Right Livelihood Award


Right Livelihood Award
The Right Livelihood Award is an international award to "honour and support those offering practical and exemplary answers to the most urgent challenges facing us today." The prize was established in 1980 by German-Swedish philanthropist Jakob von Uexkull, and is presented annually in early December. The prize money is shared among the winners, usually numbering four, and is €200,000.The Right Livelihood Award is sometimes popularly associated with the Nobel prizes. The award committee arranged for awards to be made in the Riksdag of Sweden the day before the Nobel prizes.
| Sl | Name | Country | Flag | Year | Awarded For |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 196 | Pacific Islands Students Fighting Climate Change | Tonga, Vanuatu, Fiji, Solomon Islands | 2025 | For carrying the call for climate justice to the world’s highest court, turning survival into a matter of rights and climate action into a legal responsibility. | |
| 195 | Julian Aguon | Guam | 2025 | For carrying the call for climate justice to the world’s highest court, turning survival into a matter of rights and climate action into a legal responsibility. | |
| 194 | Justice For Myanmar | Myanmar | 2025 | For their courage and their pioneering investigative methods in exposing and eroding the international support to Myanmar’s corrupt military. | |
| 193 | Audrey Tang | Taiwan | 2025 | For advancing the social use of digital technology to empower citizens, renew democracy and heal divides. | |
| 192 | Emergency Response Rooms | Sudan | 2025 | For building a resilient model of mutual aid amid war and state collapse that sustains millions of people with dignity. | |
| 191 | Forensic Architecture | United Kingdom | 2024 | For pioneering digital forensic methods to ensure justice and accountability for victims and survivors of human and environmental rights violations. | |
| 190 | Anabela Lemos | Mozambique | 2024 | For empowering communities to stand up for their right to say no to exploitative mega-projects and demand environmental justice. | |
| 189 | Issa Amro | Palestine | 2024 | For their steadfast nonviolent resistance to Israel’s illegal occupation, promoting Palestinian civic action through peaceful means. | |
| 188 | Joan Carling | Philippines | 2024 | For raising Indigenous voices in the face of the global ecological breakdown and her leadership in defending people, lands and culture. | |
| 187 | Mother Nature Cambodia | Cambodia | 2023 | "for their fearless and engaging activism to preserve Cambodia's natural environment in the context of a highly restricted democratic space." | |
| 186 | SOS Méditerranée | Europe | 2023 | "for its life-saving humanitarian search and rescue operations in the Mediterranean Sea." | |
| 185 | Phyllis Omido | Kenya | 2023 | "for her groundbreaking struggle to secure land and environmental rights for local communities while advancing the field of environmental law." | |
| 184 | Eunice Brookman-Amissah | Ghana | 2023 | "for pioneering discussions on women's reproductive rights in Africa, paving the way for liberalised abortion laws and improved safe abortion access." | |
| 183 | Cecosesola (Central Coperativa de Servicios Sociales del Estado Lara) | Venezuela | 2022 | "for establishing an equitable and cooperative economic model as a robust alternative to profit-driven economies." | |
| 182 | Africa Institute for Energy Governance [de] (AFIEGO) | Uganda | 2022 | "for their courageous work for climate justice and community rights violated by extractivist energy projects in Uganda." | |
| 181 | Oleksandra Matwijtschuk/Centre for Civil Liberties (CCL) | Ukraine | 2022 | "for building sustainable democratic institutions in Ukraine and modelling a path to international accountability for war crimes." | |
| 180 | Fartuun Adan & Ilwad Elman | Somalia | 2022 | "for promoting peace, demilitarisation and human rights in Somalia in the face of terrorism and gender-based violence." | |
| 179 | Marthe Wandou | Cameroon | 2021 | "for building a model of community-based child protection in the face of terrorist insurgency and gender-based violence in the Lake Chad region of Cameroon." | |
| 178 | Legal Initiative for Forest and Environment (LIFE) | India | 2021 | "for their innovative legal work empowering communities to protect their resources in the pursuit of environmental democracy in India." | |
| 177 | Vladimir Slivyak | Russia | 2021 | "for his defence of the environment and for helping to ignite grassroots opposition to the coal and nuclear industries in Russia." | |
| 176 | Freda Huson | Canada | 2021 | "for her fearless dedication to reclaiming her people's culture and defending their land against disastrous pipeline projects." | |
| 175 | Nasrin Sotoudeh | Iran | 2020 | "for her fearless activism, at great personal risk, to promote political freedoms and human rights in Iran." | |
| 174 | Ales Bialiatski | Belarus | 2020 | "for their resolute struggle for the realisation of democracy and human rights in Belarus." | |
| 173 | Lottie Cunningham Wren | Nicaragua | 2020 | "for her ceaseless dedication to the protection of indigenous lands and communities from exploitation and plunder." | |
| 172 | Bryan Stevenson | United States | 2020 | "for his inspiring endeavour to reform the US criminal justice system and advance racial reconciliation in the face of historic trauma." | |
| 171 | Aminatou Haidar | Western Sahara | 2019 | "for her steadfast nonviolent action, despite imprisonment and torture, in pursuit of justice and self-determination for the people of Western Sahara." | |
| 170 | Guo Jianmei | China | 2019 | "for her pioneering and persistent work in securing women's rights in China." | |
| 169 | Greta Thunberg | Sweden | 2019 | "for inspiring and amplifying political demands for urgent climate action reflecting scientific facts." | |
| 168 | Davi Kopenawa Yanomami/Hutukara Yanomami Association | Brazil | 2019 | "for their courageous determination to protect the forests and biodiversity of the Amazon, and the lands and culture of its indigenous peoples." | |
| 167 | Thelma Aldana Hernández & Iván Velásquez Gómez | Guatemala | 2018 | "for their innovative work in exposing abuse of power and prosecuting corruption, thus rebuilding people's trust in public institutions." | |
| 166 | Tony Rinaudo | Australia | 2018 | "for demonstrating on a large scale how drylands can be greened at minimal cost, improving the livelihoods of millions of people." | |
| 165 | Abdullah al-Hamid, Waleed Sami Abulkhair & Mohammad Fahad al-Qahtani | Saudi Arabia | 2018 | "for their visionary and courageous efforts, guided by universal human rights principles, to reform the totalitarian political system in Saudi Arabia." | |
| 164 | Yacouba Sawadogo | Burkina Faso | 2018 | "for turning barren land into forest and demonstrating how farmers can regenerate their soil with innovative use of indigenous and local knowledge." | |
| 163 | Robert Bilott | United States | 2017 | "for exposing a decades-long history of chemical pollution, winning long-sought justice for the victims, and setting a precedent for effective regulation of hazardous substances." | |
| 162 | Colin Gonsalves | India | 2017 | "for his tireless and innovative use of public interest litigation over three decades to secure fundamental human rights for India's most marginalised and vulnerable citizens." | |
| 161 | Khadija Ismayilova | Azerbaijan | 2017 | "for her courage and tenacity in exposing corruption at the highest levels of government through outstanding investigative journalism in the name of transparency and accountability." | |
| 160 | Yetnebersh Nigussie | Ethiopia | 2017 | "for her inspiring work promoting the rights and inclusion of people with disabilities, allowing them to realise their full potential and changing mindsets in our societies." | |
| 159 | Syrian Civil Defense (SCD) | Syria | 2016 | "for their outstanding bravery, compassion and humanitarian engagement in rescuing civilians from the destruction of the Syrian civil war." | |
| 158 | Mozn Hassan | Egypt | 2016 | "for asserting the equality and rights of women in circumstances where they are subject to ongoing violence, abuse and discrimination." | |
| 157 | Svetlana Gannushkina | Russia | 2016 | "for her decades-long commitment to promoting human rights and justice for refugees and forced migrants, and tolerance among different ethnic groups." | |
| 156 | Cumhuriyet | Turkey | 2016 | "for their fearless investigate journalism and commitment to freedom of expression in the face of oppression, censorship, imprisonment and death threats." | |
| 155 | Gino Strada/Emergency | Italy | 2015 | "for his great humanity and skill in providing outstanding medical and surgical services to the victims of conflict and injustice, while fearlessly addressing the causes of war." | |
| 154 | Kasha Jacqueline Nabagesera | Uganda | 2015 | "for her courage and persistence, despite violence and intimidation, in working for the right of LGBTI people to a life free from prejudice and persecution." | |
