List of Nansen Refugee Award laureates

The Nansen Refugee Award is awarded 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. The award was established in 1954 with Eleanor Roosevelt as the inaugural awardee. The award is named after Nobel Peace Prize laureate, explorer, and League of Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Fridtjof Nansen.

Not to be confused with Fram Committee Nansen Award.
Nansen Refugee Award
Logo
Awarded forOutstanding service to the cause of refugees
LocationGeneva
Presented byUnited Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
First awarded1954
Websitewww.unhcr.org/nansen
The top of the Nansen Medal reads: "Nestekjærlighet er realpolitikk" (English: Altruism is Practical Politics [Realpolitik])

Since 2017, there have been regional awards for Africa, Asia, the Americas, the Middle East, and Europe.

Background
Fridjof Nansen, 1930

The Nansen Refugee Award was established in 1954 with Eleanor Roosevelt as the inaugural awardee.[1] It is named after the Norwegian polar explorer, statesman, and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Fridtjof Nansen. As the first High Commissioner for Refugees at the League of Nations, Nansen's achievements made significant strides in giving a voice to the forcibly displaced. The award consists of the Nansen Medal and a $150,000 US dollar monetary prize in support of a project of the recipient's choice to assist displaced people, developed in consultation with UNHCR. The Swiss and Norwegian governments, the Norwegian Refugee Council and the IKEA Foundation support the UNHCR Nansen Refugee Award programme.[2]

Since 2017, there have been regional awards for Africa, Asia, the Americas, the Middle East, and Europe.[3] In 2018, the award was described as the "other Nobel" prize by NPR.[4]

Award ceremony

Every year, the UNHCR Nansen Refugee Award is presented at a ceremony in Geneva, Switzerland, the "world's humanitarian capital".[5] Held at the Bâtiment des Forces Motrices, the ceremony coincides with the annual UNHCR Executive Committee meeting.[6]

In 2011, UNHCR collaborated with the University of Geneva, the Foundation Pour Genève, and the Geneva Academy of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights to organise the first Nansen panel discussion. Now an annual event, the discussion engages the Geneva intellectual community, media and youth about the refugee cause and the work of UNHCR.

In 2012, the discussion entitled "Les femmes et la reconstruction de la Somalie: du trouble à l'espoir" (English: "Women and the Reconstruction of Somalia: From Turmoil to Hope") featuring Leymah Gbowee, the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize laureate, secretary-general of the Norwegian Refugee Council Elisabeth Rasmusson, and UNHCR Honorary Lifetime Goodwill Ambassador Barbara Hendricks as panelists.[7]

Nomination process

The award is given to people, organisations and groups that have gone beyond the call of duty, who have demonstrated perseverance and courage, and who have personally, directly and significantly helped forcibly displaced people.

Nominations are submitted through the UNHCR Nansen Refugee Award website. Current or former UNHCR staff are not eligible. Self nominations, including intra-organizational nomination, are strongly discouraged.[5]

