“If there is a possibility of supporting a Polish candidacy, the president will support it,” said the head of the presidential cabinet, Paweł Szefernaker, when asked whether President Karol Nawrocki supports the candidacy of Speaker Szymon Hołownia for the position of United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. He emphasized that although the president may disagree with the Speaker on many issues, that does not mean he will not support him at the UN.
The Speaker of the Sejm, leader of Poland 2050, Szymon Hołownia, announced that on Friday, he submitted his application in the public recruitment process announced by the UN Secretary-General for the position of High Commissioner for Refugees. “The chances today are not great. But a week ago, there were none at all,” he added.
Szefernaker was asked on Monday on Polsat News whether President Karol Nawrocki supports Speaker Hołownia’s candidacy for this position.
The head of the presidential cabinet said that if there is a possibility of supporting a Polish candidacy, the president will support it.
“Even though he disagrees with the Speaker on many issues, this is one of the highest positions at the UN, one of the most important posts, which in recent years has also been significant in Poland due to the refugee crisis from Ukraine (…), it is worth supporting Poles,”
Szefernaker stressed.
When asked whether it was true that the president had already lobbied at the UN in favor of Speaker Hołownia, Szefernaker replied that the president is in ongoing talks with various representatives of international institutions.
“If he has the opportunity to support a candidacy, even one with which he disagrees in domestic politics in Poland, it is worth backing such a candidacy that has a chance for a high UN post,”
he said.
Pressed further on whether there was some kind of “deal” between Hołownia and the president on this matter, Szefernaker said that every day of Karol Nawrocki’s presidency had proven that he does not participate in any “deals.” “If a decision is worth supporting for Poland, the president supports it, but if a law is bad, he vetoes it,” he emphasized.
Elected by the UN General Assembly for a five-year term, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is currently responsible for the protection of nearly 130 million forcibly displaced and stateless persons worldwide. The term of the current UNHCR ends on December 31, 2025.