This year’s honorees include five remarkable winners from Cameroon, Mexico, Ukraine, Iraq and Tajikistan, each recognized for their courage, empathy and determination to protect those forced to flee.
Established in 1954, the award recognizes those who go above and beyond the call of duty to support refugees, internally displaced people and stateless people.
Announcing the winners, UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi said their actions demonstrate that humanity continues to prevail.
“This year’s honorees remind us that even in dark times, compassion remains intact“, he said.
“Their unwavering commitment to the protection and improvement of displaced people offers hope and inspiration. They embody the spirit of Nansen – a belief that everyone forced to flee, wherever they are, deserves dignity, security and hope.”
A village opens its doors to you
The 2025 global winner, Chef Martin Azia Sodea from Cameroon, has become a symbol of what hospitality and leadership can look like.
When tens of thousands of Central African refugees arrived in his village of Gado-Badzéré, he and his community made a collective decision: no one should be turned away. Under his leadership, families donated land for shelter and farming, helping 36,000 people rebuild their lives.
“We are all human beings and we need to take care of each other,” said Chief Sodea.
He remembers villagers saving exhausted people who had collapsed along the road. “We couldn’t watch our brothers die. There is no distinction between refugees and the host population. We live together.”
His example encouraged other traditional leaders to follow suit, helping to change attitudes in the region and demonstrating how empathy can reshape entire communities.
Pablo Moreno Cadena, a business leader in Mexico, has become a pioneer of refugee inclusion in the country.
Regional champions
Four regional winners will also be honored this year. In Mexico, business leader Pablo Moreno Cadena has become a driving force for refugee inclusion by encouraging major appliance manufacturer MABE to hire hundreds of refugees, proving that integrating displaced people strengthens workplaces and communities.
In Ukraine, the Proliska organization continues to provide lifesaving aid to millions of people, often reaching some areas just hours after bombings or airstrikes. Their teams work where few others can, ensuring “no one is left behind”.
In Iraq, Taban Shoresh, a genocide survivor turned activist – founded The Lotus Flower, a women-led organization that supports more than 105,000 conflict survivors with protection, counseling and livelihoods.
And in Tajikistan, Afghan refugee Negara Nazari co-founded the Ariana Learning Center, a school providing displaced Afghan children with the education they were previously denied. A former scholarship student, she chose to give others the opportunities she once had.
Together, this year’s honorees send a powerful message that acts of kindness, inclusion and courage can transform lives – and that even in the most difficult times, humanity endures.
Publicado anteriormente en Almouwatin.
