A special mention was given to Oleksandr Babych, mayor
of the Ukrainian town of Hola Prystan, who has been
held in Russian captivity for almost a year.
The municipality of Michałowo in Poland has been
honoured with the Mayor Paweł Adamowicz Award in
recognition of their support for freedom,
solidarity and equality. The award was presented by
the President of the European Committee of the
Regions,
Vasco Alves Cordeiro, in the presence of the European Commissioner for
Home Affairs
Ylva Johansson, at the plenary session of the European Committee
of the Regions in Brussels on 8 February.
The award was created to promote the legacy built up by
Paweł Adamowicz the late mayor of Gdańsk, and
established by the European Committee of the Regions in
partnership with the City of Gdańsk and the
International Cities of Refuge Network (ICORN). It is
presented to those – in politics or in civil society –
who, like Paweł Adamowicz, act in their communities
with courage and integrity to help those in need and
who fight against intolerance, radicalisation, hate
speech, oppression and xenophobia.
The Mayor of Michałowo, Marek Nazarko,
received the Award from
Vasco Alves Cordeiro, the President of the European Committee of the
Regions, as a recognition of the life-saving support
that Michałowo and its population provided to refugees
who found themselves stranded between Poland and
Belarus in September 2021, following attempts by
Belarusian leader Alyaksandr Lukashenka to use migrants
and refugees as a means to apply pressure on the
European Union.
On 27 September 2021, a group of about 20 Iraqi
Yazidis, mostly women and children, found their way to
the border guard post in Michałowo. As they were
brought back to the border, the question of "Where are
the children from Michałowo?" started to become a
public debate. In response, the local administration of
Michałowo provided clothing, warm meals and overnight
accommodation for those in need, with support also from
non-governmental organisations. The municipality of
Michałowo continues to assist refugees – from all
countries arriving at the border, while also organising
or co-organising various debates and conferences to
raise public and government awareness regarding
migration issues and above all its human dimension. In
2021, the refugees principally came from Syria, Iraq
and Afghanistan; at present, most refugees are fleeing
Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
The jury also decided to give a special mention to Oleksandr Babych, Mayor of Hola
Prystan in the south of Ukraine, who has been held
captive by the Russian forces since March 2022, for
trying to protect his local community. The jury decided
to honour Oleksandr Babych to affirm solidarity, with
all Ukrainian mayors who have been kidnapped or
tortured since the start of the Russian invasion.
Russia's occupying force are currently holding five
Ukrainian local leaders in captivity.
As Mayor Babych is unable to communicate with the
outside world and his lawyer is refused visits to see
his client, the award was received on his behalf by the
Association of Ukrainian Cities. The Association,
together with the European Committee of the Regions,
urges Russia to release Oleksandr Babych as well as all
abducted mayors. Mayors are leading their
municipalities in the delivery of services and they
have been and still are an inspiration and support to
local communities in Ukraine in this most difficult of
times.
The President of the European Committee of the Regions,
Vasco Alves Cordeiro, said: "Paweł Adamowicz was one of us. Today we honour
his legacy by awarding the courage of those in our
regions and cities who stand for these same values:
freedom, solidarity and equality. Michałowo and its
people showed the entire world what these values mean
by welcoming people trapped at the border with Belarus.
The Committee of the Regions also wants to send a
signal of hope and solidarity to all the mayors of
Ukraine, by giving a special recognition to the Mayor
of Hola Prystan, Oleksandr Babych. His courage is a
symbol of the fight Ukrainians are carrying for our
shared European values."
Ylva Johansson, European Commissioner for Home Affairs, said: "This
award in Paweł Adamowicz’s name celebrates other
European heroes. Those who stand for European values.
And this year it is a whole town. The town of Michałowo
in Poland. When Lukashenko tricked migrants to cross
the border, in an attempt to provoke a refugee crisis,
mayors, councillors and citizens acted with humanity.
They saw people in the freezing forest. They did not
see a stranger. An Iraqi. A Yezidi. They saw a human
being."
Mayor of Michałowo, Marek Nazarko:
"Congratulations to all the nominees. We found
ourselves in illustrious company. I come from a small
municipality on the border with Belarus, the most
magnificent place, of which I have had the honour of
being mayor since 2002. I come from a municipality that
suddenly found itself facing a migration crisis. We
will continue to help. The highest walls, the ones that
are the most difficult to break down, are in ourselves.
