Big Politics to Come to Wrocław
Between May 31 and June 2, Wrocław, the capital city of Lower Silesia, will be host to four presidents, three prime ministers, an EU commissioner and ministers responsible for shaping foreign policy.
May 17, 2012 -
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Among the many renowned personalities who have confirmed their attendance, Wrocław will be visited by Mikhail Gorbachev, Minister Radosław Sikorski, Ellen Tauscher from the U.S. State Department, Stefan Fϋle, Commissioner for Enlargement and Neighborhood Policy, and Lech Walesa.
This year the following leaders will take part in the debate: Aleksander Kwasniewski, Horst Köhler,
a former President of the Federal Republic of Germany, Valery Choroszkowski, First Deputy Prime Minister
of Ukraine, Gary Conille, Prime Minister of the Republic of Haiti, former prime ministers of Poland: Jerzy Buzek and Jan Krzysztof Bielecki and the famous Ukrainian boxer Vitaly Klychko.
As in the previous years, the Freedom Awards will be presented at the conference to individuals who have contributed to extending freedom and civil liberties. The Freedom Awards Gala is co-hosted by the Atlantic Council with support from U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Poland, Lee A. Feinstein, and the Polish Ambassador to the United States, Robert Kupiecki. This year’s laureates are:
Mikhail Gorbachev – the last leader of the USSR, creator of the perestroika reform program, initiator
of political changes throughout the Eastern bloc, a Nobel Peace Prize Winner
Wladyslaw Bartoszewski – a prisoner of Auschwitz, a soldier of the Home Army, former Minister
of Foreign Affairs, currently the Chairman of the Council for the Protection of Memory of Struggle and Martyrdom sites
National Endowment for Democracy – organization supporting democratic initiatives around the world
Emma Bonino – a member of Italian parliament, former EU Commissioner for Health and Consumer Protection, a board member of the Arab Democracy Foundation
“The Freedom Awards, to be awarded in Wroclaw for the third time this year, are an expression of our appreciation for the people and institutions making a significant contribution to the development of democracy, civil liberties, and human rights around the world,” said Frederick Kempe, President and CEO of the Atlantic Council. “This year we are proud to honor the visionary leader Mikhail Gorbachev, without whom the fall of the Iron Curtain would not have been possible and activist Władysław Bartoszewski, a witness to Polish modern history and a tireless advocate of freedom and democracy. We also want to highlight the role of NGOs by recognizing the National Endowment for Democracy, and political activist Emma Bonino.”
The Wrocław Global Forum will be held in the state-of-the-art Wroclaw Congress Center. The event is organized by the City of Wroclaw, the Atlantic Council, and the Wroclaw Global Forum Secretariat. The full conference program and further information can be found at the Wroclaw Global Forum 2012 site: www.wgf2012.eu.
Accreditation will run from 7 to 30 May.
More information:
Katarzyna Balashov Marcin Kłódkiewicz
Phone: +48 605 111 218 +48 600 566 262
mail: press@wgf2012.eu
