GRACA MACHEL NAMED 1995 NANSEN MEDAL WINNER
Press Release
REF/1123
GRACA MACHEL NAMED 1995 NANSEN MEDAL WINNER
19951018 GENEVA, 17 October (UNHCR) -- Mozambican humanitarian Graca Machel was named today as the 1995 Nansen Medal winner for her outstanding contributions on behalf of refugee children.High Commissioner for Refugees Sadako Ogata, will present the award, the thirty-fifth since 1955, to Ms. Machel at a ceremony on Friday, 20 October, at the Palais des Nations in Geneva.
Ms. Machel, an activist and humanitarian since her student days in Portugal, was involved in Mozambique's liberation movement and, at the age of 29, was appointed State Secretary for Education in the post-independence Government. She was the only woman in the Cabinet, and held the education portfolio until 1989. In 1975, she married Samora Machel, the first president of Mozambique.
Since her husband's death in a plane crash in october 1986, Ms. Machel has worked tirelessly for the development of Mozambique, overseeing efforts to provide universal education for all children and promoting peace and reconciliation in her war-torn homeland.
Ms. Machel is currently chairperson of an unprecedented United Nations study on the impact of armed conflict on children. The study, aimed at finding effective measures for the promotion and protection of the rights of child victims of armed conflict, is providing new insights into the plight of refugee children.
In announcing the award, Mrs. Ogata paid special tribute to Ms. Machel's efforts to help children worldwide. "In awarding the 1995 Nansen Medal to Graca Machel, the Nansen Committee is also paying homage to the millions of refugee children whose rights are imperiled by war," Mrs. Ogata said. "Ms. Machel's work is of enormous benefit to these children."
The Nansen Medal is named after Norwegian diplomat and explorer Fridtjof Nansen, the first High Commissioner for Refugees under the League of Nations. It was created to focus attention on refugees and to give new impetus to the need for international support for the uprooted.
The Nansen Committee, which is chaired by Mrs. Ogata, is composed of members designated by the Governments of Norway and Switzerland, and of representatives from the Council of Europe and the International Council of Voluntary Agencies.
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