Award
Sea rescuers among alternative Nobel Prize winners 2023
Sea rescuers from the European aid organization SOS Méditerranée save shipwrecked migrants. photo
© Right Livelihood Foundation/dpa
They are saviors of people and ecosystems: This year’s Alternative Nobel Prize winners often experience immense suffering and headwinds. Now they are being honored.
For its work on behalf of refugees and migrants on the Mediterranean, the European aid organization SOS Méditerranée is awarded Alternative Nobel Prize awarded.
In addition, women’s rights activist Eunice Brookman-Amissah from Ghana, environmentalist Phyllis Omido from Kenya and Cambodian environmental activist group Mother Nature Cambodia are among this year’s winners of the prestigious Right Livelihood Awards. The Right Livelihood Foundation announced this on Thursday in Stockholm.
Witnesses of unspeakable suffering
The four award 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, said the foundation. They all fought 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.
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, commonly known as the Alternative Nobel Prize, has been awarded shortly before the Nobel Prizes since 1980. Every year, the Right Livelihood Foundation honors courageous personalities and organizations who work for human rights, justice, the environment and peace. The award is at a critical distance from the actual Nobel Prizes, whose winners will be announced in Stockholm and Oslo from Monday.
New tailwind for sea rescuers?
The fact that SOS Méditerranée is among those selected this time could give new impetus to the civilian sea rescue of those seeking protection on their way from Africa to Europe. The organization, which has offices in Geneva, Berlin, Marseille and Milan, is explicitly being recognized for its life-saving search and rescue operations in the Mediterranean, which, according to the foundation, is the deadliest migration route in the world.
“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 Eunice Brookman-Amissah and the organization 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.
Fighting for the environment in Cambodia
The organization Mother Nature Cambodia advocates for its cause in a completely different region of the world. Despite very limited scope for action in autocratic Cambodia, the young activists are fighting together with local communities for the environment and secure people’s livelihoods – fearlessly and successfully, as Right Livelihood emphasized. With the help of social media, among other things, the group made a significant contribution to uncovering and ending environmental violations. It has thus become “a beacon of hope for future generations”.
Phyllis Omido is also at the forefront of environmental protection and the health of her fellow human beings 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.
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. Previous recipients of the award include Swedish children’s author Astrid Lindgren, US whistleblower Edward Snowden and Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg. However, the foundation mostly honors personalities and organizations that are relatively unknown internationally in order to bring them more attention.