What Poland is doing to support its diaspora and what Ukraine could learn from it
Around 20 million ethnic Poles live outside Poland – more than half the population of the country itself.
Such a large overseas community is not merely a demographic statistic, but above all a strategic asset. For years, Poland has systematically built ties with its diaspora through education, culture, media, civic organisations and state funding.
Read more about Poland’s experience and what Ukraine could adopt from it in the article by Taras Myshliaiev of the NGO International Diplomatic Alliance: Agents of influence abroad: how Poland supports its diaspora and what Ukraine should learn.
Polonia (the term used for the Polish diaspora abroad) is overseen by a dedicated department within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Polish embassies and consulates maintain registries of Polish organisations in their regions and report to Warsaw on the state of local communities. The Foreign Ministry finances consular work with the diaspora, supports media initiatives and promotes public diplomacy.
Several other ministries are also involved in work with Polonia.
Parliament also plays an important role.
The Sejm has a Committee on Relations with Poles Abroad, which oversees government policy, questions ministers and can initiate legislative changes.
But the real center of parliamentary policy towards Polonia is the Senate.
Back in the 1990s, the upper chamber of the Polish parliament assumed the role of patron of Polonia and continues to do so today.
The Senate distributes the largest share of funding dedicated to supporting the diaspora, through the annual open competition Senat-Polonia. In 2025, its budget amounted to 71.5 million zlotys.
The Senate committee also sets annual priorities and determines key areas of support: language education, youth programmes, cultural events, media and publishing activities.
Funds are distributed through organisations that have established trust and contacts within diaspora communities. The state does not directly manage every project, but retains oversight through competitive selection procedures and reporting requirements.
As a result, the system remains open and avoids becoming a mechanism for distributing resources among politically connected organisations.
The Polish state does not attempt to directly control every diaspora community abroad.
Instead, it has built a system of intermediaries in which civic organisations translate state policy into practical local action.
The central pillar of Poland’s diaspora policy, and its most long-term investmen,t is education.
The key institution here is the Centre for the Development of Polish Education Abroad (ORPEG), which operates under Poland’s Ministry of Education. Its responsibilities include coordinating the network of Polish schools abroad, organising teacher training, developing curricula and providing schools with textbooks and teaching materials.
The Polish state understands that if it does not want to lose Polonia within 20-30 years, it must work not only with current activists, but also with children born outside Poland.
Poland also finances diaspora media outlets.
These media not only help maintain internal cohesion within diaspora communities, but also serve as an element of information security by providing an alternative to foreign narratives about Poland.
The central media instrument is TVP Polonia.
Overall, the Polish model is valuable for Ukraine not so much as a ready-made blueprint, but as proof of the need for a systematic diaspora policy. Ukrainians abroad represent a potential network of knowledge, connections, advocacy, business, culture and public diplomacy.