Barbara Lidia Labuda (

née A birth name is the name of a person given upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name, or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a birth certificate or birth ...

Ciesielska) (born 1946) is a Polish politician, activist, diplomat, and philologist. She was elected to the

Contract Sejm Contract Sejm ( pl, Sejm kontraktowy) is a term commonly applied to the Sejm ("parliament") elected in the Polish parliamentary elections of 1989. The ''contract'' refers to an agreement reached by the Polish United Workers' Party and the Solid ...

, and was a member of the Sejm until 1996, when she became a minister in the Chancellery of President

Aleksander Kwaśniewski Aleksander Kwaśniewski (; born 15 November 1954) is a Polish politician and journalist. He served as the President of Poland from 1995 to 2005. He was born in Białogard, and during communist rule, he was active in the Socialist Union of P ...

. From 2005 to 2010, she was the Polish ambassador to Luxembourg.

Life and work

In 1970, Labuda graduated from the Institute of

Romance Philology Romance studies or Romance philology ( an, filolochía romanica; ca, filologia romànica; french: romanistique; eo, latinida filologio; it, filologia romanza; pt, filologia românica; ro, romanistică; es, filología románica) is an acade ...

at the

University of Wrocław , ''Schlesische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität zu Breslau'' (before 1945) , free_label = Specialty programs , free = , colors = Blue , website uni.wroc.pl The University of Wrocław ( pl, Uniwersytet Wrocławski, U ...

. From 1970 to 1973, Labuda studied the history of literature, political science and sociology at the

University of Paris The University of Paris (french: link=no, Université de Paris), Metonymy, metonymically known as the Sorbonne (), was the leading university in Paris, France, active from 1150 to 1970, with the exception between 1793 and 1806 under the French Revo ...

. She completed a doctorate in 1984. From 1973 until 1981, Labuda was an activist with the

Polish Socialist Youth Union , logo = File:Emblem of ZSMP.svg , founded = June, 1976 , caption = Emblem , dissolved = , headquarters = Warsaw, Poland , ideology = , mother party = Polish United Workers' Party (until 1990) , international = ...

, and was also involved with the

Workers' Defence Committee The Workers' Defense Committee ( pl, Komitet Obrony Robotników , KOR) was a Polish civil society group that was established to give aid to prisoners and their families after the June 1976 protests and ensuing government crackdown. KOR was an exam ...

and the

Committee for Social Self-Defense KOR The Committee for Social Self-Defense KOR or KSS KOR (Polish: ''Komitet Samoobrony Społecznej KOR'') was a Polish civil society group that emerged under the communist rule. It was created in 1977-1978 from the Workers' Defense Committee (''Komit ...

. In 1980 she also began to work with the Polish trade union

Solidarity ''Solidarity'' is an awareness of shared interests, objectives, standards, and sympathies creating a psychological sense of unity of groups or classes. It is based on class collaboration.''Merriam Webster'', http://www.merriam-webster.com/dicti ...

. In 1989, Labuda became a researcher at the Institute of Romance Philology at the University of Wrocław. That year she was also elected to the Contract Sejm for the

Solidarity Citizens' Committee The Solidarity Citizens' Committee (''Komitet Obywatelski "Solidarność"'', KO "S"), also known as Citizens' Electoral Committee (''Obywatelski Komitet Wyborczy'') and previously named the Citizens' Committee with Lech Wałęsa (''Komitet Obywate ...

. She was elected again in 1991 and 1993 representing the Polish Democratic Union, and in 1994 she became a member of the Polish Freedom Union. During this time she was the founder of the Parliamentary Group of Women. In 1996 Labuda became an undersecretary in the Chancellery of the President of Polish president Aleksander Kwaśniewski, and in 1998 she became secretary of state. From 2005 to 2010, Labuda was the Polish ambassador to Luxembourg. In 2019, Labuda headed the support committee for the Polish political party

Spring Spring(s) may refer to: Common uses * Spring (season), a season of the year * Spring (device), a mechanical device that stores energy * Spring (hydrology), a natural source of water * Spring (mathematics), a geometric surface in the shape of a h ...

. In 2020, Labuda was a member of the Consultative Council. In 2004, Labuda was named a ''Chevalier'' of the

Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon ...

from the Government of France. In 2011, she was awarded the Officer's Cross of the

Order of Polonia Restituta , image=Polonia Restituta - Commander's Cross pre-1939 w rib.jpg , image_size=200px , caption=Commander's Cross of Polonia Restituta , presenter = the President of Poland , country = , type=Five classes , eligibility=All , awar ...

. In 2005, Labuda published the book ''Poszukiwania'' (Searches).

Awards

*Knight's Cross, Order of the Legion of Honour (2004) *Officer's Cross, Order of Polonia Restituta (2011)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Labuda, Barbara Living people Knights of the Order of Polonia Restituta Knights of the Legion of Honour University of Wrocław alumni Academic staff of the University of Wrocław University of Paris alumni 1946 births Women political scientists