Global Citizens Making A Difference For Refugees Across The World

Every year, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the United Nations Refugee Agency, honors groups, organizations, and individuals that go above and beyond the call of duty to protect refugees, displaced and stateless people.

For the first time in the history of the UNCHR, all five winners, selected from more than 200 nominees, are women.  Each one exemplifies the meaning of global citizenship, individuals making a difference in the world for refugees of the world.

2020 UNCHR Nansen
Refugee Award Laureate

REFUGEE AWARD LAUREATE: Mayerlín Vergara Pérez

For over 21 years, Mayerlín Vergara Pérez has served as the director of a rehabilitation home in Colombia, one of only three such homes in the region, for children rescued from bars, brothels, street corners – where they have been forced into sexual exploitation by human trafficking networks – or removed from abusive homes.

She recently spearheaded the opening of a new home on the country’s northeastern border to help refugees and migrants fleeing the ongoing crisis in neighboring Venezuela. In the 18 months since its opening, the new center has helped more than 75 children and teen-aged survivors of almost unimaginable trauma, some as young as seven years old.

Here is the link to the UNHCR story about Mayerlín Vergara Pérez

2020 UNCHR Nansen
Refugee Award Regional Winners

AFRICA REGIONAL WINNER: Sabuni Francoise Chikunda

Sabuni Francoise Chikunda is a refugee school teacher from the Democratic Republic of Congo living in Uganda. She is the founder and chair of The Women’s Centre helping victims and survivors of Sexual and Gender Based Violence.

Here is the link to the UNHCR story about Sabuni Francoise Chikunda.

ASIA REGIONAL WINNER: Rozma Ghafouri

Rozma Ghafouri is an Afghan refugee living in Iran. She is a soccer coach and youth counselor using her love for sport to get refugee children off the streets and into the classroom.

Here is the link to the UNHCR story about Rozma Ghafouri.

EUROPE REGIONAL WINNER: Tetiana Barantsova

Tetiana Barantsova from Ukraine is a human rights activist and the co-founder of AMI-Skhid, a non-profit organization which advocates for change and protection of the rights of all people with disabilities, including disabled internally displaced people.

Here is the link to the UNHCR story about Tetiana Barantsova.

MIDDLE EAST REGIONAL WINNER: Rana Dajani

Dr. Rana Dajani from Jordan is a scientist and mother of four on a quest to make reading and learning accessible to refugee children. Dr. Dajani founded the We Love Reading project. The initiative aims to make books and reading accessible to children in every community including refugee camps.

Here is the link to the UNHCR story about Rana Dajani.

History Of The United Nations
Nansen Refugee Award

The office of the UNHCR was created in 1950, following the Second World War, to help millions of Europeans who had fled or lost their homes. It was given three years to complete their work and disband.

However, today, 70 years later, UNCHR has expanded, and now protects and assists refugees from around the world.

In 1954, the UNHCR established the Nansen Refugee Award.  It was named after a true global citizen, Fridtjof Nansen, a Norwegian scientist, polar explorer, diplomat and first High Commissioner for Refugees for the League of Nations.

The award consists of the Nansen Medal and a $150,000 U.S. dollar monetary prize donated by the governments of Norway and Switzerland in support of a project of the recipient’s choice to assist displaced people.

The first Nansen Refugee Award recipient was Eleanor Roosevelt, the wife of U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt and the First Chairperson of the United Nations Human Rights Commission.

Each year the Laureate of the UNHCR Nansen Refugee Award is presented at a ceremony in Geneva, Switzerland. This year, due to COVID-19 restrictions, the ceremony was held as a virtual event broadcast on UNHCR’s YouTube channel.

Interestingly, the overall winner of the 2020 UNHCR Nansen Refugee Award is not listed amongst the Regional Winners.

By Carlos Batara

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