The Nansen Refugee Award is a medal issued annually by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to an individual, group, or organization in recognition of outstanding service to the cause of refugees, displaced, or stateless people.[1] The award was established by UNHCR the organizations first High Commissioner, Gerrit Jan van Heuven Goedhart 1954 as a tribute to Fridtjof Nansen.[2] Fridtjof Nansen was a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, explorer, and League of Nations High Commissioner for Refugees[3] and the award was established in honour of his work to support refugees.[4] Van Heuven Goedhart felt that creating an award would increase the world's attention to the needs of refugees and increase global refugee aid.[2]
Nansen Refugee Award | |
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Awarded for | Outstanding service to the cause of refugees |
Location | Geneva |
Presented by | United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees |
Reward(s) | US$150,000 |
First awarded | 1954 |
Website | www |
![]() The top of the Nansen Medal reads: "Nestekjærlighet er Realpolitik" (English: Altruism is Practical Politics) |
The inaugural awardee was Eleanor Roosevelt in 1954.[5] Every year, the prize is presented at a ceremony in the Bâtiment des Forces Motrices, in Geneva.[6][7] The medal is accompanied by a $150,000 US dollar prize.[3] The award was expanded in 2017 to include regional winners for Africa, Asia, the Americas, the Middle East, and Europe.[8]
In 2018, the award was described as the "other Nobel" prize by NPR.[9]
List of annual laureates
editYear | Image | Laureate | Country | Office held, or rationale[a] | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1954 | Eleanor Roosevelt | USA | as "the first chair of the UN Human Rights Commission" | [10] | |
1955 | Queen Juliana | Netherlands | as Queen of Netherlands | [11] | |
1956 | Dorothy D. Houghton | USA | as "president of the Federation of Women's Clubs, delegate to the Geneva conferences of the Intergovernmental Committee for European Migration and director of the Office of Refugees Migration and Voluntary Assistance" | [12] | |
Gerrit Jan van Heuven Goedhart | Netherlands | United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (1951 to 1956); awarded posthumously | [10] | ||
1957 | The League of Red Cross Societies | Switzerland | for its work on behalf of the Hungarian refugees | [13] | |
1958 | David Hoggett | United Kingdom | for work with Hungarian refugees in Austria | [14] | |
Pierre Jacobsen | France | Deputy Director of the Intergovernmental Committee for European Migration; awarded posthumously | [10] | ||
1959 | Oskar Helmer | Austria | outstanding work on behalf of refuges...was Austrian Minister of the Interior in 1956 when 180,000 Hungarians took refuge in Austria | [15] | |
1960 | Christopher Chataway, Colin Jones, Trevor Philpott, Timothy Raison | United Kingdom | For their roles in creating World Refugee Year, raising £9 million | [16] | |
1961 | King Olav V | Norway | King of Norway | [10] | |
1962 | Tasman Heyes | Australia | a tribute not only to an able and far-sighted friend of refugees, but also to the generosity of his countrymen | [17] | |
1963 | The International Council for Voluntary Agencies | Switzerland | for support to refugees in Africa | [10][18] | |
1964 | May Curwen | United Kingdom | her "whole life had been devoted to the service of those in need" | [19] | |
Francois Preziosi & Jean Plicque | France | For their refugee-support work in eastern Congo; awarded posthumously | [20] | ||
1965 | Lucie Chevalley | France | for "exceptional service she has rendered to the cause of refugees in France and in a number of other European countries during the past forty-five years" | [21] | |
