STOCKHOLM – Anabela Lemos, a Mozambican environmental activist, and her organisation Justiça Ambiental! (JA!) are among this year’s Right Livelihood Laureates for their commitment to environmental justice. The organisation’s leadership in the ‘Say No to Gas Campaign’ has brought international attention to Mozambique’s environmental and human rights struggles by holding transnational fossil fuel companies accountable for violations in their home countries.
For over 40 years, the Right Livelihood Award has honoured and supported courageous people solving global problems. To date, 198 Laureates from 77 countries have received the Award, including Ukrainian human rights defender Oleksandra Matviichuk, Congolese gynaecologist and women’s rights advocate Dr Denis Mukwege and American public interest lawyer Bryan Stevenson.
JA! is renowned for its global advocacy, particularly against a 24-billion-USD gas extraction project in Cabo Delgado backed by TotalEnergies. The organisation has built alliances with civil society in over 23 countries to challenge this project, successfully delaying its progress.
In light of Mozambique’s politically oppressive environment, JA! is one of the few groups in the country that dares to speak out against such harmful projects. For over 20 years, Lemos and JA! have bravely worked alongside affected communities to fight government and corporate-led projects that cause displacement, damage livelihoods and intensify climate change.
Anabela Lemos and JA! are the first Laureate from Mozambique to receive the Right Livelihood Award.
Right Livelihood’s jury said that Lemos and JA! were receiving the Award “for empowering communities to stand up for their right to say no to exploitative mega-projects and demand environmental justice.”
“The Award will give us visibility and provide both myself and JA! the assurance that the work we do is valuable and important,” said Lemos. “It shows we’re not just a group of people opposing development for no reason. We take risks because we believe in our work.”
Lemos is holding an online press conference today at 11:00 CEST. Register here.
“Anabela Lemos and JA! are trailblazers in the fight for environmental justice in Mozambique,” said Ole von Uexkull, Right Livelihood’s Director. “On the ground, JA! has worked closely with local people, empowering them to stand up against destructive projects and helping them find the strength to say ‘no’. JA!’s strategic efforts to hold corporations accountable in their home countries has made her a powerful force in the international environmental justice movement, inspiring others to join the fight for a sustainable future.”
The other 2024 Right Livelihood Laureates are:
- Joan Carling (Philippines), Online press conference: 10:00 am CEST
- Issa Amro and Youth Against Settlements (Palestine), Online press conference: 10:30 am CEST
- Forensic Architecture (UK), Online press conference: 11:30 am CEST
The 2024 Laureates will be honoured during a televised Award Presentation in Stockholm on Wednesday, December 4.
Photos and videos of the new Laureates can be found here.
Media contacts
International media: Emoke Bebiak, emoke.bebiak@rightlivelihood.org, +41 78 333 84 84 and Sydney Nelson, sydney.nelson@rightlivelihood.org, +46 73 043 13 01
German media: Julia Naumann and Nina Tesenfitz, presse@rightlivelihood.org,
+49 170 5763 663
Spanish media: Nayla Azzinnari, nayla@rightlivelihood.org, +54 9 11 5460 9860
Scandinavian media: Sonja Leister, sonja.leister@arenagruppen.se, +46 736-541319
Photos, videos: Mikaela Fredrikson, mikaela.fredrikson@rightlivelihood.org
Short Biography
Anabela Lemos is a Mozambican environmental activist and Director of Justiça Ambiental! (JA!), an organisation committed to environmental justice in Mozambique. For over 20 years, Lemos and JA! have fought corporate-led projects that displace communities, damage livelihoods and intensify climate change. The organisation’s leadership in the ‘Say No to Gas Campaign’ has brought international attention to the environmental and human rights violations caused by liquid natural gas (LNG) extraction projects in northern Mozambique.
In addition to grassroots activism, JA! is renowned for its effective global advocacy, particularly against Mozambique LNG, a 24-billion-USD gas extraction project in Cabo Delgado backed by TotalEnergies. The organisation has built alliances with civil society in over 23 countries to challenge this project. By providing critical on-the-ground evidence of the project’s harm to local communities, JA! has exposed human rights violations and corporate crimes, successfully delaying Mozambique LNG’s progress.
Despite operating in a politically oppressive space, Lemos and JA! continue to amplify local voices on the world stage, demonstrating that the fight for environmental justice transcends borders. Their work has empowered communities to defend their rights, paving the way for a future where all people’s environmental and human rights are respected.
Biographical Info
Anabela Lemos
Place of Birth: Maputo, Mozambique
Date of Birth: February 18, 1953
Justiça Ambiental
Headquarters: Maputo, Mozambique
Founded: 2004
Website: http://ja4change.org/
Twitter: @JA4change
Facebook: Justiça Ambiental
About Right Livelihood
For over 40 years, Right Livelihood has honoured and supported courageous people solving global problems. Housed under the umbrella of a foundation, Right Livelihood is a courage-powered community for social change committed to peace, justice and sustainability for all.
Each year, Right Livelihood highlights change-makers through an Award. To date, 198 Laureates from 77 countries have received the distinction. By recognising the actions of brave visionaries and building impactful connections around the world, Right Livelihood boosts urgent and long-term social change.
The Award was founded in 1980 following the Nobel Foundation’s rejection of a proposal to create two new prizes to honour individuals committed to advancing social justice and environmental causes, especially highlighting change-makers from the Global South.
Today, the work of Right Livelihood goes beyond presenting the Award: the Foundation provides Laureates with life-long support. Right Livelihood is a megaphone and a shield: raising their profile, providing protection when their lives and liberty are in danger, and educating people on their innovative solutions.
Right Livelihood is headquartered in Stockholm, with an office in Geneva. The Foundation has Consultative Status with the UN.
