The Forum, held by the Lisbon Catholic Institute of Political Studies, is an annual event bringing together politicians, big business, academia, media and students in an effort to tackle global issues and single-state problems, debate on international relations and domestic dynamics, offer solutions and identify trends, but, most of all, learn from each other.
Opening the event, Ambassador Pilecka said, Karski's testimony has always been important to us all, but I would say at present, with so many political challenges, it is more important than ever.
The 32nd edition included an event in honor of WW2 legendary emissary of the Polish Underground State, who carried the news of the German extermination of Jews to the democratic world. The Jan Karski Memorial Luncheon was organized and hosted by Polish Ambassador to Portugal Joanna Pilecka, while Professor Grzegorz Berendt, advisor to the IPN President Karol Nawrocki, PhD. represented the Institute as a guest speaker.
In his overview of WW2 situation in occupied Poland, Professor Berendt explained, Already in the autumn of 1939, in 1940, 1941 and 1942, the Polish Government in exile and Polish diplomats informed the free world about what was going on in occupied Poland, especially after total annihilation of Jews began with German attack on the USSR. ... Our PM Gen. Sikorski sent notes to the governments of the US and Great Britain about massacres in which thousands perished, and about German camps in which millions lost lives. Inform was one thing they did, and another was aid: in cooperation with foreign institutions, including Jewish, British and American organizations, money was channeled to the outfits on the ground to help people who were still alive but still in danger.