Ana Rosa Schlieper de Martínez Guerrero | Argentina | for being "associated with many charitable societies and institutions and was a staunch supporter of human rights"; awarded posthumously | [21] | ||
Jørgen Nørredam | Denmark | for "dedicated service to refugees in Europe, North, Central and East Africa for many years"; awarded posthumously | [21] | ||
1967 | Prince Bernhard | Netherlands | [10] | ||
1968 | Bernard Arcens | Senegal | [10] | ||
Charles H. Jordan | USA | awarded posthumously | [10] | ||
1969 | Princess Princep Shah | Nepal | [10] | ||
1971 | Louise Holborn | USA | [10] | ||
1972 | Swana Friðriksdóttir | Iceland | [10] | ||
1974 | Helmut Frenz | Germany | [10] | ||
1975 | James J. Norris | USA | [10] | ||
1976 | Olav Hodne | Norway | [10] | ||
Marie-Louise Bertschinger | Switzerland | awarded posthumously | [10] | ||
1977 | The Malaysian Red Crescent Society | Malaysia | MRC efforts in aiding thousands of refugees who arrived in Malaysia as a result of the conflict in Indo-China | [10] | |
1978 | Seretse Khama | Botswana | [10] | ||
1979 | Valéry Giscard d'Estaing | France | [10] | ||
1980 | Maryluz Schloeter Paredes | Venezuela | [10] | ||
1981 | Paul Cullen | Australia | [10] | ||
1982 | Crown Princess Sonja | Norway | [10] | ||
1983 | Mwalimu Julius Kambarage Nyerere | Tanzania | [10] | ||
1984 | Lewis M. Hiller, Jeff Kass, and Gregg Turay | USA | [10] | ||
1985 | Paulo Evaristo Arns | Brazil | [10] | ||
1986 | The People of Canada (accepted by Governor General Jeanne Sauvé) | Canada | [10] | ||
1987 | Juan Carlos I | Spain | [10] | ||
1988 | Syed Munir Husain | Pakistan | [10] | ||
1991 | Libertina Appolus Amathila | Namibia | [10] | ||
Paul Weis | Austria | awarded posthumously | [10] | ||
1992 | Richard von Weizsäcker | Germany | [10] | ||
1993 | Médecins Sans Frontières | Switzerland | [10] | ||
1995 | Graça Machel | Mozambique | [10] | ||
1996 | Handicap International | France | [10] | ||
1997 | Joannes Klas | USA | [10] | ||
1998 | Mustafa Dzhemilev | Ukraine | [10] | ||
2000 | Jelena Silajdžić | Bosnia and Herzegovina | [10] | ||
Abune Paulos | Ethiopia | [10] | |||
Lao Mong Hay | Cambodia | [10] | |||
Miguel Angel Estrella | Argentina | [10] | |||
United Nations volunteers | United Nations | [10] | |||
2001 | Luciano Pavarotti | Italy | [10] | ||
2002 | Arne Rinnan and the crew of the MV Tampa | Norway | [10] | ||
2003 | Annalena Tonelli | Italy | [10] | ||
2004 | Memorial Human Rights Centre | Russia | [10] | ||
2005 | Marguerite Barankitse | Burundi | [10] | ||
2006 | Akio Kanai | Japan | [10] | ||
2007 | Katrine Camilleri | Malta | [10] | ||
2008 | Chris Clark & United Nations Mine Action Service | United Kingdom | [10] | ||
2009 | Edward Kennedy | USA | [10] | ||
2010 | Alixandra Fazzina | United Kingdom | [10] | ||
2011 | Society for Humanitarian Solidarity | Yemen | [10] | ||
2012 | Hawa Aden Mohamed | Somalia | [22] | ||
2013 | Angélique Namaika | Democratic Republic of the Congo | [23] | ||
2014 | Butterflies with New Wings Building a Future | Colombia | [24] | ||
2015 | Aqeela Asifi | Afghanistan | [25] | ||
2016 | Efi Latsoudi & Konstantinos Mitragas | Greece | [26] | ||
2017 | Zannah Mustapha | Nigeria | [27] | ||
2018 | Evan Atar Adaha | South Sudan | [28][29] | ||
2019 | Azizbek Ashurov | Kyrgyzstan | [30] | ||
2020 | Mayerlín Vergara Pérez | Colombia | [31] | ||
2021 | Jeel Albena Association for Humanitarian Development | Yemen | [32] | ||
2022 | Angela Merkel | Germany | [33] |
Lists of regional laureates
editYear | Region | Image | Laureate | Rationale | Country | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2017 | Africa | CIYOTA | Uganda | [34] | ||
2017 | Asia | Bernard Wirth | Thailand | [34] | ||
2017 | Americas | Friar Tomas | Mexico | [34] | ||
