The United Nations Prizes in the Field of Human Rights were instituted by United Nations General Assembly[1] 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".

The UN first awarded the prize to six recipients at a ceremony on 10 December 1968 – the 20th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which the UN has designated Human Rights Day. They have been given out at five-year intervals since then, with the exception of 1983, to individuals, groups and organizations.[2] As of December 2018, 64 awards have been presented, including nine awards presented posthumously (four to recipients who had been murdered while pursuing human rights for others).

The recipients are selected by a committee composed of the presidents of the UN General Assembly, the UN Economic and Social Council and the UN Human Rights Council (which replaced the UN Commission on Human Rights in 2006), and the chairs of the UN Commission on the Status of Women and of the Advisory Committee of the UN Human Rights Council (which replaced the UN Sub-Commission on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights in 2006).[3] Since 1998, the awards are announced by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, which was created a few days after the 1993 ceremony.[4]

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 – whose list of prizewinners of the Nobel Peace Prize shares much common ground with the UN Prize in the Field of Human Rights – the UN's awards are non-monetary in nature.

1968 Prizewinners

FIRST AWARD: December 1968 – 20th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights:[2]

René Cassin

1973 Prizewinners

SECOND AWARD: December 1973 – 25th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights:[2]

1978 Prizewinners

THIRD AWARD: December 1978 – 30th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights:[2]

Helen Suzman

1988 Prizewinners

FOURTH AWARD: December 1988 – 40th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights:[2]

Winnie Mandela

1993 Prizewinners

FIFTH AWARD: December 1993 – 45th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights:[2]

1998 Prizewinners

SIXTH AWARD: December 1998 – 50th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights:[2]

Jimmy Carter

2003 Prizewinners

SEVENTH AWARD: December 2003 – 55th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights:[2]

2008 Prizewinners

EIGHTH AWARD: December 2008 – 60th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights:[5]

Benazir Bhutto

2013 Prizewinners

NINTH AWARD: December 2013 – 65th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights:[3][6]

2018 Prizewinners

TENTH AWARD: December 2018 – 70th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights:[7][8]

  • Asma Jahangir (posthumously), human rights lawyer (Pakistan)
  • Rebeca Gyumi, activist for the rights of women and girls (Tanzania)
  • Joênia Wapixana, activist for the rights of indigenous communities (Brazil)
  • Front Line Defenders, organization advocating and working for the protection of human rights defenders (Ireland)

2023 Prizewinners

ELEVENTH AWARD: December 2023:[9]

References

  1. ↑ Resolutions adopted on the reports of the Third Committee
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "The United Nations Prize in the Field of Human Rights | List of previous recipients". United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. Retrieved 2020-09-07.
  3. 1 2 "2013 United Nations Human Rights Prize". United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. 2013-12-09. Retrieved 2020-09-07. The 2013 laureates were selected by a committee comprising...
  4. ↑ Pillay, Navi (2013). "20th ANNIVERSARY". United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. Retrieved 2020-09-07.
  5. ↑ "United Nations Human Rights Prize 2008". United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. 2008. Retrieved 2020-09-07.
  6. ↑ "Pakistani activist Malala Yousafzai among winners of 2013 UN human rights prize". UN News. 2013-12-05. Retrieved 2019-04-13.
  7. ↑ "2018 United Nations Prize in the Field of Human Rights". United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. 2018. Retrieved 2020-09-07.
  8. ↑ "UN names Human Rights Prize winners for 2018". Al Jazeera. 2018-10-26. Retrieved 2020-09-07.
  9. ↑ "2023 recipients, UN Human Rights Prize". OHCHR. Retrieved 10 December 2023.
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