United Nations Prize in the Field of Human Rights
Background
The significance of the United Nations Prize in the Field of Human Rights
The United Nations Prize in the Field of Human Rights is an award given to individuals and organisations in recognition of their outstanding contribution to the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms. It is presented by the UN Secretary-General in the General Assembly every five years.
The Prize provides an opportunity for the United Nations to publicly commend the achievements and outstanding contribution of the awardees. Through this public recognition of the valuable work of the awardees, the United Nations also pays tribute to the thousands of anonymous human rights advocates and defenders involved daily in the difficult and often perilous work to promote and protect the rights of others.
The establishment and history of the United Nations Prize in the Field of Human Rights
The United Nations Prize in the Field of Human Rights was established in 1966 by a resolution of the General Assembly, 19 December 1966. The General Assembly envisaged the Prize as one of the ongoing measures by which the United Nations could honour and commend those who have made an outstanding contribution in the field of human rights, and to promote the human rights principles contained in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) and other human rights instruments.
The General Assembly first awarded the Prize on 10 December1968, the International Year for Human Rights and the twentieth anniversary of the UDHR. It has since been awarded in 1973, 1978, 1988, 1993 and 1998. The Prize is always awarded on this date, as 10 December is the anniversary of the proclamation of the UDHR, and was declared Human Rights Day by a resolution of the General Assembly in 1950.
How the awardees are chosen
The resolution that established the United Nations Prize in the Field of Human Rights also set out the procedure by which it would be awarded.
According to the resolution, the prize should be awarded at five-yearly intervals, and no more than five prizes should be awarded at a time. If only one prize is awarded, it should be for outstanding achievements in the field of human rights. If two prizes are awarded, one should be for outstanding achievements in the promotion and protection of civil and political rights, and the other for outstanding achievements in the promotion and protection of economic, social and cultural rights. If more than one prize is awarded, all prizes should be equal in every way.
Responsibility for the selection of the awardees is entrusted to a special committee composed of the:
President of the General Assembly - H.E. Mr. Julian Hunte:,
President of the Economic and Social Council – H.E. Mr. Gert Rosenthal;
Chairperson of the Commission on Human Rights - Ms. Najat Al-Hajjaji:
Chairperson of the Commission on the Status of Women - Ms. Kyung-wha Kang:
Chairperson of the Sub-Commission on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights - Ms. Halima Embarek Warzazi
The special committee is authorised by the resolution to establish its own procedure for receiving nominations and selecting the awardees. The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights provides Secretariat support to the committee and assists by requesting nominations from those groups identified in the resolution, namely Member States, UN specialised agencies, non-government organisations in consultative status and other appropriate sources. In addition, OHCHR posted an announcement on its website calling for nominations by 29 August 2003. These nominations were provided to the special committee in advance of its meeting to select the awardees.
Beyond recommending that the special committee award the Prize to “individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms”, the special committee is at liberty to determine its own criteria for the selection of awardees. Although it is in no way bound by the procedures established by previous special committees, fundamental principles such as equal geographical distribution and gender balance are generally taken into account, with the final decision being determined foremost on the merits of the candidate.
Human Rights Day 10 December 2003
The 2003 United Nations Prize in the Field of Human Rights will be awarded at the meeting of the General Assembly at UN Headquarters in New York on 10 December 2003 at 10am. The awardees will be invited to attend the General Assembly meeting to be presented with a commemorative plaque by the Secretary-General and the President of the General Assembly, and attend a number of official functions.
The 2003 award of the United Nations Prize in the Field of Human Rights has a particular significance in the UN calendar. In addition to marking the 55th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, 2003 is also:
10th anniversary of the World Conference on Human Rights, which adopted the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action (VDPA)
10th anniversary of the establishment of the High Commissioner for Human Rights
10th anniversary of the adoption of the Paris Principles on National Human Rights Institutions
In addition to the award ceremony in the General Assembly, OHCHR in conjunction with non-governmental organisations and Member States, will host a number of public events on 10 December. These ‘parallel events’ are designed to commemorate the various anniversaries, reflect on progress made, and promote discussion on the current challenges in the field of human rights.