List of annual laureates
Year Image Laureate Country Posthumously Source
1954 Eleanor Roosevelt  USA No [8]
1955 Queen Juliana  Netherlands No [8]
1956 Dorothy D. Houghton  USA No [8]
Gerrit Jan van Heuven Goedhart  Netherlands Yes [8]
1957 The League of Red Cross Societies  Switzerland No [8]
1958 David Hoggett  United Kingdom No [8]
Pierre Jacobsen  France Yes [8]
1959 Oskar Helmer  Austria No [8]
1960 Christopher Chataway  United Kingdom No [8]
Colin Jones No [8]
Trevor Philpott No [8]
Timothy Raison No [8]
1961 King Olav V  Norway No [8]
1962 Tasman Heyes  Austria No [8]
1963 The International Council for Voluntary Agencies  Switzerland No [8]
1964 May Curwen  United Kingdom No [8]
Francois Preziosi  France Yes [8]
Jean Plicque  France Yes [8]
1965 Lucie Chevalley  France No [8]
Ana Rosa Schlieper de Martínez Guerrero  Argentina Yes [8]
Jørgen Nørredam  Denmark Yes [8]
1967 Prince Bernhard  Netherlands No [8]
1968 Bernard Arcens  Senegal No [8]
Charles H. Jordan  USA Yes [8]
1969 Princess Princep Shah    Nepal No [8]
1971 Louise Holborn  USA No [8]
1972 Swana Friðriksdóttir  Iceland No [8]
1974 Helmut Frenz  Germany No [8]
1975 James J. Norris  USA No [8]
1976 Olav Hodne  Norway No [8]
Marie-Louise Bertschinger  Switzerland Yes [8]
1977 The Malaysian Red Crescent Society  Malaysia No [8]
1978 Seretse Khama  Botswana No [8]
1979 Valéry Giscard d'Estaing  France No [8]
1980 Maryluz Schloeter Paredes  Venezuela No [8]
1981 Paul Cullen  Australia No [8]
1982 Crown Princess Sonja  Norway No [8]
1983 Mwalimu Julius Kambarage Nyerere  Tanzania No [8]
1984 Lewis M. Hiller  USA No [8]
Jeff Kass No [8]
Gregg Turay No [8]
1985 Paulo Evaristo Arns  Brazil No [8]
1986 The People of Canada (accepted by Governor General Jeanne Sauvé)  Canada No [8]
1987 Juan Carlos I  Spain No [8]
1988 Syed Munir Husain  Pakistan No [8]
1989 Daisaku Ikeda  Japan No [8]
1991 Paul Weis  Austria Yes [8]
Libertina Appolus Amathila  Namibia No [8]
1992 Richard von Weizsäcker  Germany No [8]
1993 Médecins Sans Frontières  Switzerland No [8]
1995 Graça Machel  Mozambique No [8]
1996 Handicap International  France No [8]
1997 Joannes Klas  USA No [8]
1998 Mustafa Dzhemilev  Ukraine No [8]
2000 Jelena Silajdžić  Bosnia and Herzegovina No [8]
Abune Paulos  Ethiopia No [8]
Lao Mong Hay  Cambodia No [8]
Miguel Angel Estrella  Argentina No [8]
United Nations volunteers  United Nations No [8]
2001 Luciano Pavarotti  Italy No [8]
2002 Arne Rinnan and the crew of the MV Tampa  Norway No [8]
2003 Annalena Tonelli  Italy No [8]
2004 Memorial Human Rights Centre  Russia No [8]
2005 Marguerite Barankitse  Burundi No [8]
2006 Akio Kanai  Japan No [8]
2007 Katrine Camilleri  Malta No [8]
2008 Chris Clark  United Kingdom No [8]
United Nations Mine Action Service in Southern Lebanon  Lebanon No [8]
2009 Edward Kennedy  USA No [8]
2010 Alixandra Fazzina  United Kingdom No [8]
2011 Society for Humanitarian Solidarity  Yemen No [8]
2012 Hawa Aden Mohamed  Somalia No [9]
2013 Angélique Namaika  Democratic Republic of the Congo No [10]
2014 Butterflies with New Wings Building a Future  Colombia No [11]
2015 Aqeela Asifi  Afghanistan No [12]
2016 Konstantinos Mitragas of the Hellenic Rescue Team  Greece No [13]
Efi Latsoudi of PIKPA Village No [14]
2017 Zannah Mustapha  Nigeria No [15]
2018 Evan Atar Adaha  South Sudan No [16][17]
2019 Azizbek Ashurov  Kyrgyzstan No [18]
2020 Mayerlín Vergara Pérez  Colombia No [19]
2021 Jeel Albena Association for Humanitarian Development  Yemen No [20]
2022 Angela Merkel  Germany No [21]

Regional laureates
Africa regional laureates
Year Laureate Country Citation
2017 CIYOTA  Uganda [22]
2019 Evariste Mfaume  Democratic Republic of the Congo [23]
2020 Sabuni Francoise Chikunda  Democratic Republic of the Congo [24]
2021 Roukiatou Maiga  Burkina Faso [25]
Diambendi Madiega
2022 Ahmedou Ag Albohary  Mauritania [26]
Asia regional laureates
Year Laureate Country Citation
2017 Bernard Wirth  Thailand [27]
2018 Tuenjai Deetes  Thailand [28]
2019 Alberto Cairo  Afghanistan [29]
2020 Rozma Ghafouri  Afghanistan [30]
2021 Saleema Rehman  Afghanistan [31]
2022 Naw Bway Khu  Myanmar [26]
Americas regional laureates
Year Laureate Country Citation
2017 Friar Tomas  Mexico [22]
2018 Samira Harnish  USA [32]
2019 Bianka Rodriguez  El Salvador [23]
2021 Santiago Ávila  Honduras [25]
2022 Vicenta González  Nicaragua [26]
Europe regional laureates
Year Laureate Country Citation
2017 Hej Främling!  Sweden [22]
2018 Andreas Hollstein and the town of Altena  Germany [33]
2019 Humanitarian Corridors  Italy [34]
2020 Tetiana Barantsova  Ukraine [24]
2021 Nikola Kovačević  Serbia [25]
Middle East regional laureates
Year Middle East winner Country Citation
2017 Ihsan Ezedeen  Syria [35]
2018 Reclaim Childhood  Jordan [36]
2019 Abeer Khreisha  Jordan [23]
2020 Rana Dajani  Jordan [24]
2022 Nagham Hasan  Iraq [26]

