Author: Valentina Krčmar, Director, Mothers for Peace – Bedem Ljubavi (Toronto Chapter)
Addressed to: Mr. Alexander Borg Olivier, Principal Officer, Department of Humanitarian Affairs, United Nations, New York
View the Original Letter: krcmar book 2_Part146_Part1.pdf
About This Letter
Written on August 8, 1994, this letter from Valentina Krčmar, on behalf of Mothers for Peace (Bedem Ljubavi), expresses heartfelt gratitude to Mr. Alexander Borg Olivier of the United Nations for meeting with her during her visit to New York on August 1, 1994. The tone of the letter is both deeply personal and morally charged — a balance of appreciation for Olivier’s compassion and frustration over ongoing contradictions within UN operations.
Krčmar begins by thanking Olivier for his empathy and integrity, contrasting his humanity with the detachment often found in diplomatic circles:
“There are almost no words that can express how I feel about our meeting… Thank you from the bottom of my heart for taking time to see me, but especially thank you for your caring for the people of my homeland, and the world.”
Her warmth is evident throughout the letter. She admits that in moments of despair, activists sometimes lose faith in institutions like the UN, but meeting someone like Olivier renews that faith:
“Sometimes we grumble against people like you, but we are not right. What you are doing is so hard, so heartbreaking. Please, do not lose the humanity that you have, because we desperately need people like you.”
Yet beneath her gratitude lies a pressing concern — one she raised during their meeting: the presence of Yugoslav soldiers serving as UN peacekeepers despite Yugoslavia’s expulsion from the organization. Krčmar finds this situation both morally incomprehensible and politically dangerous, seeing it as a betrayal of the principles the UN is meant to uphold.
“I certainly cannot understand how it is possible that soldiers from a country that was expelled out of the UN can be peacekeepers.”
She encloses a copy of her letter regarding Yugoslav peacekeepers and expresses her desire to see whether any action results from it, emphasizing her ongoing commitment to accountability and reform within international institutions.
Krčmar closes with a note of personal sincerity that captures her humanity and the compassion at the heart of her activism:
“I felt like hugging you when I was leaving. We Croats are very physical people, and when we are excited in a positive way — we hug or kiss.”
This letter encapsulates the emotional and ethical depth of Krčmar’s advocacy — blending diplomacy with personal warmth, and moral outrage with hope. It also marks a turning point in her correspondence, showing her engagement not only in protest but in direct dialogue with global decision-makers.