| 153 | Sheila Watt-Cloutier | Canada | 2015 | "for her lifelong work to protect the Inuit of the Arctic and defend their right to maintain their livelihoods and culture, which are acutely threatened by climate change." | |
| 152 | Tony de Brum/The People Of The Marshall Islands | Marshall Island | 2015 | "in recognition of their vision and courage to take legal action against the nuclear powers for failing to honour their disarmament obligations under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and customary international law." | |
| 151 | Bill McKibben/350.org | USA | 2014 | "for mobilising growing popular support in the USA and around the world for strong action to counter the threat of global climate change." | |
| 150 | Basil Frernando/Asian Human Rights Commission | China | 2014 | "for his tireless and outstanding work to support and document the implementation of human rights in Asia." | |
| 149 | Asma Jahangir | Pakistan | 2014 | "for defending, protecting and promoting human rights in Pakistan and more widely, often in very difficult and complex situations and at great personal risk." | |
| 148 | Alan Rusbridger | United Kingdom | 2014 | "for building a global media organisation dedicated to responsible journalism in the public interest, undaunted by the challenges of exposing corporate and government malpractices." | |
| 147 | Edward Snowden | United States | 2014 | "for his courage and skill in revealing the unprecedented extent of state surveillance violating basic democratic processes and constitutional rights." | |
| 146 | Hans Rudolf Herren/Biovision Foundation | Switzerland | 2013 | "for his expertise and pioneering work in promoting a safe, secure and sustainable global food supply." | |
| 145 | Denis Mukwege | Democratic Republic of the Congo | 2013 | "for his courageous work healing women survivors of war-time sexual violence and speaking up about its root causes. | |
| 144 | Raji Sourani | Palestine | 2013 | "for his unwavering dedication to the rule of law and human rights under exceptionally difficult circumstances." | |
| 143 | Paul Walker | United States | 2013 | "for working tirelessly to rid the world of chemical weapons." | |
| 142 | Campaign Against Arms Trade (CAAT) | United Kingdom | 2012 | "for their innovative and effective campaigning against the global trade in arms." | |
| 141 | Gene Sharp | United States | 2012 | "for developing and articulating the core principles and strategies of nonviolent resistance and supporting their practical implementation in conflict areas around the world." | |
| 140 | Sima Samar | Afghanistan | 2012 | "for her longstanding and courageous dedication to human rights, especially the rights of women, in one of the most complex and dangerous regions in the world." | |
| 139 | Hayrettin Karaca | Turkey | 2012 | "for a lifetime and tireless advocacy and support for the protection and stewardship of our natural world, combining successful entrepreneurship with effective environmental activism." | |
| 138 | Ina May Gaskin | United States | 2011 | "for her whole-life's work teaching and advocating safe, woman-centred childbirth methods that best promote the physical and mental health of mother and child." | |
| 137 | GRAIN | Spain | 2011 | "for their worldwide work to protect the livelihoods and rights of farming communities and to expose the massive purchases of farmland in developing countries by foreign financial interests." | |
| 136 | Jacqueline Moudeina | Chad | 2011 | "for her tireless efforts at great personal risk to win justice for the victims of the former dictatorship in Chad and to increase awareness and observance of human rights in Africa." | |
| 135 | Huang Ming | China | 2011 | "for his outstanding success in the development and mass-deployment of cutting-edge technologies for harnessing solar energy, thereby showing how dynamic emerging economies can contribute to resolving the global crisis of anthropogenic climate change." | |
| 134 | Physicians for Human Rights-Israel (PHR–I) | Israel | 2010 | "for their indomitable spirit in working for the right to health for all people in Israel and Palestine." | |
| 133 | Shrikrishna Upadhyay/SAPPROS | Nepal | 2010 | "for demonstrating over many years the power of community mobilisation to address the multiple causes of poverty even when threatened by political violence and instability." | |
| 132 | Erwin Kräutler | Austria | 2010 | "for a lifetime of work for the human and environmental rights of indigenous peoples and for his tireless efforts to save the Amazon forest from destruction." | |
| 131 | Nnimmo Bassey | Nigeria | 2010 | "for revealing the full ecological and human horrors of oil production and for his inspired work to strengthen the environmental movement in Nigeria and globally." | |
| 130 | Catherine Hamlin | Australia | 2009 | "for her fifty years dedicated to treating obstetric fistula patients, thereby restoring the health, hope and dignity of thousands of Africa's poorest women." | |
| 129 | Alyn Ware | New Zealand | 2009 | "for his effective and creative advocacy and initiatives over two decades to further peace education and to rid the world of nuclear weapons." | |
| 128 | René Ngongo | Democratic Republic of the Congo | 2009 | "for his courage in confronting the forces that are destroying the Congo's rainforests and building political support for their conservation and sustainable use." | |
| 127 | David Suzuki | Canada | 2009 | "for his lifetime advocacy of the socially responsible use of science, and for his massive contribution to raising awareness about the perils of climate change and building public support for policies to address it." | |
| 126 | Monika Hauser | Switzerland | 2008 | "for her tireless commitment to working with women who have experienced the most horrific sexual violence in some of the most dangerous countries in the world, and campaigning for them to receive social recognition and compensation." | |
| 125 | Asha Haji Elmi | Somalia | 2008 | "for continuing to lead at great personal risk the female participation in the peace and reconciliation process in her war-ravaged country." | |
| 124 | Amy Goodman | United States | 2008 | "for developing an innovative model of truly independent political journalism that brings to millions of people the alternative voices that are often excluded by mainstream media." | |
| 123 | Krishnammal & Sankaralingam Jagannathan/LAFTI | India | 2008 | "for two long lifetimes of work dedicated to realising in practice the Gandhian vision of social justice and sustainable human development, for which they have been referred to as 'India's soul'." | |
| 122 | Grameen Shakti (GS) | Bangladesh | 2007 | "for bringing sustainable light and power to thousands of Bangladeshi villages, promoting health, education, and productivity." | |
| 121 | Percy Schmeiser/Louise Walken-Schmeiser | Canada | 2007 | "for their courage in defending biodiversity and farmers' rights, and challenging the environmental and moral perversity of current interpretations of patent laws." | |
| 120 | Dekha Ibrahim Abdi | Kenya | 2007 | "for showing in diverse ethnic and cultural situations how religious and other differences can be reconciled, even after violent conflict, and knitted together through a cooperative process that leads to peace and development." | |
| 119 | Christopher Weeramantry | Sri Lanka | 2007 | "for his lifetime of ground-breaking work to strengthen and expand the rule of international law." | |
| 118 | International Poetry Festival of Medellín [Festival Internacional de Poesía de Medellín] | Colombia | 2006 | "for showing how creativity, beauty, free expression and community can flourish amongst and overcome even deeply entrenched fear and violence." | |
| 117 | Ruth Manorama | India | 2006 | "for her commitment over decades to achieving equality for Dalit women, building effective and committed women's organisations and working for their rights at national and international levels." | |
| 116 | Daniel Ellsberg | United States | 2006 | "for putting peace and truth first, at considerable personal risk, and dedicating his life to inspiring others to follow his example." | |
| 115 | Chico Whitaker | Brazil | 2006 | "for a lifetime's dedicated work for social justice that has strengthened democracy in Brazil and helped give birth to the World Social Forum, showing that 'another world is possible'." | |
| 114 | Roy Sesana/First People of the Kalahari (FPK) | Botswana | 2005 | "for his resolute resistance against eviction from their ancestral lands, and for upholding the right to their traditional way of life." | |
| 113 | Irene Fernandez | Malaysia | 2005 | "for her outstanding and courageous work to stop violence against women and abuses of migrant and poor workers." | |
| 112 | Tony Clarke | Canada | 2005 | "for their exemplary and longstanding worldwide work for trade justice and the recognition of the fundamental human right to water." | |
