This list of human rights awards is an index to articles about notable awards given for the promotion of human rights. These are moral principles or social norms that describe certain standards of human behaviour and are regularly protected as natural and legal rights in municipal and international law. [1] The list is organized by region and country of the main sponsoring organizations, but many of the awards are open to people or organizations from other countries and regions.
| Country | Award | Sponsor | Given for |
|---|---|---|---|
| International | UNESCO/Bilbao Prize for the Promotion of a Culture of Human Rights | UNESCO | Institutions, organizations and individuals that have made a particularly important and effective contribution to the promotion of a culture of human rights at regional and international levels [2] |
| International | United Nations Prize in the Field of Human Rights | United Nations | Individuals and organizations in recognition of outstanding achievement in human rights [3] |
| Country | Award | Sponsor | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Libya | Al-Gaddafi International Prize for Human Rights | General People's Congress (Libya) | International personalities, bodies or organizations that have distinctively contributed to rendering an outstanding human service and has achieved great actions in defending Human rights, protecting the causes of freedom and supporting peace everywhere in the world |
| South Africa | Vera Chirwa Awards | The Centre for Human Rights, University of Pretoria | Need to demonstrate dedicated human rights activism, leadership in the field of human rights and democratisation affecting Africa and Africans; contribute to a specific human rights cause or causes, and demonstrate commitment to improving the lives of people everywhere in Africa [4] |
| African sub-regional network | Shield Awards | The Pan-African Human Rights Defenders Network | Honors exceptional individuals who have contributed to changes in their community by peacefully promoting and protecting human rights, as universally recognised by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights [5] |
| Ethiopia | Annual Human Rights Defender Award | Ethiopian Human Rights Defenders Center | Recognizes the situations of human rights defenders in Ethiopia and highlight the risks they face in their daily lives as well as , the award enhance the award recipient’s human rights activities. The recipient must follow a peaceful approach and must work from a deep personal interest to help others. [6] |
| Award | Sponsor | Given for |
|---|---|---|
| John Humphrey Freedom Award | International Centre for Human Rights and Democratic Development | Exceptional achievement in the promotion of human rights and democratic development |
| The Wolf Award | The Wolf Project | Efforts to improve racial tolerance and understanding |
| Award | Sponsor | Given to/for |
|---|---|---|
| Four Freedoms Award | Roosevelt Institute for American Studies | Commitment to the principles which US President Franklin D. Roosevelt proclaimed on January 6, 1941, as essential to democracy: freedom of speech and expression, freedom of worship, freedom from want, freedom from fear |
| Eleanor Roosevelt Award for Human Rights | President of the United States | American promoters of rights in the United States |
| AAAS Award for Scientific Freedom and Responsibility | American Association for the Advancement of Science | Exemplary actions, often taken at significant personal cost, that have served to foster scientific freedom and responsibility and increased scientific awareness throughout the world |
| Ivan Allen Jr. Prize for Social Courage | Wilbur and Hilda Glenn Family Foundation | Individuals who, like Mayor Ivan Allen Jr., stand up for moral principles and render service to humanity without regard for personal or professional peril |
| Brandeis Medal | University of Louisville | Commitment to the ideals of individual liberty, concern for the disadvantaged and public service |
| William J. Brennan Award | Thomas Jefferson Center for the Protection of Free Expression | (Various awards) |
| Carter–Menil Human Rights Prize | Carter-Menil Human Rights Foundation | Individuals and institutions that promote human rights |
| Civil Courage Prize | The Train Foundation | Draw attention individually to some extraordinary heroes of conscience |
| Courage Award for the Arts | Yoko Ono | Artists, musicians, collectors, curators, writers who sought the truth in their work and demonstrated leadership, courage, resourcefulness in their work, and risked their careers by pursuing a larger vision of the local or national interest despite pressure to succumb to commercial and political constraints |
| Thomas J. Dodd Prize in International Justice and Human Rights | University of Connecticut | Significant effort to advance the cause of international justice and global human rights |
| Free Your Mind | MTV | Sensitize spectators in touchy matters, the social meat and potatoes, human rights violations, of political and civil laws, promoting the environmental protection in the process NGOs as well as individuals which are dealing with the given subject matter |
| Freedom Award | International Rescue Committee | Extraordinary contributions to the cause of refugees and human freedom |
| Marcus Garvey Prize for Human Rights | Universal Negro Improvement Association and African Communities League | Distinguished individuals and human right leaders |
| Global Jurist of the Year Award | Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law | Sitting judge who has contributed to the advancement of international human rights law or international criminal law |
| Global Leadership Awards | Vital Voices | International women leaders who are working in the fields of human rights, economic empowerment, or political reform |
