraine, in 1998. In 2002, he again became Member of Parliament as part of the electoral list of Our Ukraine
Our Ukraine
The Our Ukraine–People's Self-Defense Bloc is an electoral alliance active in Ukraine, associated with former President Viktor Yushchenko. Since 2005, the bloc has been dominated by a core consisting of the People's Union "Our Ukraine" party and five smaller partner parties.The Our Ukraine Bloc is...
bloc, which had been created with active cooperation on the side of Udovenko. During the 3rd and 4th convocations of the Verkhovna Rada, he was Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on Human Rights, National Minorities, and Inter-ethnic Relations.
In the 2006 parliamentary elections, he was again part of Our Ukraine list, but declined laying down his parliamentary mandate during the political crisis in the spring of 2007
2007 Ukrainian political crisis
The political crisis in Ukraine lasted from April to June of 2007 was part of political stand off between coalition and opposition factions of Verkhovna Rada that led to the unscheduled Ukrainian parliamentary election, 2007...
, when more than 150 MPs from Our Ukraine
Our Ukraine
The Our Ukraine–People's Self-Defense Bloc is an electoral alliance active in Ukraine, associated with former President Viktor Yushchenko. Since 2005, the bloc has been dominated by a core consisting of the People's Union "Our Ukraine" party and five smaller partner parties.The Our Ukraine Bloc is...
and Yulia Tymoshenko Bloc resigned from the parliament, giving the President the legal grounds for dissolving Verkhovna Rada. Aged 76, Udovenko didn't take part in the new elections.