Mrs. Jolanta Kwaśniewska
Former First Lady of the Republic of Poland (1995 – 2005)
Founder and President of the “Communication Without Barriers” Foundation, Lawyer
Mrs. Kwaśniewska promotes voluntary activities and encourages others to help the disabled, the ill and the poor. She focuses specifically on children by trying to enrich their lives and improve their opportunities, as well as on promoting a healthy and active lifestyle and preventing disease, especially cancer. Mrs. Kwaśniewska herself initiated and organized a variety of remarkably successful national health campaigns (breast cancer, AIDS, heart disease, diabetes, etc.). Her Foundation aims to support all activities which initiate the process of cultural and civil change, providing people with equal opportunities to allow for their intellectual, professional and cultural development.
Mrs. Kwaśniewska has been very active in promoting the idea of peace
and tolerance in the world. She organized an international conference "Keep Children Smiling in the New Millennium" in Warsaw (1999) to mark the 10th anniversary of the UN General Assembly's adoption of the Convention of the Rights of the Child where the idea of the Rainbow Bridge Project and Schools of Tolerance was first launched.
Since 1997 Mrs. Kwaśniewska is a member of the Jimmy & Rosalynn Carter Partnership Foundation which focuses on young adults with a mission to mobilize campus and community service partnerships by recognizing and rewarding the best practices in academic service-learning.
In 1998 she became a member of the Comité des Sages, established by the Secretary General of the United Nations, Mr Kofi Annan, aimed at the development of a global plan to eliminate illicit production, trafficking and consumption of drugs.
Till 2008 Mrs. Kwaśniewska was a member of the Honorary Board of the International Centre for Missing and Exploited Children (ICMEC) which works to identify and co-ordinate a global network of organizations fighting child sex abuse and abduction.
In February 2008 she became a member of The Women Leaders’ Council, launched at The Vienna Forum to Fight Human Trafficking, to co-ordinate action, forge new partnerships, facilitate access to resources and work to reduce the stigma for victims of human trafficking.
In April 2008 she became a Patron of the European Cancer Patient Coalition (ECPC), which works to change how cancer is viewed, how cancer patients are treated and improve cancer survival and the lives of cancer patients across Europe.
In March 2010 Mrs. Kwasniewska became a member of the European Advisory Council (EAC) composed of key organizations and individuals from across Europe, specialised in health policies and women’s health issues in particular. EAC is supporting in its work the European Institute of Women’s Health (EIWH) to which Mrs. Jolanta Kwasniewska is a Patron. EIWH is a non-governmental organization set up to promote gender equity in public health, research and social policies across Europe.
Mrs. Jolanta Kwaśniewska has been honoured with many national and international awards and decorations, including a honorary doctorate, for her charity and humanitarian work and achievements, among which the most precious for her is the Order of the Smile – given by children for providing aid to children.
She takes great interest in literature, theatre, music and the fine arts, and likes to spend free time with her family. She enjoys travelling and sports, especially skiing, tennis and Nordic Walking.
Mrs. Kwaśniewska speaks English and Russian.
