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CELEBRATION OF THE HUMAN RIGHTS DAY

Each year, on 10 December we recall the anniversary of adopting the Universal Declaration of Human Rights by the United Nations General Assembly in 1948 in Paris. This is a unique opportunity for meetings and discussions about the status of the observance of human rights.

During the meeting, the Paweł Włodkowic Award is presented by the Commissioner for Human Rights. The award is of honorary nature and is presented annually as an expression of the Commissioner’s recognition of defending fundamental values and truths, even against the opinion and views of the majority.
 

Patron of the Paweł Włodkowic Award

Paweł Włodkowic (born ca. 1370, died in 1435) – scholar, religious and political writer, defender of Polish interests in disputes with the Teutonic Knights. He was Chancellor of the Cracow Academy in the years 1414-1415, then its vice-Chancellor and then he settled down in Kłodawa as a parish-priest. He participated in the Council of Constance (1414-1418), where he presented “Tractatus de potestate papae et imperatoris respect infidelium” (Treatise on the Power of the Pope and the Emperor Respecting Infidels). In it, he opposed to Christianisation by means of wars and violence and supported the right of pagans to retain their own political identity. He represented Poland against the Teutonic Knights in the arbitration court of Emperor Sigismund of Luxembourg in 1420 in Wrocław and in the papal court in 1421 in Rome.

Laureates of the Paweł Włodkowic Award:

• 2006 - Więź monthly – on behalf of the Editorial Staff, the Award was received by Mr Zbigniew Nosowski, Editor-in-Chief.
• 2007 - Rev. Tadeusz Isakowicz-Zaleski
• 2008 - Antonin Scalia – on behalf of Judge Scalia, the Award was received by the Ambassador of the United States in Poland, Mr Victor Ashe
• 2009 - Anna Walentynowicz
• 2010 – Lidia Olejnik, Director of Prison in Lubliniec
• 2011 – Irena Dawid-Olczyk, Founder and Member of the Management Board of the “La Strada” Foundation against Trafficking and Slavery
• 2012 – Krystyna Mrugalska, Vice President of the Polish Association for the Intellectually Disabled Persons
• 2013 - Bartłomiej Skrzyński, Wrocław Spokesperson for People with Disabilities
• 2014 - Aleksander Bialacki, Belarussian oppositionist and the Director of "Wiosna" Centre of Defence of Human Rights
• 2015 - prof. Thomas Buergenthal
• 2016 - prof. Wiktor Osiatyński
• 2017 Adam Strzembosz
• 2018 Małgorzata Chmielewska
• 2019 Danuta Przywara
• 2020 Michał Rogalski
• 2021 Self-government community of Michałów