2017 | Europe | Hej Främling! | Sweden | [34] | ||
2017 | Middle East | Ihsan Ezedeen | Syria | [35] | ||
2018 | Asia | Tuenjai Deetes | Thailand | [36] | ||
2018 | Americas | Samira Harnish | USA | [37] | ||
2018 | Europe | Andreas Hollstein and the town of Altena | Germany | [38] | ||
2018 | Middle East | Reclaim Childhood | Jordan | [39] | ||
2019 | Africa | Evariste Mfaume | Democratic Republic of the Congo | [40] | ||
2019 | Asia | Alberto Cairo | Afghanistan | [41] | ||
2019 | Americas | Bianka Rodriguez | El Salvador | [40] | ||
2019 | Europe | Humanitarian Corridors | Italy | [42] | ||
2019 | Middle East | Abeer Khreisha | Jordan | [40] | ||
2020 | Africa | Sabuni Francoise Chikunda | Democratic Republic of the Congo | [43] | ||
2020 | Asia | Rozma Ghafouri | Afghanistan | [44] | ||
2020 | Europe | Tetiana Barantsova | Ukraine | [43] | ||
2020 | Middle East | Rana Dajani | Jordan | [43] | ||
2021 | Africa | Roukiatou Maiga | Burkina Faso | [45] | ||
Diambendi Madiega | ||||||
2021 | Asia | Saleema Rehman | Afghanistan | [45] | ||
2021 | Americas | Santiago Ávila | Honduras | [45] | ||
2021 | Europe | Nikola Kovačević | Serbia | [45] | ||
2022 | Africa | Ahmedou Ag Albohary | Mauritania | [46] | ||
2022 | Asia | Naw Bway Khu | Myanmar | [46] | ||
2022 | Americas | Vicenta González | Nicaragua | [46] | ||
2022 | Middle East | Nagham Hasan | Iraq | [46] |
See also
editNotes
editReferences
edit- ^ Nansen Refugee Award, UNHCR
- ^ a b Bador, Geneviève; Delarue, Olivier (1 April 2003). "The Nansen Refugee Award". Refugee Survey Quarterly. 22 (1): 48–51. doi:10.1093/rsq/22.1.48.
- ^ a b "Germany's Angela Merkel to receive UN prize". South China Morning Post. 2022-10-10. Retrieved 2023-02-22.
- ^ Refugees, United Nations High Commissioner for. "About the Award". UNHCR. Retrieved 2023-02-27.
- ^ Refugees, United Nations High Commissioner for. "Our Winners". UNHCR. Retrieved 2017-12-18.
- ^ "UNHCR - Frequently Asked Questions". unhcr.org. United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.
- ^ "The UNHCR Nansen Refugee Award 2021" (PDF). unhcr.org. United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.
- ^ "Past Laureates". UNHCR. Retrieved 1 August 2022.
- ^ Cole, Diane (2018-10-17). "'Other Nobel' Goes To Amazingly Humble Surgeon In South Sudan". NPR. Retrieved 2022-08-04.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am an ao ap aq ar as at au av aw ax ay "List of winners, 1954–2012" (PDF). UNHCR (in Spanish).
- ^ "Queen Juliana Awarded Nansen Refugee Medal". The New York Times. 14 May 1955. ProQuest 113439270.
- ^ "NANSEN MEDAL AWARDED; Honor for Aid to Refugees Is Won by Mrs. D.D. Houghton". The New York Times. 4 August 1956. ProQuest 113766448.
- ^ "Nansen Medal to Red Cross". The New York Times. 1 June 1957. ProQuest 114234768.
- ^ Refugees, United Nations High Commissioner for. "Nansen Medal Award Ceremony: Presentation Speech by Dr. Auguste R. Lindt, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, on the occasion of the award of the Nansen Medal for 1958 to Mr. David Hoggett". UNHCR. Retrieved 2023-02-27.
- ^ "Austrian Receives Refugee Medal". The New York Times. 14 October 1959. ProQuest 114886714.
- ^ "Sir Christopher Chataway - obituary". The Telegraph. 19 January 2014. ProQuest 1490419459.
- ^ "Australian Is Honored For Help to Refugees". The New York Times. 10 October 1962. ProQuest 116234069.
- ^ "Additif au Rapport du Haut Commissaire des Nations Unies pour les Réfugiés, 1963". UNHCR (in French). Retrieved 2023-02-27.
- ^ "British Woman Gets Nansen Medal". The New York Times. 21 October 1964. ProQuest 115912768.
- ^ Edwards, Adrian (19 August 2013). "UNHCR pays tribute to staff killed in the line of duty, marking World Humanitarian Day 2013" (Press release). UNHCR. ProQuest 1426180704.
