UN Human Rights Prize

What is the UN Prize in the Field of Human Rights?

The UN Prize in the Field of Human Rights is an honorary award given to individuals and organizations in recognition of outstanding achievement in human rights. The Prize was established by the General Assembly in 1966 and was awarded for the first time on 10 December 1968, the twentieth anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The Prize has since been awarded in 1973, 1978, 1988, 1993, 1998, 2003, 2008, 2013 and 2018. 

The Prize is an opportunity not only to give public recognition to the achievements of the recipients themselves, but also to send a clear message of support to human rights defenders around the world. 

Human Rights Prize 2023 Winners Announced

The winners have been selected for the 2023 Human Rights Prize. The three groups and two individual winners are: Human Rights Center, "Viasna", Belarus: Ms. Julienne Lusenge, Democratic Republic of Congo: The Amman Center for Human Rights Studies, Jordan; Mr Julio Pereyra, Uruguay; and  a Global Coalition of civil society organisations, indigenous peoples, social movements and local communities for "the universal recognition of the right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment."

The recipients were selected more than 400 nominations received by a  Special Committee of the UN General Assembly. Read the biographies of the winners. The 2023 Human Rights Prize award ceremony will take place at UN Headquarters in New York in December.

Learn more about the winners

How are the winners of the Prize chosen? 

Nominations can be made by “Member States, specialized agencies and non-governmental organizations in consultative status and from other appropriate sources,” as established by the 1966 General Assembly resolution. 

The selection of the Prize recipients is conducted by a Special Committee comprised of five members: the President of the General Assembly; the President of the Economic and Social Council; the President of the Human Rights Council; the Chair of the Commission on the Status of Women; and the Chair of the Human Rights Council Advisory Committee.