The Council of Europe Raoul Wallenberg Prize has been awarded every two years since 2014 in recognition of extraordinary humanitarian achievements by a single individual, a group of individuals or an organisation. The prize derives from an initiative of the Swedish Government with the support of Hungary. In Budapest in 1944, Swedish diplomat Raoul Wallenberg used his status to save tens of thousands of Jews from the Holocaust. His actions show that one person’s courage and ability can really make a difference, offering inspiration to us all to speak out and indeed to act against persecution, xenophobia and anti-Semitism.
The prize will next be awarded on 17 January 2020 (this being the anniversary of Raoul Wallenberg’s arrest in Budapest in 1945).
Please click here to apply. The deadline for submission of candidates for the “Raoul Wallenberg” prize 2020 is 31 October 2019.
In the regulations, the eligibility is described as follows: “Individuals, organisations or institutions who are or have been active in the field of humanitarian work and/or the promotion and defence of human rights may be eligible for consideration. In the case of an individual, the prize could also be awarded to his/her memory.”
For more information, please see the CoE website
Your nominations would be very welcome. They would underline our Soroptimist commitment to human rights now and in the past. Should you decide to submit a nomination, please send a copy to me (Bettina Hahne)/SIEHQ
Written by Bettina Hahne, SIE representative to the Council of Europe