Prince Zeid named recipient of 2015 Stockholm Human Rights Award

AMMAN — HH Prince Zeid has been announced as the recipient of the 2015 Stockholm Human Rights Award in recognition of his work in the pursuit of advancing international justice and for strengthening respect for human rights. 

Prince Zeid, the United Nations high commissioner for human rights, will receive the award — conferred annually by the Swedish Bar Association, the International Bar Association and the International Legal Assistance Consortium (ILAC) — at a ceremony on November 24 in Stockholm, Sweden, according to a statement on the ILAC website.

Unanimously elected to the position of UN high commissioner for human rights, Prince Zeid “has a robust track record” on accountability for grave crimes; fighting against sexual and gender-based violence; and condemning and leading investigations into abuses allegedly committed by UN peacekeeping personnel and insisting on a zero-tolerance policy for such offences, the statement said.

“He is an avid advocate in the fight against impunity, and was a key figure in the establishment of the International Criminal Court.” 

His career also includes work for the UN in the former Yugoslavia, after which he helped ensure the issuance of a report documenting the causes of the genocide in Srebrenica.

Prince Zeid served as Jordan’s deputy permanent representative, and then permanent representative, at the UN from 1996 to 2007. 

Then for three years, he was Jordan’s ambassador to the United States of America, before returning to the UN in 2010 as Jordan’s permanent representative.

“As the first UN High Commissioner from the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, many MENA coalition members agree that his appointment signalled the international community’s commitment to the defence of human rights in the Arab world,” the statement said. 

“With tensions escalating in many parts of the MENA region, the challenges he has faced, and continues to face, in addressing injustice and human rights violations are significant,” it added.

The Stockholm Human Rights Award was established in 2009 and is awarded annually to a person or an organisation for outstanding services in the support of human rights and the rule of law.