| Lech Wałęsa Institute | |
| Native Name: | Instytut Lecha Wałęsy |
| Native Name Lang: | pl |
| Named After: | Lech Wałęsa |
| Formation: | 1995 |
| Founder: | Lech Wałęsa |
| Founding Location: | Gdańsk, Poland |
| Type: | Private foundation |
| Status: | Nonprofit organization |
| Website: | www.ilw.org.pl/en/ |
Lech Wałęsa Institute (Polish: Instytut Lecha Wałęsy[1]) is a non-governmental, non profit organization established in 1995 by Lech Wałęsa, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate and a first democratically elected President of the Republic of Poland.
The Institute was formed and open on 22 December 1995, the last day of Lech Wałęsa's Presidency. Wałęsa established the institute to follow the example of western politicians. His desire was to model the Institute after Carter Center open by Jimmy Carter, 39th President of the United States, who spent his post-presidency “finding peaceful solutions to international conflicts, advancing democracy and human rights, and promoting economic and social development”, for which Carter, like Wałęsa before him, was awarded Nobel Peace Prize.[2]
In 1996 the organisation was a part of Akcja Wyborcza Solidarność which allowed Lech Wałęsa to participate in 1997 Polish parliamentary election.[3] [4] Later it was used as a backbone to form Lech Wałęsa's own political party named Chrześcijańska Demokracja III Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej. Wałęsa stood as the party's candidate in the 2000 presidential election but received only 1% of the vote.[5] The ChDRP never gained substantial support.
Since 2000 the role of institute changed to more educational approach. It mostly focuses on preserving the role of Solidarity movement and Polish political transition,[6] as well as promoting knowledge about Poland's path to freedom on both the national and international levels.[7] The institute also manages the Lech Wałęsa Library in the European Solidarity Centre in Gdańsk, which is located in Gdańsk Shipyard, in which Wałęsa was a worker when he led the Gdańsk shipyard strike in 1980.[8] The European Solidarity Centre currently hosts the Institute's Headquarters.