UNITED NATIONAL PRIZE IN THE FIELD OF HUMAN RIGHTS
List of past recipients
FIRST AWARD – December 1968
Manuel Bianchi (Chile) –Ambassador; Chairman of Inter-American Commission on Human Rights
Rene Cassin (France) – Original member of Human Rights Commission
Chief Albert Luthuli (posthumously) (South Africa) – President of the ANC
Mehranguiz Manoutchehrian (Iran) – Attorney/Legal Adviser and Senator
Petr Emelyanovich Nedbailo (Ukraine) –Member, Human Rights Commission
Mrs. Eleanor Roosevelt (Posthumously) (United States) – First Lady; President of the Human Rights Commission
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SECOND AWARD – December 1973
Dr. Taha Hussein (Egypt) – Professor of Literature
C. Wilfred Jenks (posthumously) (UK) – Director-General of International Labour Office
Mrs. Maria Lavalle Urbina (Mexico) – Lawyer; Professor
Bishop Abel Muzorewa (Namibia) – President of the ANC; Bishop of United Methodist Church
Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam (Mauritius) – Prime Minister of Mauritius
U Thant (Myanmar) – Secretary-General of the United Nations
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THIRD AWARD – December 1978
Begum Ra’Ana Liaquat Ali Khan
Prince Sadruddin Aga Khan
Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King (posthumously) (United States)
Mrs. Helen Suzman
International Committee of the Red Cross
Amnesty International
Vicaria de la Solidaridad (Chile)
Union nationale des femmes de Tunisie
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FOURTH AWARD – December 1988
Murlidhar Devidas Amte (India) – Lawyer
John Humphrey (Canada) – Director, United Nations Division of Human Rights
Adam Lopatka (Poland) – President, Supreme Court of Poland
Bishop Leonidas Proaño (Ecuador)
Nelson Mandela (South Africa) – Lawyer
Winnie Mandela (South Africa) – Medical Social Worker
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FIFTH AWARD- December 1993
Mr. Hassib Ben Ammar (Tunisia) – President of the Arab Institute for Human Rights
Dr. Erica-Irene Daes (Greece) – Chair/Rapporteur, Working Group on Indigenous Populations
James Grant (United Nations) – Executive Director of UNICEF
The International Commission of Jurists (Geneva based)
The Medical Personnel of the Central Hospital of Sarajevo
Dr. Sonia Picado Sotela (Costa Rica) – Jurist; Vice President of Inter-American Court of Human Rights
Ganesh Man Singh (Nepal) – Supreme Leader of the Nepali Congress
The Sudanese Women’s Union
Father Julio Tumiri Javier (Bolivia) – Founder and President, Permanent Assembly of Human Rights in Bolivia
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SIXTH AWARD – December 1998
Ms. Sunila Abeyesekera (Sri Lanka) – Executive Director of INFORM
Ms. Angeline Acheng Atyam (Uganda) – Founding member and Vice Chair of the Concerned Parents Association
Mr. Jimmy Carter (United States) – former US President
Mr. Jose Gregori (Brazil) – Head of the National Secretariat for Human Rights
Ms. Anna Sabatova (Czech Republic) – founding member of “Charter 77”
Human Rights Defenders of the World
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SEVENTH AWARD – December 2003
Ms. Enriqueta Estela Barnes de Carlotto (Argentina)- President of the Asociación Abuelas de Plaza de Mayo [Association of Plaza de Mayo Grandmothers]
Mr. Pufang Deng (China) -Founder and director of the China Disabled Persons’ Federation
Family Protection Project Management Team (Jordan)
Ms. Shulamith Koenig (United States of America) - Executive Director of the People’s Movement for Human Rights Education
Mano River Women’s Peace Network (MARWOPNET)(Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone)
Mr. Sergio Vieira de Mello (posthumously)(Brazil)
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