Today marks 20 years since the Vejce Massacre – a terrorist attack in 2001 upon Macedonian armed forces, in which eight Macedonia soldiers were ambushed, tortured, and then burned alive by Albanian separatists. According to a 2001 article in the Guardian newspaper “the guerrillas had gone out of their way to disfigure the corpses.” The perpetrators were never tried and…
The United Macedonian Diaspora (UMD) – the leading non-governmental, non-partisan, non-political educational advocacy organization promoting the interests of Macedonians and Macedonian communities worldwide – has announced the appointment of Anica Dimitrova and Valentina Talevska to the global UMD Chair Committee. Anica Dimitrova was born in Stip, Macedonia, and graduated from Goce Delchev University in Macedonia with a finance degree. She…
The United Macedonian Diaspora (UMD) is saddened to learn the news of the passing of our friend Congressman Alcee Hastings of Florida, at age 84, from pancreatic cancer. Congressman Hastings distinguished himself as an attorney, civil rights activist, and then a member of Congress. Serving 15 terms, Mr. Hastings was a champion for human rights and minorities – the first…
On March 1, the Macedonian State Statistical Office (SSO) began its activities for the Macedonian National Census of 2021. For the first time, the census will gather self-reported information about Macedonian citizens who reside abroad. Macedonia has not conducted a census in nearly 20 years due to the political machinations of various governmental coalitions. As an organization that has brought…
In celebration of International Mother Language Day on February 21, 2021, the United Macedonian Diaspora (UMD) has written to the digital and tech teams at some of the biggest global brands, requesting if there is a timescale to include the Macedonian language on the likes of Netflix, Amazon Prime, Twitter, and LinkedIn business pages. Estimates place the total number of…
The Australian Senate’s Foreign Affairs, Defence, and Trade References Committee has issued its Report of February 2021 in response to written submissions made to its inquiry on issues facing diaspora communities. The United Macedonian Diaspora Australia (UMD) lodged a submission on behalf of the Macedonian community in July 2020. UMD Australia Director, Vera Sekulovska, was invited to give evidence to…
The United Macedonian Diaspora (UMD) continues to denounce international solutions based on irredentism and border swaps. UMD is responding to a recent report from the International Crisis Group (ICG) on the Kosovo-Serbia Dialogue. The ICG recommends three solutions: “One would rely on sweeteners for Serbia – an infusion of donor development support and accelerated EU membership – as the cost…
Обединетата македонска дијаспора (ОМД) продолжува да ги осудува меѓународните решенија засновани на иредентизам и промена на границите. ОМД одговара на неодамнешниот извештај на Меѓународната кризна група (МКГ) за дијалогот Косово-Србија. МКГ препорачува три решенија: • „Првото би се потпирало на „засладувачи“ за Србија – инфузија на поддршка за развој од донатори и забрзано членство во ЕУ – како…
In the past, Australia Day may have been seen as a time for celebration and unity. But how can we come together when this day is one of mourning for First Nations peoples? The Macedonian diaspora community in Australia knows the devastating impact of having sacred land invaded and cultural identity denied. UMD Australia acknowledges that January 26 is a…
The United Macedonian Diaspora (UMD), a 501(c)3 nonpartisan organization and the voice of more than half a million Americans of Macedonian heritage, congratulates Joseph R. Biden on being sworn-in today as the 46th President of the United States, and to Kamala D. Harris, the daughter of Jamaican and Indian immigrants, on making American history as the first female Vice President…
The United Macedonian Diaspora unreservedly condemns the armed violence and terrorism aimed at the heart of American democracy this week. The forceful storming of the United States Capitol was an attempted coup against democratic ideals. In seeking to overturn a presidential election, the perpetrators betrayed the very freedoms they claim to defend – the right of the people to vote…
The United Macedonian Diaspora has welcomed increased news coverage of the name change debacle. Broader coverage has been achieved of the plight of ethnic Macedonians in Greece and Bulgaria whose governments deny their existence. A column by UMD’s Alastair Stewart was published in The Times. It draws on parallels between a maybe independent Scotland and Macedonia’s tragic experience on the…