| 111 | Maude Barlow | Canada | 2005 | "for their exemplary and longstanding worldwide work for trade justice and the recognition of the fundamental human right to water." | |
| 110 | Francisco Toledo | Mexico | 2005 | "for devoting himself and his art to the protection and enhancement of the heritage, environment and community life of his native Oaxaca." | |
| 109 | Raúl Montenegro | Argentina | 2004 | "for his outstanding work with local communities and indigenous people to protect the environment and natural resources." | |
| 108 | Bianca Jagger | Nicaragua | 2004 | "for her dedicated commitment and campaigning for human rights, social justice and environmental protection." | |
| 107 | Memorial Society | Russia | 2004 | "for showing, in traumatic times, the importance of understanding the historical roots of human rights abuse, to secure respect for them in the future." | |
| 106 | Asghar Ali Engineer | India | 2004 | "for promoting over many years in South Asia the values of religious and communal co-existence, tolerance and mutual understanding." | |
| 105 | Swami Agnivesh | India | 2004 | "for promoting over many years in South Asia the values of religious and communal co-existence, tolerance and mutual understanding." | |
| 104 | Ibrahim Abouleish/SEKEM | Egypt | 2003 | "for a 21st century business model which combines commercial success with social and cultural development." | |
| 103 | Citizens' Coalition for Economic Justice (CCEJ) | South Korea | 2003 | "for its rigorous wide-ranging reform programme, based on economic and social justice, accountability and reconciliation with North Korea." | |
| 102 | Nicanor Perlas | Philippines | 2003 | "for his outstanding efforts in educating civil society about the effects of corporate globalisation, and how alternatives to it can be implemented." | |
| 101 | Walden Bello | Philippines | 2003 | "for his outstanding efforts in educating civil society about the effects of corporate globalisation, and how alternatives to it can be implemented." | |
| 100 | David Lange | New Zealand | 2003 | "for his steadfast work over many years for a world free of nuclear weapons." | |
| 99 | Martín Almada | Paraguay | 2002 | "for his outstanding courage in bringing torturers to justice, and promoting democracy, human rights and sustainable development." | |
| 98 | Woman To Woman Foundation [Kvinna Till Kvinna] | Sweden | 2002 | "for its successes in addressing ethnic hatred by helping war-torn women to be the major agents of peace-building and reconciliation." | |
| 97 | Kamenge Youth Centre (Centre Jeunes Kamenge, CJK) | Burundi | 2002 | "for their exemplary courage and compassion in overcoming ethnic divisions during civil war so that young people can live and build a peaceful future together." | |
| 96 | Martin Green | Australia | 2002 | "for his dedication and outstanding success in the harnessing of solar energy, the key technological challenge of our age." | |
| 95 | Trident Ploughshares | United Kingdom | 2001 | "for providing a practical model of principled, transparent and non-violent direct action dedicated to ridding the world of nuclear weapons." | |
| 94 | Leonardo Boff | Brazil | 2001 | "for his inspiring insights and practical work to help people realise the links between human spirituality, social justice and environmental stewardship." | |
| 93 | Uri Avnery/Rachel Greenboim-Avnery/Gush Shalom | Israel | 2001 | "for their unwavering conviction, in the midst of violence that peace can only be achieved through justice and reconciliation." | |
| 92 | José Antonio Abreu | Venezuela | 2001 | "for achieving a unique cultural renaissance, bringing the joys of music to countless disadvantaged children and communities." | |
| 91 | Wes Jackson | United States | 2000 | "for his single-minded commitment to developing an agriculture that is both highly productive and truly ecologically sustainable." | |
| 90 | Birsel Lemke | Turkey | 2000 | "for her long-standing struggle to protect her country from the devastation of cyanide-based gold mining." | |
| 89 | Munir Said Thalib | Indonesia | 2000 | "for his courage and dedication in fighting for human rights and civilian control of the military in Indonesia." | |
| 88 | Tewolde Berhan Gebre Egziabher | Ethiopia | 2000 | "for his exemplary work to safeguard biodiversity and the traditional rights of farmers and communities to their genetic resources." | |
| 87 | Organic Agriculture Group [Grupo de Agricultura Orgánica, GAO] | Cuba | 1999 | "for showing that organic agriculture is a key to both environmental sustainability and food security." | |
| 86 | Consolidation of the Amazon Region (COAMA) | Colombia | 1999 | "for showing how indigenous people can improve their livelihood, sustain their culture and conserve their rainforests." | |
| 85 | Juan Garcés | Spain | 1999 | "for his long-standing efforts to end the impunity of dictators." | |
| 84 | Hermann Scheer | Germany | 1999 | "for his indefatigable work for the promotion of solar energy worldwide." | |
| 83 | Vesna Terselic | Croatia | 1998 | "for their dedication to a long-term process of peace-building and reconciliation in the Balkans." | |
| 82 | Katarina Kruhonja | Croatia | 1998 | "for their dedication to a long-term process of peace-building and reconciliation in the Balkans." | |
| 81 | Juan Pablo Orrego/GABB | Chile | 1998 | "for his personal courage, self-sacrifice and perseverance in working for sustainable development in Chile." | |
| 80 | Samuel Epstein | United States | 1998 | "for his exemplary life of scholarship wedded to activism on behalf of humanity." | |
| 79 | International Baby Food Action Network | United States | 1998 | "for its committed and affective campaigning in support of breastfeeding." | |
| 78 | Cindy Duehring | United States | 1997 | "for putting her personal tragedy at the service of humanity by helping others understand and combat the risks posed by toxic chemicals." | |
| 77 | Joseph Ki-Zerbo | Burkina Faso | 1997 | "for a lifetime of scholarship and activism that has identified the key principles and processes by which Africans can create a better future." | |
| 76 | Jinzaburo Takagi | Japan | 1997 | "for serving to alert the world to the unparalleled dangers of plutonium to human life." | |
| 75 | Mycle Schneider | France | 1997 | "for serving to alert the world to the unparalleled dangers of plutonium to human life." | |
| 74 | Michael Succow | Germany | 1997 | "for his commitment to safeguard natural eco-systems and areas of outstanding natural value for future generations." | |
| 73 | George Vithoulkas | Greece | 1996 | "for his outstanding contribution to the revival of homeopathic knowledge and the training of homeopaths to the highest standards." | |
| 72 | People's Science Movement of Kerala [Kerala Sasthra Sahithya Parishad, KSSP] | India | 1996 | "for its major contribution to a model of development rooted in social justice and popular participation." | |
| 71 | Committee of Soldiers' Mothers of Russia (CKCMP) | Russia | 1996 | "for their courage in upholding the common humanity of Russians and Chechens and opposing the militarism and violence in Chechnya." | |
| 70 | Herman Daly | United States | 1996 | "for defining a path of ecological economics that integrates the key elements of ethics, quality of life, environment and community." | |
| 69 | Sulak Sivaraksa | Thailand | 1995 | "for his vision, activism and spiritual commitment in the quest for a development process that is rooted in democracy, justice and cultural integrity." | |
| 68 | Carmel Budiardjo | Indonesia | 1995 | "for holding the Indonesian government accountable for its actions and upholding the universality of fundamental human rights." | |
| 67 | Serb Civic Council [Srpsko Gra?ansko Vije?e, SGV] | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 1995 | "for maintaining their support for a humane, multi-ethnic, democratic Bosnia-Herzegovina." | |
| 66 | András Bíró/HFSR | Hungary | 1995 | "for their resolute defence of Hungary's Roma minority and effective efforts to aid their self-development." | |
| 65 | Ken Saro-Wiwa/MOSOP | Nigeria | 1994 | "for their exemplary courage in striving non-violently for the civil, economic and environmental rights of their people." | |
| 64 | Hanumappa Sudarshan/VGKK | India | 1994 | "for showing how tribal culture can contribute to a process that secures the basic rights and fundamental needs of indigenous people and conserves their environment." | |
| 63 | Service Volunteered for All (SERVOL) | Trinidad and Tobago | 1994 | "for fostering spiritual values, cooperation and family responsibility in building society." | |
| 62 | Astrid Lindgren | Sweden | 1994 | "for her unique authorship dedicated to the rights of children and respect for their individuality." | |
| 61 | Mary Dann & Carrie Dann | United States | 1993 | "for exemplary courage and perseverance in asserting the rights of indigenous people to their land." | |
| 60 | Organisation of Rural Associations for Progress (ORAP) | Zimbabwe | 1993 | "for building a remarkable grassroots movement and motivating its million members to follow their own path of human development." | |
