The meeting in Kielce was opened by Deputy Minister Piotr Wawrzyk. He noted that in recent years one of priorities of Polish foreign policy became humanitarian aid and development assistance. He also emphasised that for aid to be the most effective, it should be provided on the ground. “Development assistance makes sense only when provided in proper conditions, spent in a proper manner and when it is beneficial for its recipients, that is the citizens of an individual country,” said the deputy minister. “It is a much better way of addressing the migration crisis than taking in refugees,” he added. Deputy Minister Wawrzyk also emphasised that the solutions proposed by Poland have over time gained the appreciation of the European Union, which abandoned the mechanisms of obligatory relocation of migrants.

Deputy Minister Wawrzyk noted that in recent years Poland considerably increased its humanitarian aid spending from PLN 25 million in 2015 to PLN 128 million in 2018. The total development assistance expenditure reached nearly PLN 3 billion. The deputy minister added that the assistance consists in “specific investments improving the quality of life in an individual country,” which encourages many people, especially in African countries, to stay at home.

Deputy Minister Wawrzyk also referred to the International Day Commemorating the Victims of Acts of Violence Based on Religion or Belief, marked on 22 August, which was established on Poland’s initiative. He called it Poland’s greatest achievement at the Security Council so far. “It is very rare that the General Assembly unanimously supports such initiative,” he noted.

The establishment of the international day was also discussed at a seminar held in Torun, titled “Our silence is our shame. Religious and ethnic persecution in modern world.” The seminar was accompanied by the launch of an exhibition under the same title. The participants of the meeting, which brought together representatives of Polish and foreign academia, presented latest research into religious persecutions in the contemporary world, including the Middle East, Africa and Asia. They emphasised that the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs was the driving force behind the establishment of the International Day Commemorating the Victims of Acts of Violence Based on Religion or Belief.

The debates are organised by the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Regional Centres for International Debate.

 

MFA Press Office