The General Assembly of the United Nations established the human rights prizes in 1966 (Recommendation C of GA resolution 2217(XXI), 19 December 1966) in the lead-up to the International Year for Human Rights and the twentieth anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1968. In that recommendation, the General Assembly envisaged the prizes as one of the measures to honour and commend people and organisations who 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.
The General Assembly first awarded the prize on 10 December1968, and thereafter in 1973, 1978, 1988, 1993 and 1998 (refer to attached list of recipients). It is always awarded on this date, following the decision of the General Assembly on 4 th December 1950 (resolution 423(v)) to declare 10 December as Human Rights Day, to both celebrate the proclamation of the Universal Declaration, and to encourage increasing efforts in the field of human progress.
According to the GA recommendation, the prize or prizes should be awarded at five-yearly intervals, and no more than five prizes should be awarded at a time. If only one prize is awarded, it should be for outstanding achievements in the field of human rights. If two prizes are awarded, one should be for outstanding achievements in the promotion and protection of civil and political rights, and the other for outstanding achievements in the promotion and protection of economic, social and cultural rights. If more than one prize is awarded, all prizes should be equal in every way.
The General Assembly further recommended that each recipient be presented with a metal plaque bearing the United Nations seal, an artistic design, and engraved with an appropriate citation as a concrete and lasting token of the award.
Responsibility for the selection of the recipients was entrusted to a special committee to be composed of the:
President of the General Assembly,
President of the Economic and Social Council,
Chairman of the Commission on Human Rights,
Chairman of the Commission on the Status of Women, and
Chairman of the Sub-Commission on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights.
The special committee is entitled to establish its own procedure for receiving nominations, it being understood that nominations might be sought from Member States, specialised agencies, non-government organisations in consultative status and from other appropriate sources. The assistance of the Secretary-General is offered to the special committee at every stage in the process of selection.
As in previous years, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights corresponded with all Member States , specialised agencies and NGOs with consultative status calling for nominations for the 2003 human rights prize. An announcement was also placed on the High Commissioner's website. Nominations were requested by 29 th August, 2003 .
Beyond recommending that the special committee award the prize(s) to "individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms", the special committee is at liberty to determine its own criteria for the selection of award winners. Although it is in no way bound by the procedures established by previous special committees, principles of equal geographical distribution and gender balance are generally taken into account, with the final decision being determined on the merits of the candidate.
Human Rights Prize for 2003
List of past recipients
Human Rights Prize FIRST AWARD - 1968
Manuel Bianchi ( Chile ) -Ambassador; Chairman of Inter-American Commission on Human Rights
Rene Cassin ( France ) - Original member of Human Rights Commission
Chief Albert Luthuli (posthumously) ( South Africa ) - President of the ANC
Mehranguiz Manoutchehrian ( Iran ) - Attorney/Legal Adviser and Senator
Petr Emelyanovich Nedbailo ( Ukraine ) -Member, Human Rights Commission
Mrs. Eleanor Roosevelt (Posthumously) ( United States ) - First Lady; President of the Human Rights Commission
Human Rights Prize for 1973
Dr. Taha Hussein ( Egypt ) - Professor of Literature
C. Wilfred Jenks (posthumously) ( UK ) - Director-General of International Labour Office
Mrs. Maria Lavalle Urbina ( Mexico ) - Lawyer; Professor
Bishop Abel Muzorewa ( Namibia ) - President of the ANC; Bishop of United Methodist Church
Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam ( Mauritius ) - Prime Minister of Mauritius
U Thant ( Myanmar ) - Secretary-General of the United Nations
Human Rights Prize for 1978
Begum Ra'Ana Liaquat Ali Khan
Prince Sadruddin Aga Khan
Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King (posthumously) ( United States )
Mrs. Helen Suzman
International Committee of the Red Cross
Vicaria de la Solidaridad (Chile)
Union nationale des femmes de Tunisie
Human Rights Prize for 1988
Murlidhar Devidas Amte ( India ) - Lawyer
John Humphrey ( Canada ) - Director, United Nations Division of Human Rights
Adam Lopatka ( Poland ) - President, Supreme Court of Poland
Bishop Leonidas Proaño ( Ecuador )
Nelson Mandela ( South Africa ) - Lawyer
Winnie Mandela ( South Africa ) - Medical Social Worker
Human Rights Prize for 1993
Mr. Hassib Ben Ammar ( Tunisia ) - President of the Arab Institute for Human Rights
Dr. Erica-Irene Daes ( Greece ) - Chair/Rapporteur, Working Group on Indigenous Populations
James Grant (United Nations) - Executive Director of UNICEF
The International Commission of Jurists ( Geneva based)
The Medical Personnel of the Central Hospital of Sarajevo
Dr. Sonia Picado Sotela ( Costa Rica ) - Jurist; Vice President of Inter-American Court of Human Rights
Ganesh Man Singh ( Nepal ) - Supreme Leader of the Nepali Congress
The Sudanese Women's Union
Father Julio Tumiri Javier ( Bolivia ) - Founder and President, Permanent Assembly of Human Rights in Bolivia
Human Rights Prize for 1998
Ms. Sunila Abeyesekera ( Sri Lanka ) - Executive Director of INFORM
Ms. Angeline Acheng Atyam ( Uganda ) - Founding member and Vice Chair of the Concerned Parents Association
Mr. Jimmy Carter ( United States ) - former US President
Mr. Jose Gregori ( Brazil ) - Head of the National Secretariat for Human Rights
Ms. Anna Sabatova ( Czech Republic ) - founding member of "Charter 77"
Human Rights Defenders of the World