City of Gdańsk awarded ‘Nobel Peace Prize of Spain’

The city was praised for its social inclusion and integration of refugees and immigrants and special mention was made of Paweł Adamowicz, who was mayor of the city from 1998 until his stabbing and subsequent death during a public event held in January.

The statement continued: “Of its almost half a million inhabitants, more than 20,000 are foreigners, most of them refugees from countries of the former USSR, as well as from other areas of conflict, such as Rwanda and Syria. In 2016, the City Council of Gdańsk published a document entitled “Model of Integration of Immigrants”, which develops a management system in public institutions and social organizations in the city to facilitate the integration of refugees and immigrants in areas such as education, culture, social care, housing, employment and health.

“Furthermore, an advisory council was formed, composed of twelve representatives of immigrants and two refugees, which is responsible for transmitting the needs and concerns of this group of people to the local authorities. In 2018, Gdańsk approved a “Model for Equal Treatment” to improve the conditions of the most vulnerable social groups”.

The current mayor of Gdańsk, Aleksandra Dulkiewicz, who replaced Adamowicz in office until the early elections held last March when she was elected with 82 percent of the vote, responded to the prize:

 

 

The award is given every year by the Oviedo-based Princess of Asturias Foundation in recognition of institutions or individuals whose work contributes to the spread of peace, human rights and freedom.

Previous winners include rescue workers at Japan's Fukushima nuclear plant and the Yad Vashem Holocaust museum in Jerusalem.

Last year, the European Union won the award for its achievements over the six decades since its formation.