Front Line awarded major international development prize

dublin | rights, freedoms and repression | press release Tuesday May 08, 2007 17:42 by Clare Quinlan - Front Line - Foundation for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders

Front Line awarded major international development prize

On 8 May 2007 at the Royal Palace in Brussels, Front Line was awarded The King Baudouin International Development Prize 2006-2007. The annual award acknowledges the work of persons or organisations, which have made a substantial contribution to the development of countries in the South.

“In accepting this Prize I am deeply conscious of the extraordinary bravery of human rights defenders who get up every day not knowing when or if an attack will come or even if they will be able to return to their families in the evening. It is their bravery in challenging oppression and injustice that inspires us all to dedicate our work to helping them”, said Mary Lawlor, Director of Front Line.

The Selection committee made its decision to award Front Line, “for the effectiveness of their efforts to combat the isolation faced by human rights defenders around the world, for the support and protection they afford them and for their continuing advocacy in favour of an international plan of action for human rights, which is an essential condition for development.”

Front Line - the International Foundation for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders is the only international NGO exclusively dedicated to the support and protection of human rights defenders, particularly those at risk. Front Line operates in more than 100 countries. In 2006 Front Line: · addressed the circumstances of 196 human rights defenders at risk; · provided security grants totalling € 154 651 to 55 individual human rights defenders and organisations; · published reports on the situation of human rights defenders in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Central Asia and Guatemala; · conducted training programmes in security in Guatemala, India, Zimbabwe, Yemen, Belarus, Democratic Republic of Congo and Jordan for human rights defenders from Syria and Iraq; · undertook missions to meet with human rights defenders in Western Sahara, China, Uganda, Thailand, Nepal and Bahrain; · presented the Front Line Award to Ahmadjan Madmarov of Uzbekistan.

The Prize of 150,000 euro far exceeds the financial support it represents. It guarantees international visibility and promotion, particularly amongst development actors such as the United Nations and their specialist agencies, the World Bank, the European Union and a number of bilateral cooperations, the world of foundations and international NGOs.

This year, the Selection Committee choose Front Line out of 395 candidates. The three finalists short-listed together with Front Line are Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (Zimbabwe), Nebahat Akkoc and the KA-MER Foundation (Turkey) and The Democratic League for Women’s Rights (Morocco).