The 'United Nations Prizes in the Field of Human Rights' were instituted by
United Nations General Assembly resolution 2217 in 1966.
They are intended to "honour and commend people and organizations which have made an outstanding contribution to the promotion and protection of the
human rights embodied in the
Universal Declaration of Human Rights and in other
United Nations human rights instruments".
They were first awarded in 1968, and they have been given out at five-year intervals since then.
The award ceremony traditionally takes place on
10 December, which the UN has designated
Human Rights Day.
The recipients are selected by a special committee comprising the presidents of the
General Assembly and the
Economic and Social Council and the chairs of the
Commission on Human Rights, the
Commission on the Status of Women, and the
Sub-Commission on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights.
The physical token of the award is a metal plaque bearing the UN seal and an artistic design, and engraved with an appropriate citation.
In contrast to the
Nobel prizes – and the list of awardees shares much common ground with the
Nobel Peace Prize in particular – the UN's awards are non-monetary in nature.
2003 Awardees
★
Enriqueta Estela Barnes de Carlotto, president of the
Grandmothers of the Plaza de Mayo (
Argentina)
★
Mano River Women's Peace Network (
Sierra Leone,
Liberia, and
Guinea)
★
Family Protection Project Management Team (
Jordan)
★
Deng Pufang, chairman of the
China Disabled Persons' Federation (
PRC)
★
Shulamith Koenig, executive director of the
People's Movement for Human Rights Education (
USA)
★
Sérgio Vieira de Mello, UN Special Representative murdered in Iraq (posthumous award) (
Brazil)
1998 Awardees
★
Sunila Abeyesekera, executive director of
INFORM (
Sri Lanka)
★
Angelina Acheng Atyam, founder of
Concerned Parents Association (
Uganda)
★
Jimmy Carter, statesman and former president (
USA)
★
José Gregori, secretary of state for human rights (
Brazil)
★
Anna Sabatova, founder of
Charter 77 (
Czech Republic)
★ All
human rights defenders, "thousands of courageous individuals worldwide"
1993 Awardees
★
Hassib Ben Ammar, president of the
Arab Institute for Human Rights (
Tunisia)
★
Erica-Irene Daes, chair of the
Working Group on Indigenous Populations (
Greece)
★
James P. Grant, executive director of
UNICEF (
USA)
★
International Commission of Jurists (based in
Geneva)
★ Medical personnel of the Central Hospital of
Sarajevo
★
Sonia Picado Sotela, vice-president of the
Inter-American Court of Human Rights (
Costa Rica)
★
Ganesh Man Singh, supreme leader of the Nepal (
Nepali:सर्वमान्य नेता)
[1] and commander of 1990 Democracy Movement
[2] (
Nepal)
★
Sudanese Women's Union (
Sudan)
★
Julio Tumiri Javier, founder of the
Permanent Assembly of Human Rights in Bolivia (
Bolivia)
1988 Awardees
★
Baba Murlidhar Devidas Amte, human rights lawyer (
India)
★
John Peters Humphrey, director of the
United Nations Division of Human Rights (
Canada)
★
Adam Lopatka, president of the Supreme Court (
Poland)
★
Leónidas Proaño, bishop (
Ecuador)
★
Nelson Mandela, lawyer and statesman (
South Africa)
★
Winnie Mandela, medical social worker (
South Africa)
1978 Awardees
★
Begum Ra'Ana Liaquat Ali Khan (
Pakistan)
★
Prince Sadruddin Aga Khan (
Iran)
★
Martin Luther King (posthumous award) (
USA)
★
Helen Suzman (
South Africa)
★
International Committee of the Red Cross
★
Amnesty International
★
Vicaría de la Solidaridad (
Chile)
★
Union nationale des femmes de Tunisie (
Tunisia)
1973 Awardees
★
Taha Hussein, professor of literature (
Egypt)
★
C. Wilfred Jenks, director-general of the
International Labour Office (posthumous award) (
UK)
★
María Lavalle Urbina, lawyer and lecturer (
Mexico)
★
Abel Muzorewa, president of the ANC (
Namibia)
★
Seewoosagur Ramgoolam, prime minister of Mauritius (
Mauritius)
★
U Thant,
UN secretary-general (
Myanmar)
1968 Awardees
★
Manuel Bianchi, chairman of the
Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (
Chile)
★
René Cassin, member of the
Commission on Human Rights (
France)
★
Albert Luthuli President of the ANC (posthumous award) (
South Africa)
★
Mehranguiz Manoutchehrian, attorney and senator (
Iran)
★
Petr Emelyanovich Nedbailo member of the
Commission on Human Rights (
Ukraine)
★
Eleanor Roosevelt, president of the
Commission on Human Rights (posthumous award) (
USA)
External links
★
United Nations Prize in the Field of Human Rights (
UNHCHR) Official website - Origins of the prize and list of awardees in 1968, 1973, 1978, 1983, 1988,1993,1998
★
United Nations Prize in the Field of Human Rights 2003 Awardees'(UN)'
References
1. इतिहास पुरुषहरुका दृष्टिमा गणेशमान सिंह, Page 131, (Diamond Sumsher Rana), Publisher:Ganesh Man Singh Foundation
2. Letter to "Mission Pemanente, Du Royamu Du Nepal, Aupres de l'office des Nations Unies, Geneve" by Nepalese Ambassador, Jayaraj Acharya, nominating Ganesh Man Singh for Human Right Award, Page 63, श्रद्धांजली