In 2002, the Sejm of the Republic of Poland established the Polish Diaspora and Poles Abroad Day to be celebrated on 2 May in recognition of the “long-standing achievements and contribution of the Polish diaspora and Poles living abroad in helping Poland regain its independence, of their loyalty and attachment to their Polish identity, as well as of their assistance to the homeland in times of need.”

Poland’s government recognises the special role of the Polish diaspora and considers the cooperation with Polish communities abroad to be one of its priorities. In his address to the Polish Sejm in March this year, Foreign Minister Jacek Czaputowicz stressed that “we would like our compatriots to become an important ally of the government in promoting Poland’s national interest, culture, national memory and historical narrative.”

We believe that this jubilee is important for all our compatriots, no matter where they live, and therefore especially on this day we reach out to Poles abroad thanking them for their work and commitment to their country.

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, about 20 million Poles and people of Polish origin currently live outside Poland. Many of them remained in the eastern territories after the state’s borders shifted, whereas others moved abroad more recently and make up Polish communities in Western countries. The largest Polish community is in the United States, where over 9.6 million people declared to be of Polish origin (2012).