NOON BRIEFING HIGHLIGHTS

Spokesperson for General Assembly President Csaba Kőrösi
United Nations Headquarters, New York

Thursday, 20 July 2023

 

UN HUMAN RIGHTS PRIZE

The President of the General Assembly, Csaba Kőrösi, today announced the winners of the prestigious United Nations Prize in the Field of Human Rights for 2023.

The five winners are:

  • Human Rights Center “Viasna”, Belarus
  • Ms. Julienne Lusenge, Democratic Republic of the Congo
  • Amman Center for Human Rights Studies, Jordan
  • Mr. Julio Pereyra, Uruguay
  • Global Coalition of civil society organizations, Indigenous Peoples, social movements and local communities for “the universal recognition of the right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment”

The United Nations Prize in the Field of Human Rights was established through a General Assembly resolution back in 1966.

It is awarded once every five years.

This year’s recipients were selected from more than 400 nominations by a Special Committee, which is chaired by the President of the General Assembly.

Its members include the President of the Economic and Social Council, the President of the Human Rights Council, the Chair of the Commission on the Status of Women and the Chair of the Advisory Committee of the Human Rights Council.

The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) provided support to the Committee.

The award ceremony for the 2023 Prize will take place at UN Headquarters in New York in December 2023, as part of activities to commemorate Human Rights Day.

The exact date of the ceremony will be announced in due course.

You have a press release on this announcement in Arabic, English, French, Russian and Spanish: https://www.un.org/pga/77/2023/07/20/winners-of-2023-united-nations-human-rights-prize-announced/

And you will notice a paragraph in that press release from the Members of the Special Committee.

In it, they – and here I quote – convey their deep admiration for all civil society actors who with their tireless work contribute to the promotion, protection and advancement of human rights. The Members of the Special Committee acknowledge the important role human rights defenders and activists play and wish to convey their admiration for their courage and dedication while strongly condemning any attempts to silence and intimidate them. They express, in particular, their deep solidarity to those who are detained in retaliation to their work in defending human rights and pursuing the implementation of all the provisions of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, whose 75th anniversary we mark this year. The Special Committee calls on Member States to release all human rights defenders held in detention.

 

MANDELA DAY

And on the topic of human rights… and honoring a former recipient of the UN Human Rights Prize…

Let me turn now to the General Assembly…

Member States today observed the annual Nelson Mandela International Day.

In his remarks to the commemoration, President Kőrösi said that as we grapple with the world’s many problems, it is easy to feel that our individual footprint is too light to make a lasting mark. But Nelson Mandela shattered this notion, proving that one person does in fact have the power to make a significant impact on our world and to bring about a transformation.

And he referred to the concept of “Ubuntu”.

Which recognises that we are all bound together in a oneness of humanity.

That by sharing and caring for all those around us, everybody succeeds.

The President said that in times of turbulence and uncertainty, there might be little room for idealism. But we need ideals – both as standards of perfection and as people we can respect.

You have the full remarks online and in your inbox: https://www.un.org/pga/77/2023/07/20/pga-remarks-to-the-observance-of-the-annual-nelson-mandela-international-day/

 

QUESTIONS

The Spokesperson was thanked for sharing the provisions list of speakers, and asked when the updated version would be put out given the importance of those updates for media planning. The Spokesperson said all thanks go to the Department for General Assembly and Conference Management (DGACM). And it is also DGACM that puts out revised versions. No specific date at this time for a revised version.