UNHCR awards the 2010 Nansen Refugee Award to Alixandra Fazzina
GENEVA, 9 July 2010 - The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) today announced the winner of its annual Nansen Refugee Award, British photo-journalist Alixandra Fazzina. Ms. Fazzina was chosen for her tireless dedication to uncovering and portraying the overlooked human consequences of war.
Over the last ten years Alixandra Fazzina has tirelessly documented the plight of the uprooted through distinctive and moving photo reportages. Alixandra Fazzina's work has taken her to Eastern Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Asia to cover human tragedies often neglected by mainstream media.
On winning the Award Alixandra Fazzina said: "I am overwhelmed and absolutely delighted to have been recognized by UNHCR and commended with this distinguished award. Much of my work documents the plight of refugees and the internally displaced and my aim has always been to raise awareness of those forced to flee conflict, violence and misery. To give up one's home and the subsequent struggle to build a new life is one of the hardest challenges anybody can face. Millions every year however have no other choice."
In announcing the Nansen Award, U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees António Guterres said: "Alixandra Fazzina stands out as a fearless humanitarian who achieves something remarkable by unearthing and so vividly portraying individual stories of uprooted people. Her particular talent, her commitment and empathy and her incredible devotion to getting to the bottom of every story makes her an exemplary chronicler of the world's most vulnerable people."
Ms. Fazzina began her career as a photojournalist embedded with the British army in Bosnia. Since then, she has turned her lens from the frontlines to the refugee camps to document the human suffering caused by war. She has been recognized in particular for her coverage of land mine victims in Kosovo, civilians stranded behind enemy lines in Angola, rape as a weapon of war in Sierra Leone, the abuse of children by militias in Congo and Uganda and the refugee situations in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Ms. Fazzina spent two years in Somalia chronicling the exodus of migrants and refugees from Somalia to the Arabian Peninsula and the smuggling business in the Gulf of Aden. This work resulted in a book, "A Million Shillings, Escape from Somalia", which will be published in September 2010. Risking her life to spend time with people in the squalid shelters along the coast, she captured first hand the despair and suffering of those trying to cross the Gulf of Aden in search of a better life.
The Nansen Refugee Award was created in 1954 in honour of Fridtjof Nansen, Norwegian explorer, scientist and the first U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees. It is given annually to an individual or organisation for outstanding work on behalf of refugees. The Nansen Award consists of a commemorative medal and a US$100,000 monetary prize donated by the governments of Switzerland and Norway. The winner can donate it to a cause of his or her choice.
The Nansen Award Ceremony will take place on 5 October 2010 in Geneva.
-
A letter from Mosul
19 Jun 2018 When UNHCR Special Envoy Angelina Jolie visited West Mosul, nearly a year after its liberation, she found that many of its neighbourhoods still lie in ruins. -
UNHCR Global Trends 2017
18 Jun 2018 -
UNHCR urges family unity at southern US border
18 Jun 2018 -
Iraq: Angelina Jolie visits families returning to Mosul
17 Jun 2018 -
UNHCR warns against repeat of Aquarius disembarkation standoff as boat arrives in Spain
17 Jun 2018 -
Statement by UNHCR Special Envoy Angelina Jolie at Domiz refugee camp in Iraq
17 Jun 2018 -
Angelina Jolie visits Mosul, urges world not to forget the people of the city and warns of the danger of delay in reconstruction and recovery
16 Jun 2018 UNHCR Special Envoy meets families who survived years of terror and displacement and who are now striving to rebuild their homes and lives. -
Angelina Jolie visits West Mosul, where Iraqi families are returning home to ruins
16 Jun 2018 The UNHCR Special Envoy met with families who survived years of terror and displacement. Although the world seems to have forgotten them, they are determined to rebuild. -
MYAN Australia Response to Draft 3 of the Global Compact on Refugees
15 Jun 2018 MYAN Australia