Mayor of Kyiv, Vitaliy Klitschko wins Mayor Paweł Adamowicz Award for leadership in defending human rights and democracy in the face of war

Vitali Klitschko, Mayor of Kiev, Ukraine, was honoured with the Mayor Paweł Adamowicz Award for his extraordinary leadership in fostering civic engagement, even amidst the extreme challenges of war. The 2024 winners of the award, which was created to promote the legacy of the late Paweł Adamowicz, Mayor of Gdańsk, who was assassinated in 2019, were announced at the Institute of Urban Culture in Gdańsk on 13 January. The awards will be presented at the Inaugural Plenary Session of the eight term-of-office of the European Committee of the Regions in Bruxelles, on 20 February.

Awarded for the fourth time, the prize was established by the European Committee of the Regions in cooperation with the City of Gdańsk and the International Cities of Refuge Network (ICORN). The award is presented to local leaders - in politics or in civil society - fighting intolerance, radicalisation, hate speech and xenophobia. It acknowledges the work of all elected representatives, officials, organisations and ordinary citizens who, despite the risks, seek to make democracy work at the local level, supporting better and more open communities. As part of the inter-institutional cooperation to promote the Mayor Paweł Adamowicz Award, Members of the European Parliament were also able to nominate candidates.

The jury praised the work carried out by Vitali Klitschko, Mayor of Kyiv, and in particular his focus on resilience, innovation and human rights. In the face of Russian aggression, his administration has focused on protecting human rights, ensuring access to basic services such as water, electricity and emergency assistance, and coordinating humanitarian efforts for displaced people. The jury said that his support for freedom, the rule of law and European integration underscores his commitment to Kyiv's democratic future and praised his innovative approach to civic engagement and leadership in the defence of human rights, saying that he has become a global symbol of courage and ambition.

The jury also decided to award a special mention to Bassam Aramin and Rami Elhanan, Palestinian and Israeli community leaders working on reconciliation between the communities. Representatives of Parents Circle - Families Forum (PCFF), an organisation of Palestinian and Israeli parents who have lost children in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, were honoured for their joint commitment to peace and equality and their pursuit of non-violent solutions based on shared experience of grief, the loss of their daughters in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

The other shortlisted nominees were (in alphabetical order):

• Alain Chouraqui: founder of Camp des Milles, France. The Camp des Milles Memorial and Education Foundation has transformed a former internment camp into a Holocaust education and remembrance centre;
• Alexei Gorinov: Russian opposition leader at municipal level and human rights activist, currently imprisoned for opposing the Russian regime;
• Kamira: National Federation of Roma women associations, Spain. Kamira promotes social inclusion and fighting discrimination against Roma women. a national federation of Roma women's associations in Spain. It was founded in 1999 and comprises 23 associations across eight autonomous communities. The organisation focuses on promoting the freedom, solidarity and equality of the Roma community and also on promoting social integration and combating discrimination against Roma women;
• Andriy Sadovyi: Mayor of Lviv, Ukraine, recognised for his actions in support of the victims of war and the protection of human rights during Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Quotes:

The President of the European Committee of the Regions, Vasco Alves Cordeiro, said in a video message: "I would like to congratulate the winners of this year edition of Paweł Adamowicz Award: Mayor Vitali Klitschko, Bassam Aramin and Rami Elhanan. The jury selection reminds us how much conflicts are tearing our societies apart and how much courage it takes to stand for freedom, solidarity, equality, peace and reconciliation. This is the spirit of the Mayor Paweł Adamowicz Award. May his courage remain an inspiration for us all, building stronger and fairer societies for all."

More information:

The winner of the Paweł Adamowicz Award will be announced at 5 p.m. on Monday, 13 January, at a ceremony in the Institute of Urban Culture in Gdańsk. The ceremony can be followed online by clicking here. The ceremony forms part of two days of events - on 13-14 January - to commemorate the 6th anniversary of the murder of Mayor Paweł Adamowicz and to provide an opportunity to reflect on his legacy, celebrate the values he championed, and to condemn all acts of hatred.

Paweł Adamowicz was stabbed on 13 January 2019 while speaking at a charity event. His murder was preceded by a rise in hate speech directed at him. His last words, uttered just before he was attacked, were: "Gdańsk is generous, Gdańsk shares its good, Gdańsk wants to be a city of solidarity. This is a wonderful time to share the good. You are loved. Gdańsk is the most wonderful city in the world. Thank you!" Mr Adamowicz was committed to promoting the EU's fundamental values, and was an active member of the European Committee of the Regions.

The former laureates are the Mayor of Cologne (Germany), Henriette Reker, the Mayor of Michałowo (Poland), Marek Nazarko and the Italian NGO from Brescia, Local Democracy Agency Zavidovići. Special Recognition awards have been given twice: in 2023, to the Mayor of Hola Prystan in Ukraine, Oleksandr Babich, who was abducted and remains imprisoned by the Russian occupiers; and in 2024 to Alla Myronova, Mayor of Inhulka, in Ukraine, for her courageous stand on behalf of her community, especially during Russian occupation.

The European Committee of the Regions (CoR), as the political assembly of local and regional representatives in the EU and on the initiative of the Polish delegation to the CoR, unanimously adopted a resolution on 7 February 2019 condemning hate speech and threats of all kinds against political leaders. The CoR, at its plenary session on 30 November 2022, adopted recommendations in support of the European Commission's proposals to add hate speech and hate crimes to the list of offences recognised in EU policy via opinion on "Extending the list of EU crimes to hate speech and hate crimes" - drafted by Aleksandra Dulkiewicz, who succeeded Paweł Adamowicz as Mayor of Gdańsk.

Website with information about Paweł Adamowicz and the anniversary of his assassination

Mayor Paweł Adamowicz Award - website: #AdamowiczAward