WSF2015 Speaker: Jerzy Pomianowski Executive Director of the European Endowment for Democracy

The Organizing Committee of the WSF is delighted to announce that Jerzy Pomianowski, Executive Director of the European Endowment for Democracy, will be a speaker at the Warsaw Security Forum 2015. Mr Pomianowski’s experience in foreign policy will greatly contribute to the debate on the ongoing division between the West and the Russian Federation, and its effect on the security situation in the region.

After two years as Deputy Foreign Minister of Poland, Jerzy Pomianowski is leading the newly founded European Endowment for Democracy, as its Executive Director since January
Prior to leading the Polish Foreign Service’s democratisation agenda, Pomianowski worked for the joint international initiative of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD): Partnership for Democratic Governance. As its Director (2008-2011), he supported countries destabilised by armed conflict or natural disasters. This followed his work as Director General of the Polish Foreign Service (2005-06) and his launch of Poland’s Development Cooperation and Aid (2006-08).
Pomianowski began his career as a civil servant in 1990, just after the fall of communism, first in the Ministry of Education, and then in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. After being in charge of Poland’s relations with Asia, Middle East and Africa, he was Ambassador to Japan from 1997-2002. From 1980-89, Pomianowski was an active member of the democratic opposition in Poland. He was a board member of the Independent Students’ Association and co-founder of the students’ independent publishing house during his Sociology studies at University of Warsaw. Founder of the Warsaw Centre for Japanese Sports, Pomianowski devotes his free time to manage the Polish Aikido Federation as its present president.