On this border, we will continue to show our humanity.
Nobody can stop us from doing so, because there are no
illegal people. There are still people there. The wall,
the barrier on the border, has not disappeared, there
are still mothers with children in the forest. I appeal
for help. The picture that sticks in my memory the most
is of a child from a group of 20 Yazidis who drew
flowers on the fogged-up window of the bus with his
finger. It showed how innocent the children were,
unaware of the dangerous situation in which they found
themselves. In this and in every other similar
situation, it is worth recalling the words of Paweł
Adamowicz: let us share the good!"
On behalf of Oleksandr Babych, Mayor
of Hola Prystan, Oleksandr Slobozhan,
Executive Director of the Association of Ukrainian
Cities (AUC): "It is a great honour for me to be
awarded with Pawel Adamowicz Prize special mention on
behalf of Oleksandr Babych, Mayor of Hola Prystan, who
personifies all Ukrainian mayors that did not leave
their municipalities and continued their activities
even under occupation. Despite the war, mayors try to
provide their municipalities with everything they need
for living, ensure proper functioning of critical
infrastructure and provision of utility services, which
is a difficult task under the conditions of continuous
shelling. At the same time, they often risk their
lives. Russian military have abducted 59 local
officials, including 35 mayors. Unfortunately, Mr
Babych, as well as his 4 colleagues, has been in the
Russian captivity for more than nine months. We hope
that at the very least this award will save his life,
as well as lives of other captured mayors. The examples
of Pawel Adamowicz, Heniette Reker, Oleksandr Babych
are the inspiration for a great number of mayors in
Ukraine and all over the world, as they are people who
serve their community, protect its interests and assert
universal values."
The Mayor of Gdańsk,
Aleksandra Dulkiewicz, said: "The Paweł Adamowicz Award is not only to
commemorate the values close to the Mayor of Gdansk,
who was assassinated in 2019, but above all to showcase
attitudes worth emulating, values on which the EU is
founded. I am delighted that this year the jury of the
award recognised the community and authorities of
Michałowo for their civil courage, solidarity and
integrity in standing up for others. Their attitude is
one of courageously being with refugees, of genuinely
helping those in need, of countering stereotypes,
ignorance and racism. The people of Michałowo remind us
what humanity is. Gratitude and respect to them!"
ICORN's board president, Christopher Gribble: “In our global
work to protect the most persecuted and vulnerable
freedom fighters, we know how crucial it is that
individuals, cities, nations and transnational bodies
do their utmost to transcend established boundaries and
borders to create welcoming environments for those in
the most urgent need. In this regard, the City of
Michałowo has taught the entire world
a lesson, and we cannot think of a worthier winner of
the Mayor Pawel Adamowicz Award 2022.”
MEP
Magdalena Adamowicz
(PL/EPP), widow of Mayor Adamowicz, said: "For Paweł,
human rights, unconditional equality, respect for the
dignity of every person, openness and help for all
people in need, including immigrants and refugees, were
the unquestionable foundation of democracy and a
benchmark for Europe's future. These are the
values that the Paweł Adamowicz Award promotes. Values which were at the core of Paweł's
social and political activity from the very beginning
until his tragic death. The winner of this
year's award is a defender and promoter of these values
– the municipality of Michałowo in Podlaskie.
This small municipality with big-hearted residents
stood as the first line of defence for democracy and
European values against an attack on democracy. If we want to save democracy, we must
clearly, strongly and without compromise defend the
right of every person to equality, dignity and to live
in freedom. The municipality of Michałowo
understands this. Oleksandr Babych also
understands this: the mayor of Hola Prystan in southern
Ukraine, who has been held captive since March 2022,
was given a special mention. He, and the other
Ukrainian mayors heroically fighting for their local
communities against Russia's brutal aggression, is a
symbol and an example for us all in the unwavering
fight for freedom and democracy. I congratulate the
winner and all the nominees of this year's Paweł
Adamowicz Award with pride and hope that the highest of
European values will always win."