| Gruber Prize for Justice | Gruber Foundation | Contributions that have advanced the cause of justice as delivered through the legal system |
| Gruber Prize for Women's Rights | Gruber Foundation | Significant contributions, often at great personal or professional risk, to furthering the rights of women and girls in any area and to advancing public awareness of the need for gender equality to achieve a just world |
| Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Award | Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights | Individuals around the world who show courage and have made a significant contribution to human rights in their country |
| Letelier-Moffitt Human Rights Award | Institute for Policy Studies | Advancing the cause of human rights in the Americas |
| Light of Truth Award | International Campaign for Tibet | NGO aiming for the promotion of democracy and human rights for the Tibetan people |
| George Meany-Lane Kirkland Human Rights Award | AFL–CIO | People and entities that fight for human rights in the field of labor relations |
| Thomas Merton Award | Thomas Merton Center (Pittsburgh) | National and international individuals struggling for justice |
| Philadelphia Liberty Medal | National Constitution Center | Leadership in the pursuit of freedom |
| Reebok Human Rights Award | Reebok | Activists under the age of thirty who fought for human rights through non-violent means |
| Andrei Sakharov Prize (APS) | American Physical Society | Outstanding leadership and/or achievements of scientists in upholding human rights |
| Country | Award | Sponsor | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Indonesia | Yap Thiam Hien Award | Yayasan Pusat Studi Hak Asasi Manusia | Human rights in Indonesia since 1992 [7] |
| Israel | Emil Grunzweig Human Rights Award | Association for Civil Rights in Israel | Advancement of human rights in Israel [8] |
| Israel | Jerusalem Prize | Jerusalem International Book Forum | Writers who promote freedom of the individual in society [9] |
| Philippines | Ka Pepe Diokno Human Rights Award | De La Salle University | Persons or groups who exemplified their commitment to the furtherance of human rights, social justice, and Philippine sovereignty. [10] |
| South Korea | Human Rights Award of Korea | National Human Rights Commission of Korea | Contribution to Korean and international human rights [11] |
| Taiwan | Asia Democracy and Human Rights Award | Taiwan Foundation for Democracy | Contributions through peaceful means to the development of democracy and human rights in Asia [12] |
| Country | Award | Sponsor | Given for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia | Human Rights Awards (Australia) | Australian Human Rights Commission | Contribution to Australian society of a wide variety of men and women committed to issues of human rights, social justice and equality |
| Australia | National Indigenous Human Rights Awards | New South Wales parliament | Contribution of Indigenous Australians to human rights and social justice |
The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) is a regional security-oriented intergovernmental organization comprising member states in Europe, North America, and Asia. Its mandate includes issues such as arms control, the promotion of human rights, freedom of the press, and free and fair elections. It employs around 3,460 people, mostly in its field operations but also in its secretariat in Vienna, Austria, and its institutions. It has observer status at the United Nations.
The United Nations (UN) is an international organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and serve as a centre for harmonizing the actions of nations. It is the world's largest international organization. The UN is headquartered in New York City, and the UN has other offices in Geneva, Nairobi, Vienna, and The Hague, where the International Court of Justice is headquartered at the Peace Palace.
The United Nations Prizes in the Field of Human Rights were instituted by United Nations General Assembly 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".
Irwin Cotler is a retired Canadian politician who was Member of Parliament for Mount Royal from 1999 to 2015. He served as the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada from 2003 until the Liberal government of Paul Martin lost power following the 2006 federal election. He was first elected to the House of Commons of Canada in a by-election in November 1999, winning 92% of votes cast.
The Citizen Lab is an interdisciplinary laboratory based at the Munk School of Global Affairs at the University of Toronto, Canada. It was founded by Ronald Deibert in 2001. The laboratory studies information controls that impact the openness and security of the Internet and that pose threats to human rights. The organization uses a "mixed methods" approach which combines computer-generated interrogation, data mining, and analysis with intensive field research, qualitative social science, and legal and policy analysis methods. The organization has played a major role in providing technical support to journalists investigating the use of NSO Group's Pegasus spyware on journalists, politicians and human rights advocates.
Reporters Without Borders is an international non-profit and non-governmental organisation focused on safeguarding the right to freedom of information. It describes its advocacy as founded on the belief that everyone requires access to the news and information, in line with Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights that recognises the right to receive and share information regardless of frontiers, along with other international rights charters. RSF has consultative status at the United Nations, UNESCO, the Council of Europe, and the International Organisation of the Francophonie.
