Fact Sheet No. 2
The Selection Process

The General Assembly of the United Nations established the human rights prizes in 1966 (Recommendation C of GA resolution 2217(XXI), 19 December 1966) in the lead-up to the International Year for Human Rights and the twentieth anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1968. In that recommendation, the General Assembly envisaged the prizes as one of the measures to honour and commend people and organisations 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.

The General Assembly first awarded the prize on 10 December1968, and thereafter in 1973, 1978, 1988, 1993 and 1998 (Fact Sheet No. 4 contains the names of past recipients). The prize is always awarded on this date, following the decision of the General Assembly on 4 December 1950 (resolution 423(v)) to declare 10 December as Human Rights Day, to both celebrate the proclamation of the Universal Declaration, and to encourage increasing efforts in the field of human rights.

According to the recommendation by the General Assembly, the prize or prizes 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.

The General Assembly further recommended that each recipient be presented with a metal plaque bearing the United Nations seal, an artistic design, and engraved with an appropriate citation as a concrete and lasting token of the award.

Responsibility for the selection of the recipients was entrusted to a special committee to be composed of the following:

President of the General Assembly,
President of the Economic and Social Council,
Chairperson of the Commission on Human Rights,
Chairperson of the Commission on the Status of Women, and
Chairperson of the Sub-Commission on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights.

The special committee is entitled to establish its own procedure for receiving nominations, it being understood that nominations might be sought from Member States, specialised agencies, non-government organisations in consultative status and from other appropriate sources. The assistance of the Secretary-General is offered to the special committee at every stage in the process of selection.

As in previous years, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights corresponded with all Member States, specialised agencies and NGOs with consultative status, calling for nominations for the 2003 human rights prize. An announcement was also placed on the High Commissioner’s website.

All deliberations of the special committee are confidential and its decision was announced by the President of the General Assembly on 2 December. The winners are invited to attend the General Assembly meeting on 10 December to be presented with their commemorative plaques by the Secretary-General (or his designate) and the President of the General Assembly. This date in 2003 is distinguished as Human Rights Day; the 55th anniversary of the proclamation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights; the 10th anniversary of the resolution establishing the post of the High Commissioner for Human Rights; the 10 anniversary of the World Conference on Human Rights, which adopted the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action; and the 10th anniversary of the adoption of the Paris Principles on National Human Rights Institutions.