UNHCR shocked and saddened at death of Gdansk Mayor Pawel Adamowicz

UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is deeply shocked and saddened to hear that the Mayor of Gdansk, Pawel Adamowicz, has died after being stabbed at a charity event on Sunday.

“Mayor Adamowicz was a deeply courageous, moral leader who showed the way in helping refugees and migrants to integrate,” said Montserrat Feixas Vihe, UNHCR Regional Representative for Central Europe.  “He received hate mail for his pro-refugee stance but he did not weaken in his belief that integration – which brings with it new talents, new skills, new colours, new languages, and a new mentality - was a winning proposition for everyone in his city.”

Mayor Adamowicz launched the Gdansk “Immigrant Integration Model” after meeting Pope Francis in 2016, a model that has inspired other Polish cities.

Our thoughts are with his family, friends and colleagues.

UNHCR connected with Pawel Adamowicz and wrote this story about his and his city’s solidarity with refugees which you can read here.