| 59 | Arna Mer-Khamis | Israel | 1993 | "for passionate commitment to the defence and education of the children of Palestine." | |
| 58 | Vandana Shiva | India | 1993 | "for placing women and ecology at the heart of modern development discourse." | |
| 57 | Alla Yaroshinskaya | Ukraine | 1992 | "for revealing, against official opposition and persecution, the extent of the damaging effects of the Chernobyl disaster on local people." | |
| 56 | John Gofman | United States | 1992 | "for his pioneering work in exposing the health effects of low-level radiation." | |
| 55 | Helen Mack Chang | Guatemala | 1992 | "for her personal courage and persistence in seeking justice and an end to the impunity of political murderers." | |
| 54 | Zafrullah Chowdhury/Gonoshasthaya Kendra | Bangladesh | 1992 | "for their outstanding record of promotion of health and human development." | |
| 53 | Finnish Village Action Movement [Suomen Kylät, SK] | Finland | 1992 | "for showing a dynamic path to rural regeneration decentralisation and popular empowerment." | |
| 52 | Landless Workers' Movement [Movimento dos Trabalhadores Rurais Sem Terra, MST] | Brazil | 1991 | "for winning land for landless families and helping them to farm it sustainably." | |
| 51 | Pastrol comission of The Land | Brazil | 1991 | "for their dedicated campaigning for social justice and the observance of human rights for small farmers and the landless in Brazil." | |
| 50 | Jeton Anjain/The People of Rongelap | Marshall Islands | 1991 | "for their steadfast struggle against United States nuclear policy in support of their right to live on an unpolluted Rongelap island." | |
| 49 | Marie-Thérèse & Bengt Danielsson | Sweden | 1991 | "for exposing the tragic results of, and advocating an end, to French nuclear colonialism." | |
| 48 | Medha Patkar/Narmada Bachao Andolan | India | 1991 | "for their inspired opposition to the disastrous Narmada Valley dams project and their promotion of alternatives designed to benefit the poor and the environment." | |
| 47 | Edward Goldsmith | United Kingdom | 1991 | "for his uncompromising critique of industrialism and promotion of environmentally sustainable and socially just alternatives to it." | |
| 46 | Felicia Langer | Poland | 1990 | "for the exemplary courage of her advocacy for the basic rights of the Palestinian people." | |
| 45 | Association of Peasant Workers of the Carare (Asociación de Trabajadores Campesinos del Carare, ATCC) | Colombia | 1990 | "for its outstanding commitment to peace, family and community in the midst of the most senseless violence." | |
| 44 | Bernard Lédéa Ouédraogo | Burkina Faso | 1990 | "for strengthening peasant self-help movements all over West Africa." | |
| 43 | Alice Tepper Marlin | United States | 1990 | "for showing the direction in which the Western economy must develop to promote the well-being of humanity." | |
| 42 | Survival International | United Kingdom | 1989 | "for working with tribal peoples to secure their rights, livelihood and self-determination." | |
| 41 | Legesse Wolde-Yohannes | Ethiopia | 1989 | "for discovering and campaigning relentlessly for an affordable preventative against bilharzia." | |
| 40 | Aklilu Lemma | Ethiopia | 1989 | "for discovering and campaigning relentlessly for an affordable preventative against bilharzia." | |
| 39 | Melaku Worede | Ethiopia | 1989 | "for preserving Ethiopia's genetic wealth by building one of the finest seed conservation centres in the world." | |
| 38 | Seikatsu Club Consumers' Co-operative Union (SCCCU) | Japan | 1989 | "for creating the most successful, sustainable model of production and consumption in the industrialised world." | |
| 37 | Friends of Nature Malaysia [Sahabat Alam Malaysia, SAM] | Malaysia | 1988 | "for their exemplary struggle to save the tropical forests of Sarawak." | |
| 36 | John Charlewood Turner | United Kingdom | 1988 | "for championing the rights of people to build, manage and sustain their own shelter and communities." | |
| 35 | José Lutzenberger | Brazil | 1988 | "for his contribution to protecting the natural environment in Brazil and worldwide." | |
| 34 | Inge Genefke/RRCTV | Denmark | 1988 | "for helping those whose lives have been shattered by torture to regain their health and personality." | |
| 33 | Mordechai Vanunu | Israel | 1987 | "for his courage and self-sacrifice in revealing the extent of Israel's nuclear weapons programme." | |
| 32 | Frances Moore Lappé | United States | 1987 | "for revealing the political and economic causes of world hunger and how citizens can help to remedy them." | |
| 31 | The Chipko Movement | India | 1987 | "for its dedication to the conservation, restoration and ecologically-sound use of India's natural resources." | |
| 30 | Johan Galtung | Norway | 1987 | "for his systematic and multidisciplinary study of the conditions which can lead to peace." | |
| 29 | Hans-Peter Dürr | Germany | 1987 | "for his profound critique of the strategic defence initiative (SDI) and his work to convert high technology to peaceful uses." | |
| 28 | Evaristo Nugkuag Ikanan | Peru | 1986 | "for organising to protect the rights of the Indians of the Amazon basin." | |
| 27 | Helena Norberg-Hodge/ LEDeG | Sweden | 1986 | "for preserving the traditional culture and values of Ladakh against the onslaught of tourism and development." | |
| 26 | Alice Stewart | United Kingdom | 1986 | "for bringing to light in the face of official opposition the real dangers of low-level radiation." | |
| 25 | Rosalie Bertell, S.G.M. | Canada | 1986 | "for raising public awareness about the destruction of the biosphere and human gene pool, especially by low-level radiation." | |
| 24 | Robert Jungk | Austria | 1986 | "for struggling indefatigably on behalf of peace, sane alternatives for the future and ecological awareness." | |
| 23 | János Vargha/Duna Kör | Hungary | 1985 | "for working under unusually difficult circumstances to preserve the river Danube, a vital part of Hungary's environment." | |
| 22 | Dialogue of the People [Lokayan] | India | 1985 | "for linking and strengthening local groups working to protect civil liberties, women's rights and the environment." | |
| 21 | Pat Mooney | Canada | 1985 | "for working to save the world's genetic plant heritage." | |
| 20 | Cary Fowler | United States | 1985 | "for working to save the world's genetic plant heritage." | |
| 19 | Theo van Boven | Netherlands | 1985 | "for speaking out on human rights abuse without fear or favour in the international community." | |
| 18 | Wangari Maathai | Kenya | 1984 | "for converting the Kenyan ecological debate into mass action for reforestation." | |
| 17 | Winefreda Geonzon/Free Lava | Philippines | 1984 | "for giving assistance to prisoners and aiding their rehabilitation." | |
| 16 | Ela Bhatt/SEWA | India | 1984 | "for helping home-based producers to organise for their welfare and self-respect." | |
| 15 | Imane Khalifeh | Lebanon | 1984 | "for inspiring and organising the Beirut peace movement." | |
| 14 | Amory & Hunter Sheldon-Lovins | United States | 1983 | "for pioneering soft energy paths for global security." | |
| 13 | Manfred Max-Neef | Chile | 1983 | "for revitalising small and medium-sized communities through 'Barefoot Economics'." | |
| 12 | Ibedul Gibbons | Palau | 1983 | "for upholding the democratic, constitutional right of their island to remain nuclear-free." | |
| 11 | Leopold Kohr | Austria | 1983 | "for his early inspiration of the movement for a human scale." | |
| 10 | George Trevelyan | United Kingdom | 1982 | "for educating the adult spirit to a new non-materialistic vision of human nature." | |
| 9 | Participatory Institute for Development Alternatives | Sri Lanka | 1982 | "for developing exemplary processes of self-reliant, participatory development among the poor in Asia." | |
| 8 | Anwar Fazal | Malaysia | 1982 | "for fighting for the rights of consumers and helping them to do the same." | |
| 7 | Erik Dammann/Future I Our Hands | Norway | 1982 | "for challenging Western values and lifestyles in order to promote a more responsible attitude to the environment and the third world." | |
| 6 | Petra Kelly | Germany | 1982 | "for forging and implementing a new vision uniting ecological concerns with disarmament, social justice and human rights." | |
| 5 | Patrick van Rensburg | South Africa | 1981 | "for developing replicable educational models for the third world majority." | |
| 4 | Bill Mollison | Australia | 1981 | "for developing and promoting the theory and practice of permaculture." | |
| 3 | Mike Cooley | United Kingdom | 1981 | "for designing and promoting the theory and practice of human-centred, socially useful production." | |
| 2 | Stephen Gaskin/Plenty International | United States | 1980 | "for caring, sharing and acting with and on behalf of those in need at home and abroad." | |
| 1 | Hassan Fathy | Egypt | 1980 | "for developing an 'Architecture for the Poor'." |

