Former Polish President Aleksander Kwasniewski, former Prime Minister Wlodzimierz Cimosiewicz, US President Barack Obama and Queen Rania of Jordan have been awarded the medal of tolerance by the 'Tolerance' Ecumenical Foundation.

The foundation, in existence since 1993 and recognized by UNESCO since 1998, awards public figures annually on 16 November, International Tolerance Day. The award is meant to recognize those who work towards building a more tolerant and open society. This year's ceremony took place at Warsaw's Jewish Theatre.

Former Polish President Aleksander Kwasniewski was recognized for his work in writing the preamble to Poland's 1997 constitution that reads: 'my, Narod Polski – wszyscy obywatele Rzeczpospolitej,' translated as: 'we, the Polish nation – all the citizens of the Republic.'

Former PM Cimosiewicz, awarded for working across political party lines, said that Poles should be proud of what has already been achieved in this country.

“But, we much also be aware that there exist many things for which there is no place. Is it not a paradox that prosecutors refuse to take on the case of anti-Jewish incidents at the football stadium, claiming that it is a part of the folklore that comes with such events?” asked the former Prime Minister at the ceremony.

The US President was awarded for being a symbol of hope and “a visible symbol of the erosion of the age-old barrier of ethnicity and race, something that average people around the world can see as physical evidence that it is possible to defeat stereotypes and intolerance,” according to Daniel Sainz, political adviser at the US Embassy in Warsaw.

Queen Rania of Jordan's medal, lauded for her example to women in the Arab world, was received by a Jordanian diplomat from the country's embassy in Poland.

Previous winners of the 'Tolerance' medal include author Amos Oz, the Stefan Batory Foundation, the late Solidarity activist Jacek Kuron and many others. This is the eleventh edition of the award ceremony. (mmj)