Jan Peklo

Date of birth: 20.11.1952

Jan Peklo - Polish publicist, journalist and diplomat, ambassador of Poland in Ukraine (2016-2019). As a journalist, he covered the events of the Romanian Revolution of 1989 and the war in former Yugoslavia. Author of two books about the Balkans.

Place of birth. Education. Born in Krakow in 1952. He studied at the Jagiellonian University and graduated from the Faculty of Polish Studies. He speaks fluent English, Russian, and Ukrainian.

Career. He began his professional career in 1978 as an editor of Gazeta Krakowska. After the imposition of martial law in Poland on December 13, 1981, and his dismissal, he worked as a psychotherapist in a psychiatric clinic for children and adolescents in Krakow.

1982-1988 - wrote for the underground press published by the Polish trade union Solidarność.

Until the late 1990s, he worked in the Krakow editorial office of the weekly Tygodnik Powszechny. As a journalist, he reported on the events of the revolution in Romania in 1989 and the conflict in former Yugoslavia. He is the author of two books about the Balkans.

He worked for Polish and foreign publications. As an expert and consultant for media work, he collaborated with the European Journalism Centre, American (Rutgers University of New Jersey, MU Columbia School of Journalism) and European universities (Jagiellonian University in Krakow, University of Groningen in the Netherlands) as well as with IREX ProMedia and other institutions. He conducted training for journalists in Bosnia, Slovakia, Romania, and Ukraine. He completed an internship at the Fort Worth Star Telegram newspaper in Texas (USA).

From 2000 - editor of the magazine Forum.

2001-2002 - coordinator of a Polish-American project 'Bridges of Tolerance.'

Since 2005 - director of the Polish-Ukrainian Cooperation Fund in Kiev and Warsaw. Previously, he worked at the 'ZNAK' Foundation in Krakow.

In May 2016, publicist Jan Peklo was confirmed as the new ambassador of Poland in Ukraine by the Commission of the Polish Sejm for Foreign Affairs. On August 3, 2016, he was appointed extraordinary and plenipotentiary ambassador of the Republic of Poland in Ukraine, replacing Henrik Litwin (2011-2016) in this position.

On October 26, 2016, Ambassador of Poland Jan Peklo presented his credentials to Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko.

On January 31, 2019, Jan Peklo was recalled from his position as ambassador by a decree of the President of the Republic of Poland Andrzej Duda.

Publications. Book 'Epitaph for Yugoslavia' (1994), Book 'My Discovery of America' (1997), Co-author of the book 'Conflict or Cooperation' (1996), Co-author and one of the editors of the book 'The Balkan Knot,' Poetry collection in English 'Poetries' (2000), Co-author of the book 'Tolerance and Intolerance' (2002), Author of the book 'The Scent of an Angel' (2013).

Jan Peklo published his books and poetry collections in Polish, American, Swedish, English press, and online. His poems were published in periodicals such as Tygodnik Powszechny, Czas Kultury and the Lviv Magazine Річ.

Family. Married, has a daughter named Kasia.

18.11.2022