Adamowicz Award 2023 Laureate
Mayor Paweł Adamowicz Award ceremony in Mons 19 March 2024. On the stage, from left to right: Patrick Molinoz, Věra Jourová, Maddalena Alberti, Vasco Alves Cordeiro, Agostino Zanotti, MEP Magdalena Adamowicz, Aleksandra Dulkiewicz. © European Union/ Fred Guerdin
The Mayor Paweł Adamowicz
Award ceremony took place at the 10th European Summit of Regions and Cities in Mons, on 19 March 2024, during the
closing plenary session.
Among the high-level speakers, the ceremony featured the Vice-President of the European Commission Věra Jourová, Member of the European Parliament Magdalena Adamowicz, President of the Committee of the Regions Vasco Alves Cordeiro and the Nobel Peace Prize for 2022, Oleksandra Matviichuk, who connected online from Ukraine.
Along with the Award partners – Mayor of Gdańsk Alksandra Duliewicz, and the Chair of the Jury and of the CIVEX Commission, Patrick Molinoz, they saluted the courage of the laureates –
LDA Zavidovići, Italian NGO from Brescia, which was honoured with the Mayor Paweł Adamowicz 2023 Award for its work in restoring economic dignity and social autonomy for thousands of people who are victims of conflict or persecution around the world. Their association was founded in the aftermath of the war in ex-Yugoslavia in honour of the group of pacifists from Brescia, abducted and slain as they were delivering humanitarian aid to the besieged population.
The Special mention of the Jury, was attributed to
Alla Myronova, Ukrainian mayor of Inhulka in Ukraine, not far from the front-line, who has carried out numerous projects over 20 years and was praised for the courage she showed particularly during the Russian occupation.
Local democracy is extremely important to preserve democracy, as Oleksandra Matviichuk put it, and "ordinary people can do extraordinary things". The laureate, Maddalena Alberti, executive director of LDA Zavidovići concluded by saying it was not enough to be brave, but we must also be resilient and perseverant. "Things do not happen quickly but the change is the result of a constant and long-term commitment." And she added: "courage is a virtue characterized by an 'endurance in the impossible'; let the impossible become possible."
For full Nominations Criteria please check
here.
Adamowicz Award 2022 Laureate
The municipality of Michałowo in Poland has been honoured with the Mayor Paweł Adamowicz Award for the help it has provided refugees at the border with Belarus. The award was announced at the European Solidarity Centre in Gdańsk on 13 January and was presented to the Mayor of Michałowo Marek Nazarko at the
plenary session of the European Committee of the Regions in Brussels on 8 February.
The award recognises the life-saving support that Michałowo and its population provided to migrants who found themselves stranded between Poland and Belarus after the Polish government in September 2021 imposed a state of emergency in response to Belarus's sponsorship of illegal migration.
The jury also decided to give a special mention to Oleksandr Babich, Mayor of Hola Prystan in the south of Ukraine, who has been held captive since March 2022 for trying to protect his local community.
Adamowicz Award 2021 Laureate
The first Laureate of the Mayor Paweł Adamowicz Award was
Henriette Reker, the
Lord Mayor of Cologne in Germany.
The Award Jury conferred the honour on Ms Reker in recognition of her extraordinary dedication and work in her city in promoting tolerance, inclusiveness, and the integration and non-discrimination of citizens with migrant backgrounds, whilst fighting hate-speech and xenophobia. Amongst the many personal and professional challenges she has faced in carrying out this work, she survived a near-fatal xenophobia-motivated knife attack in October 2015.
Background
Mayor Paweł Adamowicz focused his activities on fostering solidarity, the integration of migrants and minorities, dialogue with civil society, and the promotion of fundamental rights on the ground. He was first elected as Mayor of Gdańsk in 1998, and served the city in that position until his assassination on 13 January 2019.
The establishment of this Award is an homage to and recognition of everyone who works with courage and integrity against intolerance, radicalisation, hate-speech, oppression and xenophobia. Those who promote equal opportunities, social integration and fundamental rights. Those who are inspired by and carry on the legacy of Paweł Adamowicz.
It honours those around the world who build bridges and tear down walls, with a clear sense of responsibility for future generations – people who pave the way for societal changes in favour of the weakest, not shying away from any urgent battle for human rights and civil liberties, locally, nationally or internationally.
The Award presents Mayor Paweł Adamowicz's legacy to a wider audience, with the aim of inspiring local and regional politicians throughout Europe and beyond to build upon the work he started.