Right Livelihood Award Laureates (2025 ~ 2021)

P I S F C C
Right Livelihood Award 2025
Pacific Islands Students Fighting Climate Change (PISFCC) is a youth-led organisation that took the climate crisis to the world’s highest court, acting on behalf of the planet and its people. It was founded in 2019 by 27 law students who dreamed up the campaign in a classroom at the University of the South Pacific in Vanuatu. For them, climate change was never abstract: in the Pacific, cyclones devastate economies, rising seas displace families and saltwater ruins crops.After six years of campaigning, PISFCC’s tireless work as part of a dedicated, global movement that placed human rights at its core culminated in a historic victory at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in July 2025. The Court delivered an advisory opinion confirming that states have binding legal obligations to prevent climate harm, protect human rights, provide reparations and safeguard present and future generations. This ruling was a watershed in international law, opening a new pathway for climate justice worldwide.Central to their strategy was gathering testimonies from Pacific communities, who are among those contributing least for climate change yet facing some of its harshest consequences. By carrying these voices of loss, resilience and demand for justice into the halls of international law, PISFCC ensured frontline realities shaped the ICJ’s judgment.PISFCC shares the 2025 Right Livelihood Award with Chamoru lawyer and writer Julian Aguon, whose legal team advanced the case. Together, their partnership of youth mobilisation and legal advocacy shows how collective action can shift systems.

Julian Aguon
Right Livelihood Award 2025
Julian Aguon is a Chamoru human rights lawyer and writer from Guam, who has dedicated his life to defending the rights of Indigenous Peoples, advocating for their self-determination, and pursuing climate justice. His home, the Pacific, is among the regions most severely affected by the climate crisis. He played a central role in securing the 2025 International Court of Justice advisory opinion, which declared that states have binding obligations to address climate change, a watershed milestone in international law.He shares the Right Livelihood Award with Pacific Islands Students Fighting Climate Change (PISFCC). While the student-led movement mobilised community support and international solidarity, Aguon’s firm, Blue Ocean Law, provided the legal strategy that carried their demand into the courtroom of the world’s highest tribunal in a profoundly collective and intergenerational campaign.Aguon’s work spans from the courtroom to the written word. At home, he has fought the militarisation of Guam, exposing the destruction of ancestral lands for US military bases while defending his people’s right to self-determination. As an acclaimed author and Pulitzer Prize finalist, his books and articles, including his essay collection No Country for Eight-Spot Butterflies, etch both the beauty and the struggle of Pacific peoples onto the world’s imagination.Through legal advocacy and storytelling, he has become a leading voice of Pacific resistance and a symbol of hope for a just and sustainable future.