The United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) is a United Nations body whose mission is to promote and protect human rights around the world. The Council has 47 members elected for staggered three-year terms on a regional group basis. The headquarters of the Council are at the United Nations Office at Geneva in Switzerland.
A human rights defender or human rights activist is a person who, individually or with others, acts to promote or protect human rights. They can be journalists, environmentalists, whistleblowers, trade unionists, lawyers, teachers, housing campaigners, participants in direct action, or just individuals acting alone. They can defend rights as part of their jobs or in a voluntary capacity. As a result of their activities, human rights defenders (HRDs) are often subjected to reprisals including smears, surveillance, harassment, false charges, arbitrary detention, restrictions on the right to freedom of association, physical attack, and even murder. In 2020, at least 331 HRDs were murdered in 25 countries. The international community and some national governments have attempted to respond to this violence through various protections, but violence against HRDs continues to rise. Women human rights defenders and environmental human rights defenders face greater repression and risks than human rights defenders working on other issues.
The Human Rights Foundation (HRF) is a non-profit organization that focuses on promoting and protecting human rights globally, with an emphasis on closed societies. HRF organizes the Oslo Freedom Forum. The Human Rights Foundation was founded in 2005 by Thor Halvorssen Mendoza, a Venezuelan film producer and human rights advocate. The current chairman is Russian chess grandmaster Garry Kasparov, and Javier El-Hage is the current chief legal officer. The foundation's head office is in the Empire State Building in New York City.
The International Publishers Association is an international publishing industry federation of national publisher associations representing book and journal publishing, founded in 1896 in Paris. It is a non-profit and non-governmental organization, to promote and protect publishing and to raise awareness for publishing in the context of economic, cultural and political development. The IPA represents the interests of the publishing industry on an international level.
Denis Mukwege is a Congolese gynecologist and Pentecostal pastor. He founded and works in Panzi Hospital in Bukavu, where he specializes in the treatment of women who have been raped by armed rebels. In 2018, Mukwege and Iraqi Yazidi human rights activist Nadia Murad were jointly awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for "their efforts to end the use of sexual violence as a weapon of war and armed conflict".
The Human Rights Tulip is an annual prize awarded by the Dutch ministry of Foreign Affairs to a human rights defender or organisation who promotes and supports human rights in innovative ways. The Human Rights Tulip was established in 2007 and presented for the first time on 10 December 2008 and designed by the artist duo Adelheid and Huub Kortekaas.
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It has 194 member states and 12 associate members, as well as partners in the non-governmental, intergovernmental and private sector. Headquartered in Paris, France, UNESCO has 53 regional field offices and 199 national commissions.
Tawakkol Abdel-Salam Khalid Karman is a Yemeni Nobel Laureate, journalist, politician, and human rights activist. She leads the group "Women Journalists Without Chains," which she co-founded in 2005. She became the international public face of the 2011 Yemeni uprising that was part of the Arab Spring uprisings. In 2011, she was reportedly called the "Iron Woman" and "Mother of the Revolution" by some Yemenis. She is a co-recipient of the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize, becoming the first Yemeni, the first Arab woman, and the second Muslim woman to win a Nobel Prize.
The Viasna Human Rights Centre is a human rights organization based in Minsk, Belarus. The organization aims to provide financial and legal assistance to political prisoners and their families, and was founded in 1996 by activist Ales Bialatski in response to large-scale repression of demonstrations by the government of Alexander Lukashenko.
Ales Viktaravich Bialiatski is a Belarusian pro-democracy activist and prisoner of conscience known for his work with the Viasna Human Rights Centre. An activist for Belarusian independence and democracy since the early 1980s, Bialiatski is a founding member of Viasna and the Belarusian Popular Front, serving as leader of the latter from 1996 to 1999. He is also a member of the Coordination Council of the Belarusian opposition. He has been called "a pillar of the human rights movement in Eastern Europe" by The New York Times, and recognised as a prominent pro-democracy activist in Belarus.
Luis Leonardo Almagro Lemes is a Uruguayan lawyer, diplomat, and politician who currently serves as the 10th Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS) since 2015. A former member of the Broad Front, Almagro served as Minister of Foreign Relations of Uruguay from 2010 to 2015 under president José Mujica.
Michel Forst is a French national actively involved in the defence of human rights. Former Secretary General of the French national human rights institution, he was the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders from June 2014 to March 2020.
Oleksandra Viacheslavivna Matviichuk is a Ukrainian human rights lawyer and civil society leader based in Kyiv. She heads the non-profit organization Centre for Civil Liberties and is a campaigner for democratic reforms in her country and the OSCE region. Since October 2022, she has been Vice-President of the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH).
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