Poland in the OECD

On 31 August, we solemnly celebrate the 40th anniversary of the signing of the August Agreements and the establishment of the Independent Self-Governing Trade Union “Solidarity”, which contributed to the collapse of communism and an end to the world’s cold war division.

The changes initiated by “Solidarity” gave Poland 28 years of continuous economic growth and a significant, measurable increase in average prosperity.

There are at least 200,000 of them globally. They devote their time, health, and sometimes lives to save the others in the most remote corners of the world. The United Nations call them ‘real life heroes’ (#RealLifeHeros). Humanitarians, as we can name humanitarian aid workers, have something in common with the Good Samaritan of the biblical parable. Alike their ancient predecessors, modern humanitarians will not pass by someone in need.

On 15 August 2020 we solemnly celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Warsaw – a culminating point of the Polish-Soviet War (1919-1920) and one of the most decisive events in the history of Poland, Europe, and the world.

During the coronavirus pandemic, Europe and the world need solidarity more than ever before. Poland plays an active role in helping the Eastern Partnership countries, Africa, the Middle East, and selected European states to fight the COVID-19 pandemic. We send Polish doctors to help treat patients, offer in-kind assistance, support Polish community actions worldwide and we do much more.

The call for proposals in the "Polish Returns 2020. COVID-19 Edition" program is addressed to institutions planning to employ scientists whose research may be relevant for broadening knowledge and solving significant problems related to the COVID-19 pandemic and its consequences, in particular representatives of broadly understood health and biomedical sciences.

On July 1st 2020 Poland takes the lead in the Visegrad Group. "Back on track" will be the motto of this Polish Presidency.

“The global epidemic showed us the true meaning of democratic values vested in the Warsaw Declaration,” said Minister Jacek Czaputowicz during a videoconference of the Governing Council of the Community of Democracies held to mark the 20th anniversary of signing of the Warsaw Declaration.

This year, 2020, the Visegrad Group (V4) marks 20th anniversary of the foundation of the International Visegrad Fund with its seat in Bratislava, the most significant common organisation within the V4 framework. In hindsight, the successful operation of the International Visegrad Fund has proved both the viability of the Visegrad Group as a platform for sharing civic, cultural, scientific, educational and innovative concepts, and the benefit of the V4 as a space of mutual trust where thoughts, opinions and uncharted ideas can be exchanged and multiplicated in a truly frank and open “European” manner.

“Our help for the Western Balkans confirms the importance that we attach to our relations with the region, a region without which it would be difficult to consider the process of uniting Europe as complete,” Deputy Minister Szymon Szynkowski vel Sęk said at a ceremony to launch a humanitarian convoy to six Western Balkan states – Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Kosovo, North Macedonia and Serbia – which took place in Warsaw on 26 May. “’Solidarity’ is the key word to describe the entire development policy underlying the MFA’s humanitarian assistance programmes. For forty years, this word has been a value that Poland is associated with,” Deputy Foreign Minister Paweł Jabłoński said during the meeting. He added: “Poland does not forget about its neighbours and about other states that are in need of help.”