INTEGRATION AND WAYS OF UNITING POLES FROM AROUND THE WORLD
On 30-31 August 2018, the G2A Arena near Rzeszów hosted another edition of the 60 Million Congress – Global Polonia Summit, which has become a regular event.
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hat should be the image of Poland abroad? Can Polish innovation be an export product? What is the role of the Church in building a sense of community among the Polish diaspora? What are the ways of integrating 60 million Poles? These are only a few of the questions which were addressed by participants in the 60 Million Congress – Global Polonia Summit. During the Rzeszów event, representatives of the Polish diaspora, politicians, presidents of widely known Polish companies, scientists, local government officials, and leading opinion-makers, gathered at the Congress and Exhibition Centre G2A Arena to talk about the integration of Poles. The first two editions of the Congress took place on 9-10 February 2018 in Miami, Florida, and on 21 July 2018 in Buffalo, New York. Both events turned out to be great successes, as nearly 400 distinguished guests from several dozen or so countries attended them. The participants included New York Senator Tim Kennedy, and Republican Congressman Brian Higgins. The Rzeszów edition of the Congress was also a constructive meeting of the Polish diaspora from all around the world. The 15 discussion panels had 96 speakers, and the G2A Arena hosted guests from 11 countries during the two-day event. To sum up, the 60 Million Congress is “a tremendously important gathering of Poles,” as Jerzy Kwieciński, Minister of Investment and Economic Development, said. “Naturally, we have here Poles from Poland, countless Poles from all parts of the United States, and other places, such as the United Kingdom, in particular. It is crucial that we build a network among our Polish diaspora – a network of Poles, who meet and talk about problems important for Poland and the world,” he added. The guests at the congress in Rzeszów included Anna Maria Anders, Plenipotentiary of the Prime Minister for International Dialogue; Rita Cosby, American journalist; Adam Hamryszczak, deputy Minister of
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Investment and Economic Development; Daniel Kawczynski, Member of the Parliament of the United Kingdom; Wojciech Buczak, deputy Chairman of the National Defence Committee and member of the Infrastructure Committee; Karolina Wawrzyniak, Head of the Polish Foreign Investment Section; and Paweł Deląg, actor and director. Among the speakers who opened the Congress was Władysław Ortyl, Chairman of Podkarpackie province, the main partner of the event. During the first panel discussion on “Building the image of Poland in the international arena,” it was noted that our country needed to be active internationally, because we had a history that we did not talk about, even though the world should know it. The main themes of the Congress included Polish innovation as an export product – government support to Polish people (funds for businesses); the New Three Seas Initiative and the Poland 3.0 Cross-Border Cooperation programme; the transfer of knowledge and innovation; energy security and the New Silk Road; Poland's and Poles’ security; Brand Poland – international cooperation of Polish businesses – developing good practices; regional cooperation; the role of diplomatic posts and organisations in building partnerships between cities and regions; how to unite the 60 million Poles who live around the world – initiatives which unite Poles – the media and organisations of the Polish diaspora; and the role of the Church in fostering community between the Polish diaspora on all continents. The Polish diaspora had an opportunity to learn about most exciting start-ups from the south-eastern part of Poland in a specially established Innovation Zone; a special Cities of Podkarpackie Province Zone was also set up to allow the towns and cities to present their unique products. The main partners in the Rzeszów edition of the 60 Million Congress included Podkarpackie province and the Polish national air carrier LOT. Further details on the 60 Million Congress are available here: http://60mln.pl. •