- ^ a b c "Report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees". UNHCR. Retrieved 2023-03-02.
- ^ Schlein, Lisa (18 September 2012). "Somali Humanitarian Wins Prestigious Nansen Refugee Award". Voice of America. Retrieved 2 December 2022.
- ^ "Congolese nun named winner of prestigious Nansen Refugee Award". UNHCR. 17 September 2013. Retrieved 2 December 2022.
- ^ "Nansen Refugee Award: Butterflies take wing to help others". unhcr.org. United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. 12 September 2014. Retrieved 2 December 2022.
- ^ "Aqeela Asifi: A life of teaching Afghan refugee girls". BBC. 16 September 2015. Retrieved 2 December 2022.
- ^ "The Hellenic Rescue Team". www.hrt.org.gr. 6 September 2016. Retrieved December 3, 2016.
- ^ "Visionary Nigerian teacher wins UNHCR Nansen Refugee Award". unhcr.org. 18 September 2017. Retrieved September 19, 2017.
- ^ "South Sudanese surgeon wins 2018 Nansen Refugee Award". UNHCR. Retrieved 25 September 2018.
- ^ "South Sudanese doctor wins prestigious UN prize for lifetime spent tending to refugees". abc.net.au. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 25 September 2018. Retrieved 7 October 2018.
- ^ "'Tenacious' Kyrgyz lawyer and statelessness champion, wins prestigious UNHCR prize". UN News. October 2019. Retrieved December 27, 2019.
- ^ Barber, Harriet (1 October 2020). "Woman who provides a safe haven for child trafficking victims is honoured by the UN". The Telegraph.
- ^ "Yemeni humanitarian organization wins Nansen Refugee Award". UN News. 29 September 2021. Retrieved 26 November 2021.
- ^ "Angela Merkel awarded top UN refugee prize, for aid to Syrians fleeing war". UN News. 4 October 2022. Retrieved 11 October 2022.
- ^ a b c d Refugees, United Nations High Commissioner for. "2017 Winner". UNHCR. Retrieved 2022-08-04.
- ^ "Syrian doctor devotes his life to serve displaced, refugees and vulnerable". UNHCR Syria. Retrieved 2022-08-18.
- ^ Refugees, United Nations High Commissioner for. "Rights campaigner fights for Thailand's stateless peoples". UNHCR. Retrieved 2022-08-04.
- ^ Refugees, United Nations High Commissioner for. "Samira Harnish, Americas region finalist for the 2018 Nansen Refugee Award". UNHCR. Retrieved 2022-08-04.
- ^ Refugees, United Nations High Commissioner for. "German mayor sets example of how to welcome refugees". UNHCR. Retrieved 2022-08-04.
- ^ Refugees, United Nations High Commissioner for. "Nansen Award finalist gives girls in Jordan a sporting chance". UNHCR. Retrieved 2022-08-04.
- ^ a b c Refugees, United Nations High Commissioner for. "UNHCR names Nansen Refugee Award regional winners". UNHCR. Retrieved 2022-08-04.
- ^ Refugees, United Nations High Commissioner for. "UNHCR names Nansen Refugee Award regional winners". UNHCR. Retrieved 2022-08-04.
- ^ "2019 Nansen Refugee Award for Europe goes to Humanitarian Corridors - Vatican News". www.vaticannews.va. 2019-09-18. Retrieved 2022-08-04.
- ^ a b c Refugees, United Nations High Commissioner for. "UNHCR names Nansen Refugee Award regional winners". UNHCR. Retrieved 2022-08-04.
- ^ Refugees, United Nations High Commissioner for. "UNHCR names Nansen Refugee Award regional winners". UNHCR. Retrieved 2022-08-04.
- ^ a b c d "Meet the Nansen Award winners who stayed and delivered in 2020". www.unrefugees.org. Retrieved 2022-08-04.
- ^ a b c d "Merkel says Nansen prize honours all those who welcome refugees". 11 October 2022. Retrieved 2 December 2022.
External links
edit- List of winners 1954 to 2012, UNHCR (Spanish)
- Nansen Refugee Award, official website
- United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, official website
- Pictures of the 2012 Nansen Refugee Award ceremony
- Interview with “Mama” Hawa Aden Mohamed, 2012 Nansen Refugee Award, by Global Education Magazine, in the special edition of World Refugee Day.