The Right Livelihood Awards, commonly known as alternative Nobel Prizes, will go to initiatives for women’s rights, environmental protection and rescuing refugees in the Mediterranean this year, the Right Livelihood Foundation announced in Stockholm. The award winners at a glance:
The European aid organization SOS Mediterranean receives the award for her life-saving search and rescue operations in the Mediterranean, the deadliest migration route in the world, according to the foundation. The fact that the helpers are among those selected this time could bring new attention to the civilian sea rescue of people seeking protection on their way from Africa to Europe. “The organization’s unwavering commitment not only saves lives, but also continually reminds the public, European institutions and national governments of the humanitarian crisis in the Mediterranean,” the foundation said.
The Ghanaian women’s rights activist Eunice Brookman-Amissah and the Cambodian environmental activist group Mother Nature Cambodia are the first ever award winners from their countries. Brookman-Amissah is a doctor and activist who has been campaigning for decades to ensure safe abortions for African women. With her efforts, she initiated social debates and paved the way for liberal abortion laws in several African countries.
Women’s rights activist Eunice Brookman-Amissah from Ghana.
(Photo: Agyemam-Duah/dpa)
The organization Mother Nature Cambodia stands up for its cause in an autocratically ruled country. The scope for action for non-governmental organizations is very limited there. The young activists fight with local communities for the environment and secure people’s livelihoods – fearlessly and successfully, as Right Livelihood emphasized. With the help of social media, the group made a significant contribution to uncovering and ending environmental violations. It has thus become “a beacon of hope for future generations”.
Members of the Cambodian environmental activist group Mother Nature Cambodia.
(Photo: Right Livelihood Foundation/dpa)
Also the environmentalist Phyllis Omido is at the forefront of environmental protection and the health of those around her in her home region. Even affected by lead poisoning, the Kenyan successfully fought for the strengthening of environmental law and the closure of toxic industrial plants.
Kenyan environmentalist Phyllis Omido.
(Photo: Right Livelihood Foundation/dpa)
The four prize winners are witnesses to unspeakable suffering and are committed to saving lives, preserving nature and protecting the dignity and livelihoods of people all over the world, with these words the Right Livelihood Foundation used to justify their choice. They all stand for the right of all people to health, safety, a clean environment and democracy, said foundation director Ole von Uexküll. And they stood up for people when others ignored their suffering.
Those awarded the prize called for a future worth living for all, the foundation said, defying social taboos on abortion in Africa, authoritarian leadership and corrupt corporations in Cambodia, a growing humanitarian crisis in the Mediterranean and harmful business practices in Kenya.
At the same time, the award winners proved that everyone can make a difference, emphasized von Uexküll. “That is perhaps the most important message at a time like this: that each of us has the power to create change. That is what we learn from the award winners.”
The Right Livelihood Award, which has been awarded since 1980, is at a critical distance from the actual Nobel Peace Prizes, whose winners will be announced in Oslo and Stockholm at the beginning of next week. The award was initiated by the German-Swedish stamp collector and journalist Jakob von Uexküll.
Well-known award winners include the Swedish children’s book author Astrid Lindgren, US whistleblower Edward Snowden and the Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg. The award, which is endowed with one million Swedish crowns (around 86,000 euros), is also intended for those who are relatively unknown to the world public. The Right Livelihood Award comes with lifelong support for the work of the honorees. The awards will be presented at a ceremony in Stockholm on November 29th.