References
  1. Refugees, United Nations High Commissioner for. "Our Winners". UNHCR. Retrieved 2017-12-18.
  2. "Nansen: The man, the inspiration, the legacy" (PDF). unhcr.org. United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. 2014. p. 32.
  3. "Past Laureates". UNHCR. Retrieved 1 August 2022.
  4. Cole, Diane (2018-10-17). "'Other Nobel' Goes To Amazingly Humble Surgeon In South Sudan". NPR. Retrieved 2022-08-04.
  5. "UNHCR - Frequently Asked Questions". unhcr.org. United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.
  6. "The UNHCR Nansen Refugee Award 2021" (PDF). unhcr.org. United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.
  7. "Une ancienne réfugiée somalienne primée par le HCR". unige.ch (in French). University of Geneva. 2012.
  8. "List of winners, 1954-2012" (PDF). UNHCR (in Spanish).
  9. Schlein, Lisa (18 September 2012). "Somali Humanitarian Wins Prestigious Nansen Refugee Award". Voice of America. Retrieved 2 December 2022.
  10. "Congolese nun named winner of prestigious Nansen Refugee Award". UNHCR. 17 September 2013. Retrieved 2 December 2022.
  11. "Nansen Refugee Award: Butterflies take wing to help others". unhcr.org. United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. 12 September 2014. Retrieved 2 December 2022.
  12. "Aqeela Asifi: A life of teaching Afghan refugee girls". BBC. 16 September 2015. Retrieved 2 December 2022.
  13. "The Hellenic Rescue Team". www.hrt.org.gr. 6 September 2016. Retrieved December 3, 2016.
  14. "Greek Volunteers share UNHCR Nansen Refugee Award". www.unhcr.org. 6 September 2016. Retrieved 2 December 2022.
  15. "Visionary Nigerian teacher wins UNHCR Nansen Refugee Award". unhcr.org. 18 September 2017. Retrieved September 19, 2017.
  16. "South Sudanese surgeon wins 2018 Nansen Refugee Award". UNHCR. Retrieved 25 September 2018.
  17. "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.
  18. "'Tenacious' Kyrgyz lawyer and statelessness champion, wins prestigious UNHCR prize". UN News. October 2019. Retrieved December 27, 2019.
  19. Barber, Harriet (1 October 2020). "Woman who provides a safe haven for child trafficking victims is honoured by the UN". The Telegraph.
  20. "Yemeni humanitarian organization wins Nansen Refugee Award". UN News. 29 September 2021. Retrieved 26 November 2021.
  21. "Angela Merkel awarded top UN refugee prize, for aid to Syrians fleeing war". UN News. 4 October 2022. Retrieved 11 October 2022.
  22. Refugees, United Nations High Commissioner for. "2017 Winner". UNHCR. Retrieved 2022-08-04.
  23. Refugees, United Nations High Commissioner for. "UNHCR names Nansen Refugee Award regional winners". UNHCR. Retrieved 2022-08-04.
  24. Refugees, United Nations High Commissioner for. "UNHCR names Nansen Refugee Award regional winners". UNHCR. Retrieved 2022-08-04.
  25. "Meet the Nansen Award winners who stayed and delivered in 2020". www.unrefugees.org. Retrieved 2022-08-04.
  26. "Merkel says Nansen prize honours all those who welcome refugees". 11 October 2022. Retrieved 2 December 2022.
  27. Refugees, United Nations High Commissioner for. "2017 Winner". UNHCR. Retrieved 2022-08-04.
  28. Refugees, United Nations High Commissioner for. "Rights campaigner fights for Thailand's stateless peoples". UNHCR. Retrieved 2022-08-04.
  29. Refugees, United Nations High Commissioner for. "UNHCR names Nansen Refugee Award regional winners". UNHCR. Retrieved 2022-08-04.
  30. Refugees, United Nations High Commissioner for. "UNHCR names Nansen Refugee Award regional winners". UNHCR. Retrieved 2022-08-04.
  31. "Meet the Nansen Award winners who stayed and delivered in 2020". www.unrefugees.org. Retrieved 2022-08-04.
  32. Refugees, United Nations High Commissioner for. "Samira Harnish, Americas region finalist for the 2018 Nansen Refugee Award". UNHCR. Retrieved 2022-08-04.
  33. Refugees, United Nations High Commissioner for. "German mayor sets example of how to welcome refugees". UNHCR. Retrieved 2022-08-04.
  34. "2019 Nansen Refugee Award for Europe goes to Humanitarian Corridors - Vatican News". www.vaticannews.va. 2019-09-18. Retrieved 2022-08-04.
  35. "Syrian doctor devotes his life to serve displaced, refugees and vulnerable". UNHCR Syria. Retrieved 2022-08-18.
  36. Refugees, United Nations High Commissioner for. "Nansen Award finalist gives girls in Jordan a sporting chance". UNHCR. Retrieved 2022-08-04.
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