On Thursday, September 11, at 11:00 AM, the National Endowment for Democracy (NED), in cooperation with the Embassy of Poland, will host a memorial gathering to honor the life and work of former Polish foreign minister Bronislaw Geremek, whose life was tragically cut short when he died in a car accident on July 13 at the age of 76.
Confirmed speakers who will be paying tribute to Dr. Geremek include, Librarian of Congress James Billington , former National Security Advisor Zbigniew Brzezinski , Washington Post Columnist and Deputy Editorial Page Editor Jackson Diehl , NED Senior Director for Europe and Eurasia Nadia Diuk , Under Secretary of State for Global Affairs and Democracy Paula Dobriansky , Johns Hopkins University adjunct professor (SAIS) Charles Gati , American Jewish Committee Executive Director David Harris , Ambassador Max Kampelman , and US Senator Richard Lugar (R-IN). Polish Ambassador Robert Kupiecki and NED president Carl Gershman will also make remarks. Written rememberances will be available from friends and colleagues unable to attend including, Madeleine Albright, Barbara Mikulski, Lezsek Kolakowski, Adam Michnik, and Alexandr Vondra.
A survivor of the Holocaust, Bronislaw Geremek became a leading academic, dissident, statesman and diplomat in post-war Poland. A gifted social historian, he joined the Solidarity trade union movement in 1980 and emerged as a key advisor to Lech Walesa in the Gdansk shipyards. Imprisoned during martial law, Geremek played a leading role in the 1989 Round Table Agreement that negotiated an end to Communist rule in Poland, setting in motion the events that led to the collapse of Soviet domination throughout Eastern Europe. Geremek’s contributions to his country’s democratic transition were constant in the years after 1989, culminating in his role as foreign minister, when he guided Poland’s entry into NATO and the European Union.
NED is a private, nonprofit, grant-making organization created in 1983 to strengthen democratic institutions around the world. It is active in more than 90 countries, supporting grassroots, democratic initiatives. More information about NED can be found at www.ned.org .
This event is open to the press.
What : Memorial program honoring Bronislaw Geremek, former Polish Foreign Minister
Who : James Billington, Zibniew Brzezinski, Jackson Diehl, Nadia Diuk, Paula Dobriansky, Charles Gati, David Harris, Max Kampelman, Amb. Robert Kupiecki, Senator Richard Lugar
When : Thursday, September 11, 2008, 11:00 – 12:15 PM
Where : National Endowment for Democracy, 1025 F Street, Washington, DC 8 th Floor
Contact : Jane Riley Jacobsen 202-378-9700 or jane@ned.org