Justice for Myanmar
Right Livelihood Award 2025
Justice For Myanmar (JFM) is a Myanmar covert group of activists working to expose the financial architecture and global corporate complicity sustaining the military junta. Through forensic research and the “follow the money” method, JFM has revealed how international corporations, investors and governments facilitate repression, leading to sanctions, divestments, and criminal investigations across various jurisdictions.Due to increasing violence and a terror campaign carried out by the military junta in Myanmar, JFM operates under conditions of anonymity. The group’s work has traced hidden military assets, uncovered offshore networks, and documented corporate complicity in human rights abuses and international crimes. Despite security risks in Myanmar, they continue to publish groundbreaking investigations that pierce the veil of impunity and campaign to dismantle the Myanmar military and its cartel.JFM’s investigations have catalysed global accountability. Civil society from around the world has mobilised around their findings, joining the Myanmar people’s efforts to defend democracy, humanity and the people’s public assets. Their work proves that truth, even when spoken anonymously, can shake the foundations of power.
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Audrey Tang
Right Livelihood Award 2025
Audrey Tang is a civic hacker and technologist who rewires systems for the public good. As Taiwan’s cyber ambassador and first digital minister, she showed how technology could deepen trust, giving millions a direct role in shaping policy. Having proven these systems in Taiwan, Tang now shares this playbook worldwide, using openness and co-creation to fight polarisation and renew democracy.Emerging from Taiwan’s open-source movement, Tang and the g0v community — a leaderless civic-tech collective building tools for government transparency — reimagined government as collaborative. This helped shape the 2014 Sunflower Movement, which connected citizens and lawmakers in real time. From this grew vTaiwan, a participatory platform mapping agreement across diverse opinions. As digital minister, she declared broadband a human right, launched the pandemic-era “Mask Map,” and mobilised hackathons to counter disinformation and deepfakes.Tang works with governments, civic groups and tech platforms to turn conflict into the fuel of collaboration and give people everywhere the power to shape their shared future. Across Asia, Europe and the United States, her methods are being adapted to local needs. She also pioneers civic-minded approaches to AI, from Oxford’s Institute for Ethics in AI to safety collaborations with global platforms.

Emergency Response Rooms
Right Livelihood Award 2025
Emergency Response Rooms (ERRs) are a Sudanese grassroots, community-led network that has become the backbone of the country’s humanitarian response amid war, displacement and state collapse. Building on local traditions of mutual aid, ERRs operate in all 18 states, providing healthcare, food assistance, education, civilian protection and psychosocial support where many international aid organisations cannot reach. Their work has sustained millions and champions a model of decolonised humanitarian aid that restores dignity and decision-making power to local communities.Emerging from the Neighbourhood Resistance Committees that played a key role in the 2019 Sudanese Revolution, ERRs organised their first community kitchens and health services to help communities cope with the COVID-19 pandemic. When war broke out in April 2023, Sudan’s already severe humanitarian crisis became the world’s largest, and ERRs expanded to fill critical gaps left by a collapsing economy and state institutions. With nearly 26,000 volunteers, ERRs continue to evacuate civilians, run hospitals and support survivors of conflict-related sexual violence.ERRs’ work comes at great personal risk: members have been detained, tortured and killed for their commitment to protecting civilians. Yet their decentralised, volunteer-driven model has proved resilient, efficient and trusted by communities. Beyond saving lives, ERRs nurture a culture of compassion and solidarity that lays the foundation for Sudan’s future civil society and democratic renewal.

Forensic Architecture
Right Livelihood Award 2024
Forensic Architecture is a pioneering research agency dedicated to uncovering and documenting the truth about environmental and human rights violations using cutting-edge open-source investigation and digital modelling techniques. Based at Goldsmiths, University of London, Forensic Architecture integrates advanced technology with witness and historical accounts to create powerful visual and spatial reconstructions, which have been used as evidence in landmark legal cases worldwide.Since its founding in 2010, Forensic Architecture has led the development of new methodologies that combine technology with human rights advocacy. They have conducted more than 100 investigations on behalf of affected communities, uncovering truths about events both historic, such as the German colonial genocide in Namibia, and current, like the 2017 fire at Grenfell Tower in London. Their innovative methodologies not only set new standards for accountability but also assist survivors in processing trauma.In an era when truth and facts are constantly challenged, including by governments, Forensic Architecture’s work helps usher in a new layer of oversight to ensure accountability, harnessing technology and witness testimony. With a fierce commitment to collaborative work with frontline communities and to developing and disseminating new evidentiary techniques, the organisation’s work has significantly impacted international legal processes and human rights investigations. As such, they help to hold perpetrators accountable and empower communities to seek justice on their own terms.

Anabela Lemos
Right Livelihood Award 2024
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.

Issa Amro
Right Livelihood Award 2024
Issa Amro is a Palestinian human rights activist who has dedicated his life to peaceful resistance against Israeli occupation in the West Bank city of Hebron. Together with the activist group he founded, Youth Against Settlements (YAS), he has become a leading voice in the non-violent movement, striving to create a future where Palestinians live freely and with dignity. His efforts have garnered international recognition, and his strict commitment to non-violence stands in stark contrast to the violent realities of the Israeli occupation.Amro and YAS have successfully mobilised local communities and international allies to resist the ongoing Israeli occupation through peaceful means. YAS plays an essential role in documenting human rights violations, organising protests, and supporting local communities in Hebron who live under constant threats and attacks from Israeli settlers and military forces. The group’s initiatives have also served as an inspiration for non-violent resistance in other Palestinian cities under Israeli occupation.Amro and the group have been under constant pressure from settlers, the Israeli military and also the Palestinian Authority. Amro has been detained, tortured, attacked on the streets, evicted from home and subjected to judicial harassment. However, he has kept his unwavering commitment to non-violent resistance, which he sees as the only way to achieve justice and peace for the people of Palestine.

Joan Carling
Right Livelihood Award 2024
Joan Carling is a Filipino Indigenous activist who has been defending the rights of Indigenous Peoples for more than 30 years. Her work spans grassroots and international levels, focusing on human rights, sustainable development, climate justice and the fight against land exploitation. Since the late 1990s, Carling has led multiple Indigenous rights organisations. She continues to play a pivotal role in amplifying the voices of Indigenous Peoples across the Philippines, Asia, and globally, with a focus on combating the systemic marginalisation and criminalisation of Indigenous communities.Carling has dedicated her life to protecting Indigenous communities, often at great personal risk. She has been unjustly arrested, labelled a terrorist, falsely accused of crimes and received threats on her life. Despite this, she continues to fight for Indigenous Peoples’ rights, helping communities defend their lands and resist exploitation by powerful corporate and state interests.Carling’s advocacy has had a profound impact, from helping stop destructive mining projects opposed by Indigenous communities to influencing policies on Indigenous women’s rights at the United Nations. Her work in the Philippines, one of the most dangerous countries in the world for Indigenous Peoples—where activists are frequently targeted, killed and forcibly disappeared—has been especially critical. By empowering Indigenous Peoples to defend themselves against these threats, Carling has helped communities across the Philippines take an active role in defending their rights and protecting their lands.