Background:
Paweł Adamowicz was stabbed on 13 January 2019 while
speaking at a charity event. He died from his injuries
the following day. He was 53 years old. His murder was
preceded by a rise in hate speech directed at him. His
last words, uttered just before he was attacked, were:
"
Gdańsk is generous, Gdańsk shares its good, Gdańsk
wants to be a city of solidarity. This is a
wonderful time to share the good. You are loved.
Gdańsk is the most wonderful city in the world.
Thank you!
"
Mr Adamowicz was committed to promoting the EU's
fundamental values, and was an active member of the
European Committee of the Regions. In 2016, Mayor
Adamowicz launched the Gdańsk 'Immigrant Integration
Model'. It is a model that has inspired other Polish
cities.
The Paweł Adamowicz Award Evaluation Committee includes
representatives of United Cities and Local Governments
(UCLG), Eurocities, Global Parliament of Mayors (GPM),
the Council of European Municipalities and Regions
(CEMR), the Assembly of European Regions (AER), the
Conference of European Regional Legislative Assemblies
(CALRE), the Conference of Peripheral Maritime Regions
(CPMR), the Council of Europe, the City of Gdańsk,
ICORN, and the European Committee of the Regions (CoR).
The jury of this year’s edition was chaired by
Vincenzo Bianco, Chair of the CIVEX commission of
the CoR, represented by Patrick Molinoz, Vice-chair
Chair of the CIVEX. Other members were: ;
Aleksandra Dulkiewicz, Mayor, City of Gdańsk; MEP
Magdalena Adamowicz, widow of Paweł Adamowicz;
Jelena Drenjanin, Chair of the Governance committee
of the Council of Europe’s Congress of Local and
Regional Authorities; Chris Gribble, Chair of the
Board of ICORN; and Henriette Reker, Mayor of
Cologne, First Laureate of the Paweł Adamowicz
Award.
The first winner of the Paweł Adamowicz Award was Henriette Reker, mayor of Cologne. She
was recognised in 2022 for the courage and
determination that she had shown over the previous 20
years in promoting diversity, solidarity and
integration as an integral part of Cologne's identity.
In 2015, Mayor Reker survived a knife attack motivated
by antipathy towards her commitment to helping migrant
communities and their integration.
The European Committee of the Regions, as the political
assembly of local and regional representatives in the
EU and at the initiative of the Polish delegation,
unanimously adopted a
resolution
on 7 February 2019 condemning hate speech and threats
of all kinds against political leaders. The CoR, at its
plenary session on 30 November 2022, adopted
recommendations in support of the European Commission's
proposals to add hate speech and hate crimes to the
list of offences recognised in EU policy, through an
opinion on "
Extending the list of EU crimes to hate speech
and hate crimes" drafted by
Aleksandra Dulkiewicz, who succeeded Paweł Adamowicz as Mayor of Gdańsk.
The
International Cities of Refuge Network (ICORN)
is an international organisation of 80 cities and
regions in Europe and beyond, offering safe haven to
persecuted writers and artists, advancing freedom of
expression, defending democratic values and promoting
international solidarity. More than 250 writers and
artists have been offered residency in an ICORN city.
In a safe environment, they continue to play a vital
role, both in highlighting violations of human rights
and free speech in their home countries, and in
supporting colleagues in their country of origin. Mayor
Pawel Adamowicz brought the City of Gdańsk into ICORN
on 30 August 2017.
Mayor Paweł Adamowicz Award - website
: #AdamowiczAward
Rules and regulations of the award, Eligibility
Criteria, Selection Criteria
Website with information about Paweł Adamowicz
and the anniversary of his assassination
Laudation to the winner of 2022 Mayor Pawel
Adamowicz Award - Michałowo
Laudation to the winner of 2022 Mayor Pawel
Adamowicz Award – Mayor Oleksandr Babych
The ceremony can be watched on:
www.cor.europa.eu/corplenary.go
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/events/562570925583960
Contact:
European Committee of the Regions
Wioletta Wojewodzka
Tel. +32 (0)2 282 2289
Mobile: +32 (0)473 843 986
wioletta.wojewodzka@cor.europa.eu
City of Gdańsk
Maciej Buczkowski
Tel.: + 48 58 323 62 84
maciej.buczkowski@gdansk.gda.pl
International Cities of Refuge Network
Helge Lunde
Tel.: + 47 99582488
helge@icorn.org