Poland Sejm Belarusian Tender

The main source of financing for Belarusian culture in Poland are funded from the state budget. Every year it is over PLN 2 million - informed Baej Poboy Undersecretary of State at the Ministry of Interior and Administration during the session of the Parliamentary Committee on National and Ethnic Minorities.During the meeting the deputy minister presented the information of the Minister of the Interior and Administration on the situation and problems of the Belarusian minority in Poland.According to the data from the 2011 National Census of Population and Housing Belarusian nationality is the second largest national minority in Poland. Almost 44 thousand people declared their membership in it. Polish citizens. The largest number of representatives of the Belarusian minority lives in Podlaskie Voivodeship - over 38 thousand. people. The largest concentrations of Polish citizens of Belarusian nationality are located in the south-eastern poviats of the Podlaskie Voivodeship Hajnowski Bielski Siemiatycze Biaystok and Biaystok.Co-financing of the Ministry of Interior and Administration for the cultural activities of Belarusian organizations - Such a numerous national minority has its own organizations that have been operating for years including tasks aimed at protection preservation and development of cultural identity - said Baej Poboy Undersecretary of State at the Ministry of Interior and Administration. The oldest Belarusian organization in Poland is the Belarusian Social and Cultural Association BTSK registered in 1956. The deputy minister noted that the government supports Belarusian organizations in their cultural activities. - Every year from the part of the state budget managed by the minister responsible for religious denominations and national and ethnic minorities financial resources are allocated to the implementation of tasks aimed at protecting maintaining and developing the cultural identity of the Belarusian minority. In 2020 it was the amount of PLN 2.2 million - he informed.Funds from the state budget are allocated among others to publishing magazines on the pages of which important issues concerning the Belarusian minority are discussed and book publications as well as supporting projects implemented on the Internet. There are also festivals concerts festivities creative reviews and competitions. The non-public radio station Belarusian Radio Racja broadcasts programs in Belarusian for the representatives of this minority. The activity of several dozen amateur artistic groups of the Belarusian minority is also supported.An important element of Belarusian culture is the extensive publishing activity in Belarusian and in Polish. - The Ministry of Interior and Administration systematically supports mass media dedicated to or dealing with the subject of the Belarusian minority - assured Deputy Minister Baej Poboy. The analysis of applications for 2021 is ongoingCurrently the Department of Religious Denominations and National and Ethnic Minorities of the Ministry of Interior and Administration is analyzing applications submitted for the implementation of tasks in 2021. These are the projects referred to in Art. 18 of the Act on National and Ethnic Minorities and Regional Language. The deadline for submitting applications expired on September 14 this year. - Of course organizations representing the Belarusian minority also applied for these funds. They submitted 74 applications stressed the deputy minister.The Ministry of the Interior and Administration is not limited to the granting mechanism under Art. 18 of the Act on minorities. - I initiated actions that should contribute to the increase of knowledge about minorities in the public space - said Deputy Minister Baej Poboy. Three weeks ago a contract was signed for the implementation of a public task entitled Publication of a commemorative publication on the occasion of the fifteenth anniversary of the adoption of the Act of January 6 2005 on national and ethnic minorities and regional language falling in 2020. The publication will familiarize readers with various aspects of the life and social activity of national and ethnic minorities including the Belarusian minority.During the committee meeting Deputy Minister Maciej Kope presented the information of the Minister of National Education on the state of education of the Belarusian minority in Poland. Additionally the subject of demographic changes in the areas inhabited by the Belarusian national minority and their social consequences were discussed. The information of the Minister of Foreign Affairs on the current socio-political situation in Belarus in the context of its impact on the Belarusian minority in Poland was also considered.