The Nansen Refugee Award was established in 1954 by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). It is awarded annually to individuals, groups or organisations who go beyond the call of duty to protect refugees, displaced and stateless people.
The Award is named after the Norwegian polar explorer and first High Commissioner for Refugees, Fridtjof Nansen, and is endowed with USD 150 000.
The Award aims at raising public awareness for the plight of vulnerable groups and is sponsored by the governments of Switzerland and Norway. Switzerland has a seat on the selection committee.
In 2022, the Nansen Refugee Award went to the Former German Federal Chancellor Angela Merkel, in recognition of her efforts for having welcomed more than 1.2 million refugees and asylum seekers in Germany at the height of the conflict in Syria between 2015 and 2016.
Last modification 02.12.2022