Mother Nature Cambodia
Right Livelihood Award 2023
Mother Nature Cambodia is the country’s pre-eminent youth-led environmental rights movement, working on the frontlines with local communities to preserve nature and livelihoods even in the face of a growing government crackdown on civil society activism. Using innovative techniques such as viral videos, training and the mobilisation of young Cambodians nationally and locally, Mother Nature Cambodia has helped highlight and stop environmental violations. Successful campaigns include stopping the Chinese-led construction of a hydroelectric dam threatening an Indigenous community and helping end the largely corrupted business of sand export from the coastal estuaries of Koh Kong, which was destroying the local ecosystem and fishing grounds.Founded in 2012, Mother Nature Cambodia’s small and agile core team works to mobilise against destructive and corrupt construction projects. Indicative of the government’s hostile stance against the movement, 11 of their activists have been jailed and dozens arrested since 2015, while one staffer and the founder, Alejandro Gonzalez-Davidson, have been forced to leave the country. Local community members campaigning with Mother Nature Cambodia have also been subject to intimidation, legal harassment and surveillance by the police.Despite the harassment and constant threat of arrest, the movement has stayed the course and continued to campaign fearlessly. Highlighting the connection between democracy, human rights and environmental activism, Mother Nature Cambodia has emerged as a beacon of hope for future generations, fighting for the preservation of nature and human rights in Cambodia.

SOS Méditerranée
Right Livelihood Award 2023
SOS MEDITERRANEE is a European maritime-humanitarian organisation saving people’s lives in the Mediterranean, the world’s deadliest migration route. Carrying out search and rescue operations, the organisation has brought more than 38,500 people to safety since operations began in 2016. SOS MEDITERRANEE follows a strict legal framework based on maritime law, setting high standards for search and rescue operations, and showing that assisting people in distress at sea is a legal obligation.The organisation, which is an association of four offices located in France, Italy, Germany and Switzerland, was founded by civilians in May 2015, in response to the tragic loss of lives in the Mediterranean and the European Union’s inability to effectively address this issue. Pooling resources, the association finances and operates the Ocean Viking rescue ship with a professional crew. Once brought aboard, survivors are provided with medical and psycho-social care. SOS MEDITERRANEE also aims to amplify the voices of survivors by sharing their stories.The organisation’s unwavering commitment to humanity has not only saved lives but kept the public, European institutions and national governments acutely aware of the realities of the humanitarian crisis in the Mediterranean Sea.

Phyllis Omido
Right Livelihood Award 2023
Phyllis Omido is a Kenyan environmental activist leading the battle for the justice and health of the Owino Uhuru community that has suffered from lead poisoning ever since a battery smelting plant began operating in their village. Omido’s use of litigation, advocacy and media engagement has set vital legal precedents, affirming people’s right to a clean and healthy environment and the state’s responsibility to safeguard it.Omido, dubbed the “Erin Brockovich of East Africa,” initially worked at the battery smelting plant that poisoned her, her son and thousands of Owino Uhuru community members. When the plant owners and government officials refused to act on the environmental impact report she conducted, Omido mobilised the community in protest. Following a 2012 demonstration, Omido was attacked by two men at her home and arrested on unfounded charges of terrorism and inciting violence.Thanks to Omido’s activism, 17 toxic sites have been closed across Kenya. She has also used her experience to consult the United Nations, leading to a resolution on lead-acid battery recycling in Africa. Determined to spread knowledge on environmental rights far beyond Owino Uhuru, Omido has established a network of 120 grassroots land and environmental defenders (LEDs) across Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania, empowering and mentoring others to protect their communities.

Eunice Brookman-Amissah
Right Livelihood Award 2023
Eunice Brookman-Amissah is a Ghanaian physician whose leadership has been instrumental in advancing safe abortion access across Africa. For three decades, she has spearheaded high-level advocacy, sensitisation programmes and training on women’s reproductive rights. Her efforts have successfully united healthcare providers, government officials, lawyers and activists in support of abortion law reforms in Mozambique, Sierra Leone, Benin, Eswatini and Kenya, and abortion law implementation in Ghana, Zambia, Malawi, Senegal and Mauritius, among others.In Sub-Saharan Africa, 6.2 million unsafe abortions occur each year. It is the most perilous region in the world for abortion access: 92 per cent of women live in a country where abortion is restricted. Brookman-Amissah, who began her career as a doctor, initially held anti-abortion views. But, when she learned that one of her paediatric patients died from an unsafe abortion, she changed her focus to advocating for safe abortion access. Her advocacy has contributed to a 40 per cent decline in abortion-related deaths in Sub-Saharan Africa since 2000.When Brookman-Amissah began her advocacy, the term abortion was too taboo to mention, let alone champion at high-level forums. Nonetheless, she tirelessly raised the issue to empower women, enhance their autonomy, improve their health, and ultimately, create an environment where they can thrive personally and professionally. Brookman-Amissah is a pioneer in the field of sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR).

Cecosesola
Right Livelihood Award 2022
Cecosesola (Central de Cooperativas de Lara) is a network of community organisations from low-income areas that produces and provides affordable goods and services to more than 100,000 families across seven Venezuelan states.Guided by a process of cultural transformation, the network has vastly expanded over the last 55 years to include cooperative funeral services, food markets, a health network, savings and loans services, as well as agricultural production and small processing plants. Cecosesola’s economic activities are almost entirely self-financed and are offered well below retail prices.Cecosesola is a beacon that inspires those that are looking for a different way to approach economic activities, transcending the traditional hierarchical model present in private and governmental enterprises. The organisation centres on learning, through collective reflection, about the relationships that emerge in the workplace and its surroundings, guided by transparency, mutual support and equity.Cecosesola has routinely evolved its ways of working to best address the problems oppressing Venezuelan society, including food shortages, hyperinflation, massive migration and financial crises. Today, Cecosesola maintains a flat organisation where all voices are valued equally, and decisions are made in the collective.

A F I E G O
Right Livelihood Award 2022
Africa Institute for Energy Governance (AFIEGO) is a Ugandan organisation empowering communities to stand up against environmentally damaging projects linked to the exploitation of oil and gas. Through advocacy, media campaigns, and local and international legal action, AFIEGO has ensured that communities’ voices are heard by decision-makers.The discovery of Uganda’s commercial oil reserves in 2006 has led to an increase in land grabs, illegal displacement and environmental degradation in the past decade. Founded in 2005, AFIEGO has emerged as a key player in protecting the rights of affected communities. In particular, the organisation has been at the forefront of efforts to stop the construction of the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP), which would transport Uganda’s crude oil to a port in Tanzania. Through gathering evidence to be used in court cases and drawing attention to the impact of the planned pipeline on local communities, AFIEGO has been instrumental in creating international pressure to stop the construction.AFIEGO’s work has drawn severe backlash from the Ugandan government, resulting in threats and harassment, including arrests and detentions, against its staff. However, AFIEGO continues to fight for environmental protection and the well-being of affected communities using innovative legal methods and creating space for civil society voices.

