Villa Decius Association - Forum for Dialoque between Cultures. Krakow, Conference, Workshops, Trainings, Exhibitions

SERGIO VIEIRA DE MELLO PRIZE
- UN High Commissioner for Human Rights
(2002-2003)

About the Prize

Nomination form (doc)

Awarding Process (doc)

Regulations (doc)

honorary patronage:

Ambassador of the Federative Republic of Brazil to Poland
Ambassador of the Kingdom of Sweden to Poland
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees

Following the initiative of the Villa Decius Association Sergio Vieira de Mello Prize was established in the year 2003 with an aim to promote democracy and tolerance, and to pay tribute to Sergio Vieira de Mello, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. The Prize is awarded for special merits in peaceful coexistence and cooperation of communities, religions and cultures.

The prize is awarded annually in two categories:

a person
a non-governmental organisation

The Prize might be awarded to individuals and institutions from Poland and abroad. The Prize is awarded by the Award Committee composed of the High Representatives of: the President of the Republic of Poland; Ambassador of the Federative Republic of Brazil to Poland; UN High Commissioner for Refugees; Embassies, Consulates and Foundations supporting actions of the Villa Decius Association in matters related to human rights; Institute of National Remembrance; Commissioner for Civil Rights Protection; founders of the Prize; Chairman and Director of the Villa Decius Association.

The Laureates are given a statuette by Andrzej Renes and a personal Diploma; the award might also have a financial dimension. The ceremony of awarding the Prize will take place on 8 October 2009, during an international conference Traps of Freedom, at Villa Decius, Krakow.

Sergio Vieira de Mello
(1948-2003)

Born in Rio de Janeiro in 1948, studied philosophy and humanistic studies at Pantheon Sorbonne University of Paris. Being still a student, he started to cooperate with the United Nations, to become fully involved in the activities of the Office of the High Commissioner for Refugees in Geneva. He participated in numerous humanitarian and peacekeeping actions including Bangladesh, the Sudan, Cyprus, Mozambique and Peru.

In 1981 he became Senior Political Advisor of UN peacekeeping forces in Lebanon. In the period 1983-91, he was the Chief of the Cabinet of the High Commissioner, the Head of Regional Bureau of Asia and Oceania, and the Head of Section of International Relations. In the years 1991-96 he acted as a Special Envoy of the High Commissioner for Refugees in Cambodia.

In 1996 he was nominated the Assistant of the High Commissioner for Refugees of UN and in 1998 took his post in New York as the General Undersecretary for Humanitarian Actions. Then he acted as the special Envoy of UN to Kosovo and in the years: 1999-2002 Chief Representative of UNTAC in East Timor. On September 12, 2002 he was nominated to the post of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. In May 2003, acting as the Special Envoy of the Secretary General of the United Nations, he went for a mission to Iraq.

He was killed in a bomb attack on the UN headquarters in Baghdad on 19 August 2003.

Laureates 2004: