The annual European Union Human Rights Defenders Award (EU HRD), now in its sixth year, is granted by the EU and its Member States in Uganda, and Norway to recognise the achievements of Human Rights Defenders in Uganda.
The Heads of Missions of the EU Member States, the EU Delegation and Norway, are happy to announce Ms. Pamela Judith Angwech, as winner of the EU Human Rights Defenders Award 2017.
Ms. Angwech is Founder & Executive Director of the Gulu Women’s Economic Development & Globalization (GWED-G), the region’s largest grassroots human rights organization, focused on women and youth, in 2004. GWED-G has programs in a number of domains, including health, human rights, peace building, economic empowerment and livelihoods, psychosocial support and counseling, and research and advocacy.
In winning the prestigious award, Ms Angwech is recognised for:
- Her leadership role to promote the rights of war-affected women and girls who are suffering as a result of the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) war in Northern Uganda. She is at the forefront of advancing women’s and girl’s rights and gender equality in the district of Gulu, Nwoya and Amuru through empowering grassroots groups.
- Her relentless commitment to support over 400 women’s groups to ensure women and girls have equal rights to resources and livelihoods and are given a political voice and her extensive experience with community-based human rights policy and post-conflict development.
- Her strong and sharp voice on zero tolerance to sexual and gender based violence following up on cases within the judiciary system. She has been working on this evil over the past few years and has cumulatively responded to 670 GBV cases- most of them with positive results for the victims.
- Her visibility and audacity to speak on behalf of the voiceless in various human rights platforms at local and national level, including the International Conference for Great Lakes Region, the UN1325SCR Coalition platform, the regional GBV and District Working Groups on Gender and VAWG, UWONET, CEWIGO and HURINET.
The 2017 edition of the award ceremony was hosted under the auspices of the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Uganda.
Speaking at the event, Henk Jan Bakker, the Ambassador of the Netherlands to Uganda said:
“It was the start of a long journey of more than 10 years, without knowing where it would bring you. And it seems to me that you knew very well that the road you took is not important, but the traces you leave behind. And you’ve left many, many traces behind, showing the way forward. Your voice is loud and clear, not only in Northern Uganda but also in various human rights platforms in Uganda and abroad. We, your European allies, are listening to you and we remain committed as your diplomatic Human Rights Defenders advocates”.
Background
Human Rights Defenders (HRDs) are individuals who, individually or with others, act to promote and protect universally recognised human rights and fundamental freedoms. These include civil and political rights as well as economic, social and cultural rights. The work of HRDs has a positive impact on a country’s development and is essential for encouraging the respect for human rights as recognised by international human rights standards and agreements. HRDs need to be protected from interference and reprisals while executing their work. The HRDs rights to freedom of expression, association and assembly need to be safeguarded to enable them to defend others.
An individual eligible for the EU HRD Award is nominated by another individual or organization. Human Rights organizations active in Uganda were invited to nominate candidates for the award. Candidates were assessed by a jury composed of human rights experts of different European Embassies and the EU Heads of Mission.
Past winners of the EU HRD Award include Mr Gerald Kankya (2012) of Twerwaneho Listeners Club, Mr Geoffrey Wokulira Ssebaggala (2013) former Coordinator of Human Rights Network for Journalists (HRNJ), the three joint winners (2014) Ms Gladys Canogura of Kitgum Women Peace Initiative, Assistant Commissioner of Police Christine Alalo, Head of the Uganda Police Family and Child Protection Unit, and Mr Mohammed Ndifuna, Director of the Human Rights Network Uganda, Dr. Livingstone Sewanyana (2015), Founder & Executive Director of the Foundation for Human Rights Initiative (FHRI) and Robert Sempala (2016) of the Human Rights Network of Journalists (HRNJ).
The EU Member States, the EU Delegation and Norway would like to thank everyone who participated in the nomination process and express their gratitude for the excellent cooperation and the outstanding work of the Ugandan Human Rights Defenders and their organisations.