HRD Awards
Advocating for the respect of Human Rights is a high risk undertaking. Groups and individuals who walk this road are often the targets for reprisals by authorities and private groups who make use of various forms of repression to silence them. The “Declaration of the Rights and Responsibility of individuals, groups and organs of Society to Promote and Protect Universally Recognized Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms” was adopted in December 1998 and defines these advocates as human rights defenders.
The Annual HRD Awards was launched in 2016 by the The Defenders Coalition and the Working Group on Human Rights Defenders (HRD Working Group) as a protective strategy for human rights defenders and recognition of their work.
The objectives of the HRD Awards include include
To honor the extraordinary work of HRDs in the promotion and protection of human rights.
To positively profile the work of HRDs and highlight the challenges they face in their work as agents of social change and transformation.
To recognize and appreciate the human rights work of young and upcoming HRD’s in Kenya.
To enhance the safety and protection of all HRD’s in Kenya.
At the inception stage, three categories were identified to honor outstanding and innovative work of HRDs that had great impact despite adversaries; recognize promising innovative work of upcoming activists and recognition of individuals whose work had long lasting impact. In 2021 a new category, namely the Global Solidarity Award, was added to recognize partners whose role in various capacities has been impactful in Kenya’s human rights landscape.
Participants at the Award ceremony are also able to vote for a popular nominee who has not been selected as a winner in any of the categories but has done impressive human rights work.
About the HRD WorKing Group
The Working Group on Human Rights Defenders brings together diplomatic missions and civil society organizations that are concerned with the protection of HRDs and Human Rights more broadly. The Working Group on HRDs convenes every two months whose objectives are information sharing, coordination and whenever needed, joint action related to the protection of HRDs and the working environment in which they operate.
The Working Group on HRDs has two co-chairs – Defenders Coalition as the permanent chair and a rotational Co-chair from the foreign missions in Kenya.
The HRD Award Categories
The awards are presented in five categories:
- The Upcoming Human Rights Defender of the Year Award
- Human Rights Defender of the Year Award,
- Munir Mazrui Lifetime Achievement Award and
- The Global Solidarity Award.
- Popular Vote Award
The HRD Award Selection Process
The Working Group on Human Rights Defenders in Kenya develops a call for nominations, which is then widely circulated by the National Coalition of Human Rights Defenders in Kenya ( Defenders Coalition) and other partners. This call outlines the criteria for eligibility for nomination. Individual HRDs can be nominated in the three categories. Defenders Coalition receives all nomination forms for review by the Shortlisting panel.
The Working Group on Human Rights Defenders in Kenya develops a call for nominations, which is then widely circulated by the National Coalition of Human Rights Defenders in Kenya ( Defenders Coalition) and other partners. This call outlines the criteria for eligibility for nomination. Individual HRDs can be nominated in the three categories. Defenders Coalition receives all nomination forms for review by the Shortlisting panel.
Defenders Coalition and the panel verifies the HRD’s human rights work through field visits, and interviews with the nominators, the nominees and their references.
The Independent Selection Panel, which comprises eminent individuals in the human rights sector, forms the Awards Jury that reviews the shortlisted candidates and makes a final decision, from the names submitted.
The Selection Criteria
The following are taken into consideration when selecting winners in the various categories:
- Demonstrable impact of the HRD’s human rights work to the community.
- The role of the HRD in promoting human rights, especially the rights of marginalized and vulnerable groups.
- Courage of the HRD in his/her human rights work.
- Demonstrated leadership, innovation and creativity in his/her human rights work.
- Contribution to development of a human rights-based approach within his/her county with regards to the thematic area of focus.
- Future goals and likely impact.
- Human Rights Defender’s acceptance on the universality of human rights.
- Degree of difficulty of the achievement and sacrifices made.
- Visibility derived from the award to enhance the work of the HRD to promote human rights and active citizenship.
- The HRD should have a link to the community and his/her work should have built or is working towards building a movement.
Award ceremony
The Award Ceremony is held on a selected date in November/December every year. The ceremony is attended by human rights defenders, CSOs, the UN, government agencies, representatives from international missions, and the media who will cover the event.
