The 2013 Right Livelihood Laureates announced
Four people working tirelessly for a better world. On Thursday, the winners of this year's Right Livelihood Award were announced. The prizes will be awarded in the Riksdag in December.
This year's recipients of the Right Livelihood Award are gynaecologist Denis Mukwege (Democratic Republic of the Congo), Paul Walker (USA), who has been an anti-chemical weapons advocate for many years, human rights lawyer Raji Sourani (Palestine), and agronomist Hans Rudolf Herren (Switzerland). The four men, who will share the prize totalling SEK 2 million, are active in a wide range of areas but are united by their tireless work for a better world.
- This year's group of Laureates secure the fundamentals of human life. They show that we have the knowledge and the tools to eliminate weapons of mass destruction, to secure respect for human rights, to end the war on women in Eastern Congo, and to feed the world with organic agriculture, said Ole von Uexkull, Executive Director of the Right Livelihood Award Foundation, at a press conference in Stockholm on Thursday, as the winners were announced.
The Right Livelihood Award was established in 1980, and its goal is to "honour and support those offering practical and exemplary answers to the most urgent challenges facing us today". To date, there are 153 Laureates from 64 countries.
This year's Laureates
Paul Walker, USA
Paul Walker has worked for many years in the battle for peace and justice. The jury awards him the prize "for working tirelessly to rid the world of chemical weapons".
Raji Sourani, Palestine
Based in the Gaza Strip, human rights lawyer Raji Sourani receives the prize "for his unwavering dedication to the rule of law and human rights under exceptionally difficult circumstances".
Denis Mukwege, Democratic Republic of the Congo
Gynaecologist Denis Mukwege from the Democratic Republic of the Congo was praised by the jury "for his courageous work healing women survivors of wartime sexual violence and speaking up about its root causes". At the Panzi Hospital in Eastern Congo, where he works, Dr Mukwege and his colleagues have treated thousands of women subjected to sexual violence.
Hans Rudolf Herren, Switzerland
Swiss agronomist and entomologist Hans Rudolf Herren is a leading expert in biological pest management and sustainable agriculture. He is awarded the prize for his "expertise and pioneering work in promoting a safe, secure and sustainable global food supply".
The Right Livelihood Award
The award was established in 1980. The award is financed today by individual donors, but originally it was funded by Jakob von Uexkull, the German-Swedish philatelist, who sold his company to finance the award. This year, the Laureates will share SEK 2 million. The prizes will be awarded in the Riksdag on 2 December.
