2012 Laureates define essential conditions for global peace and security
The 2012 Right Livelihood Awards go to four recipients. One award is an honorary award, the three other laureates will share the € 150,000 cash award.
HAYRETTIN KARACA (Turkey) receives the 2012 Honorary Award “for a lifetime of tireless advocacy and support for the protection and stewardship of our natural world, combining successful entrepreneurship with effective environmental activism”.
The Jury awards SIMA SAMAR (Afghanistan) “for her longstanding and courageous dedication to human rights, especially the rights of women, in one of the most complex and dangerous regions in the world”.
It is the first time that a Right Livelihood Award goes to Afghanistan.
The Jury recognises GENE SHARP (USA) “for developing and articulating the core principles and strategies of nonviolent resistance and supporting their practical implementation in conflict areas around the world”.
The Jury awards the CAMPAIGN AGAINST ARMS TRADE (UK) “for their innovative and effective campaigning against the global trade in arms”.
The 2012 Right Livelihood Awards were announced today at a press conference in Stockholm by Ole von Uexkull, Executive Director, and Monika Griefahn, Co-Chair and Jury member of the Right Livelihood Award Foundation.
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Ole von Uexkull, Executive Director of the Right Livelihood Award Foundation said: “This year’s group of four Laureates highlights the essential conditions for global peace and security: effective nonviolent resistance, a recognition that the arms industry is part of the problem, human and women’s rights, and the preservation of our precious ecological resources.”
Upcoming: Award Ceremony
The Awards will be presented at a ceremony in the Swedish Parliament on December 7, 2012, at 4 pm, hosted by the Society for the Right Livelihood Award in the Swedish Parliament.
A press conference with the 2012 Laureates will take place the day before (December 6) at the Swedish Foreign Office Press Room at 9.30 am.
Background
Founded in 1980, the Right Livelihood Awards are presented annually in the Swedish Parliament and are often referred to as ‘Alternative Nobel Prizes’. They were introduced “to honour and support those offering practical and exemplary answers to the most urgent challenges facing us today”.
Jakob von Uexkull, a Swedish-German professional philatelist, sold his business to provide the original funding. Since then, the Awards have been financed by individual donors.
This year, there were 122 proposals from 52 countries. From today, there are 149 Right Livelihood Award Laureates from 62 countries.
