STOCKHOLM (AP) — The Right Livelihood Award was presented Thursday to three activists from the Palestinian territories, the Philippines and Mozambique and a pioneering British research firm who have “each had a profound impact on their communities and on the world stage.”
“Their unwavering commitment to speaking out against forces of oppression and exploitation, while strictly adhering to non-violent methods, resonates far beyond their communities,” said the Stockholm-based foundation said about the laureates. This year there were 176 nominees from 72 countries.
Issa Amroa human rights activist in the occupied West Bank and his group, Youth Against Settlements, received the award “for their steadfast, non-violent resistance to the illegal occupation of Israel and promoting Palestinian civil action through peaceful means.”
In the Philippines, indigenous activist Joan Carling was cited “for elevating the indigenous voice in the face of global ecological collapse and her leadership in defending people, lands and culture.”
Anabela Lemos, a Mozambican environmental activist and director of Justiça Ambiental!, was honored for “empowering communities to stand up for their right to say no to exploitative mega-projects and demand environmental justice.” It is the first time that the prize has gone to Mozambique.
Based at the University of London, Forensic architecture was cited “for pioneering digital forensics methods to ensure justice and accountability for victims and survivors of human and environmental rights violations.”
The annual Right Livelihood Award, created in 1980, recognizes efforts that the prize’s founder, Swedish-German philanthropist Jakob von Uexkull, said were ignored by the Nobel Prizes. To date, 198 laureates from 77 countries have received the award.
“The 2024 laureates demonstrate the power of nonviolent resistance and truth-telling, putting decision-making in the hands of local communities,” said Ole von Uexkull, the nephew of the prize’s founder and executive director of the organization .
Previous winners include the Ukrainian human rights defender Oleksandra MatviichukCongolese surgeon Denis Mukwege and Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg. Matviichuk and Mukwege received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2022 and 2018, respectively.
The 2024 laureates will receive their prizes on December 4 in Stockholm. The amount of the prize has not been announced. The foundation said that “the award comes with long-term support to highlight and expand the work of the laureates.”