Oleksandra Matwijtschuk/CCL
Right Livelihood Award 2022
Oleksandra Matviichuk is one of the most prominent human rights defenders in Ukraine striving to achieve a full democratic transition and ensure justice. As Chairwoman of the Center for Civil Liberties (CCL), she and the organisation have been instrumental in strengthening Ukrainian civil society and national institutions for over a decade, while also pushing to further the rule of law and adherence to international law. Their work of documenting war crimes and human rights violations is paving the way to accountability, gaining increasing importance since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.CCL was founded in 2007 to promote human rights, democracy and solidarity in Ukraine and Eurasia. The organisation rose to prominence in 2013 by documenting human rights violations and providing legal assistance during the violent crackdown on the Euromaidan protests. The organisation has also launched initiatives to monitor various government agencies for civil rights violations, provide education on human rights, document pressure on civil society and map persecutions of human rights defenders.In the realm of international law, Matviichuk and CCL have long advocated for Ukraine to join the International Criminal Court. This work has become especially important in the context of Russia’s war on Ukraine, setting an example for documenting war crimes and human rights violations. Through their work, Matviichuk and CCL ensure accountability and build a democratic future for Ukraine.

Marthe Wandou
Right Livelihood Award 2021
Jurist Marthe Wandou is a Cameroonian gender and peace activist who has worked to prevent and fight sexual violence against children, particularly girls, as well as care for survivors of such violence since the 1990s. Through her organisation Action Locale pour un Développement Participatif et Autogéré (ALDEPA), which she founded in 1998, Wandou has supported the wellbeing of girls through a holistic approach based on education, psychosocial care and legal assistance.More than 50,000 girls have benefited so far from ALDEPA’s work, which is rooted in mobilising entire communities, especially through the involvement of parents, children and community leaders. The organisation has assisted with the gradual eradication of the practice of early marriage. It has also provided school and life skills support, and capacity building for children and child protection actors. ALDEPA has also helped families prosecute cases of rape, abduction and physical violence.Wandou emphasises psychosocial support for recovering from trauma and assistance with reintegration for victims of sexual violence and abduction. These have been especially important in Wandou’s work with refugees and internally displaced persons affected by the Boko Haram extremist group in the Far North Region of Cameroon.Operating in a context marked by harmful cultural practices and insecurity, Wandou has emerged as a courageous leader in fighting sexual violence and championing the well-being of girls and women in Cameroon and the Lake Chad Basin.

Fartuun Adan & Ilwad Elman
Right Livelihood Award 2022
Fartuun Adan and Ilwad Elman are Somali human rights defenders who lead community-based peacebuilding initiatives and provide life-saving support to marginalised groups. Through their organisation Elman Peace, the mother and daughter have used innovative and culturally relevant solutions to support survivors of gender-based violence, disarm and rehabilitate former child combatants, and equip women and youth with job and leadership skills.Elman Peace’s community-based disarmament and reintegration approach addresses the underlying causes of extremism, and in doing so, provides opportunities for both former combatants and at-risk youth. Adan and Elman’s process includes psychosocial support, rehabilitation, education, skills training and job creation. Due to its success, Adan and Elman’s model has been scaled to address similar conflicts throughout West and Central Africa.Elman and Adan have institutionalised Elman Peace’s approach so that it lasts for generations to come. With the vision to democratise knowledge, rather than increase the number of Elman Peace locations, they developed the network Peace by Africa, which has grown to over 60 peacebuilding organisations. Together with Peace by Africa, Elman Peace is empowering women and the next generation of youth to fully and equally participate in the processes that ensure their well-being.

L I F E
Right Livelihood Award 2021
Legal Initiative for Forest and Environment (LIFE) is an organisation working to protect the environment in India through the creative use of law and legal processes. LIFE works with communities through a grassroots approach: it assists and empowers often vulnerable populations to stand up against powerful interests and have a voice in the decision-making process, while also strengthening institutions and reforming laws.Noticing a lack of judicial access regarding environmental issues, LIFE was founded by lawyers Ritwick Dutta and Rahul Choudhary in 2005. Today, the organisation’s attorneys are among India’s leading public interest lawyers. LIFE has helped communities fight against some of India’s most significant environmental threats: the construction of ecologically destructive projects in violation of the law, preventing deforestation and making industrial polluters pay for the damage caused to the environment and public health.One of the early successes of LIFE has been a case against the British mining company Vedanta in the state of Odisha, which became a precedent-setting judgment. India’s Supreme Court recognised that the local community’s consent was required for such a project to commence.Since then, LIFE has continued to stand up against powerful interests threatening the wellbeing of people and nature, securing better environmental protections for communities across India.

Vladimir Slivyak
Right Livelihood Award 2021
Vladimir Slivyak is one of Russia’s most committed and knowledgeable environmentalists, who has been spearheading important grassroots campaigns against environmentally damaging practices for decades. He has stopped projects related to the exploitation of fossil fuels, the use of nuclear power and coal, and the shipment of radioactive waste from abroad.As co-chairman and co-founder of Ecodefense, one of Russia’s leading environmental organisations for decades, Slivyak has worked extensively on reducing environmental risks, mitigating the climate crisis and promoting renewable energy in Russia.Led by Slivyak, Ecodefense was the first environmental group in Russia to start an anti-coal campaign in 2013, which helped to empower local communities suffering from the impacts of coal mining and transportation. Connecting local communities around the country and information sharing led to a rapid growth of anti-coal protests in various parts of Russia.Slivyak has also opposed Russia’s promotion of nuclear energy both at home and abroad. These enormous successes have proven that even in authoritarian Russia, grassroots activities can effectively challenge government-backed projects.In recent years, Slivyak and Ecodefense have been targeted by Russian authorities for their work. However, Slivyak has stayed the course heartened by the growing influence of young climate activists. Standing with them, he is committed to ushering in a cleaner and more sustainable future for Russia and the world.

Freda Huson
Right Livelihood Award 2021
Freda Huson is a female chief (Dzeke ze’) from the Wet’suwet’en people in Canada. She has been a leading advocate for Indigenous communities reconnecting with their land and reclaiming control, including deciding over construction projects such as pipelines running through their territories.Realising the importance of living on ancestral land, in 2010 Huson moved into a log cabin on her people’s territory in Talbeetskwa, along the Morice River in British Columbia. Since then, she has been the coordinator of the Unist’ot’en camp that now includes a centre for people seeking to reconnect with the land and heal from colonial trauma.The Unist’ot’en camp also emerged as the main gathering place for people opposing the construction of the Coastal GasLink pipeline, which would transport shale gas across British Columbia. In 2020 Canadian authorities carried out a raid on an established checkpoint leading to the camp, which set off nationwide protests. While Huson’s actions have set the pipeline project back by years, it still remains under construction.Huson’s holistic approach to reclaiming Indigenous culture, land and rights stands in stark contrast to the horrendous crimes committed against Indigenous people in Canada, which have increasingly come to light in recent years. Huson has brought cultural renewal by leading Indigenous people back to their land.

Right Livelihood Award Laureates (2020 ~ 2016)
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Right Livelihood Award Laureates (2015 ~ 2011)
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Right Livelihood Award Laureates (2010 ~ 2006)
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Right Livelihood Award Laureates (2005 ~ 2001)
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Right Livelihood Award Laureates (2000 ~ 1996)
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Right Livelihood Award Laureates (1995 ~ 1991)
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Right Livelihood Award Laureates (1990 ~ 1986)
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