Sister Rosita Milesi (79), Brazilian nun, lawyer and social worker was honoured with the 2024 United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Nansen Refugee Award’s Global Laureate for championing the rights and dignity of refugees and migrants of different nationalities in Brazil for nearly four decades.
- The award was presented at a ceremony held in Geneva, Switzerland on 14th October, 2024.
- She becomes the 2nd Brazilian, who will be honoured with this award, after Dom Paulo Evaristo Arns, former Sao Paulo Archbishop won the award in 1985.
- She leads the Migration and Human Rights Institute (IMDH) based in Brasilia, Brazil, through which she has helped thousands of forced migrants and displaced people to access basic services such as shelter, healthcare, education and legal assistance.
2024 Regional Winners of the UNHCR Nansen Refugee Award:
UNHCR has also named 4 other women as the winners of 2024 Regional winners of the UNHCR Nansen Refugee Award, in recognition of their exceptional work with refugees, internally displaced, and stateless people.
Regional winners:
| Region | Winner |
|---|---|
| Africa | Maimouna Ba |
| Europe | Jin Davod |
| Middle East and North Africa | Nada Fadol |
| Asia-Pacific | Deepti Gurung |
About Maimouna Ba:
Maimouna Ba is an activist from Burkina Faso, who helped over 100 displaced children return to the classroom and supported more than 400 displaced women to attain financial independence.
About Jin Davod:
Jin Davod is a social entrepreneur and former Syrian refugee and has created an online platform for providing free mental health support to thousands of trauma survivors in Turkiye.
About Nada Fadol:
Nada Fadol is a Sudanese refugee, who has mobilized essential aid for refugees from Sudan and elsewhere fleeing to Egypt in search of safety.
About Deepti Gurung:
Deepti Gurung has been recognised for her efforts to reform citizenship laws of Nepal, paving a path to citizenship for thousands of people to secure citizenship for her own two daughters, who had become stateless.
About UNHCR Nansen Refugee Award:
i.The award was established in 1954 in the honour of Fridtjof Nansen, a Norwegian explorer, scientist, diplomat and Nobel Laureate who became the 1st High Commissioner for Refugees (1920-1930) for the League of Nations (predecessor of UN).
ii.It is an annual award presented by UNHCR to individuals for their outstanding work to protect internally displaced and stateless people.
- The award is supported by the Governments of Norway and Switzerland, the City and Canton of Geneva, and the IKEA Foundation.
iii.The 1st UNHCR Nansen Refugee Award was presented in 1954 to Eleanor Roosevelt, the 1st Chair of the UN Human Rights Commission and the 1st lady of the United States of America (USA).
iv.Global laureate of the award receives a commemorative medal and a monetary prize of USD 100,000 donated by the governments of Norway and Switzerland.
- While, other regional winners receives a smaller monetary prize to support their humanitarian work.
About United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR):
High Commissioner- Filippo Grandi
Headquarters- Geneva, Switzerland
Established- 1950
