The maritime rescue organization SOS Mediterranee will receive one of the Alternative Nobel Prizes this year. The organization operates the ship ‘Ocean Viking’, which has rescued hundreds of people from the Mediterranean in recent months. The organization has headquarters in Germany, France, Italy and Switzerland.
Further prizes went to women’s rights activist Eunice Brookman-Amissah from Ghana, Cambodian environmental youth organization Mother Nature Cambodia and land and environmental rights activist Phyllis Omido from Kenya. This means that for the first time the prize winners will also come from Ghana and Cambodia. In 2023, the jury selected the winners from 170 nominees from 68 countries.
“Committed to the fight against corrupt politics”
“These awards are committed to strengthening communities and individuals affected by irresponsible and corrupt politics. “They care for the lives of their fellow human beings, whether they are indigenous communities or people seeking protection and risking their lives as they flee,” is how Ole von Uexküll, director of Right Livelihood, described the winners.
“The most important message we want to convey to this year’s winners is that in a situation of escalating crises, where many feel powerless, there are people who have the ability and power to make a difference.”, emphasized Von Uexkull.
Rescue operations in the Mediterranean
SOS Mediterranee is a humanitarian NGO founded in 2015, originally as a German-French initiative, which operates the rescue ship “Ocean Viking”, which is equipped with a professional ship crew and a medical team. With the “Ocean Viking” and its predecessor the “Aquarius”, SOS Mediterranee says it has rescued more than 38,500 people from distress in the Mediterranean since the start of its operations.
Recently, SOS Mediterranee became known as one of the organizations protesting against the stricter conditions for rescue organizations in Italy and France. Rescue operations are currently focused on the southern Mediterranean, with the island of Lampedusa at the center of the action. Sea rescuers are repeatedly criticized for their work by right-wing populist politicians. They accuse them of complicity with smugglers who deliberately cause migrants to become distressed at sea, so that they have to be rescued by helpers.
Prize winners from Africa
Despite government oppression, youth organization Mother Nature Cambodia fights together with local communities for an intact environment and secure livelihoods. Phyllis Omido successfully fought for the rights of villagers affected by lead poisoning from a battery smelter and set precedents in Kenyan environmental law. Eunice Brookman-Amissah, who will receive the unpaid honorary award, is a doctor who has promoted access to safe abortions for women across Africa.
The presentation of the Alternative Nobel Prizes will take place on November 29, 2023 in Stockholm and will be broadcast live. The Right Livelihood Foundation in Stockholm has been honoring people and organizations committed to peace, sustainability and a just world for more than 40 years. Several alternative Nobel laureates, including Belarusian dissident Ales Bialyazki, also later received the Nobel Peace Prize. Last year, one of the prizes went to Ukrainian civil rights activist Oleksandra Matwijitschuk. The list of alternative Nobel Prize winners since 1980 also includes three Austrians: Leopold Kohr (1983), Robert Jungk (1986) and Erwin Kräutler (2010).
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
