Head of Kidnapped Yazidi Rescue Office, awards Polish Sergio Vieira De Mello Prize
Poland (GOV.KRD) - Villa Decius Association has just announced winners of seventeenth edition of Polish Sergio De Mello Prize. The award is given for persons and organization deserved in activity in support of protection and promotion of human rights, and peaceful coexistence and cooperation of societies, religions and cultures. In the category “person” the winner is Hussein Alqaidi.
He was nominated by KRG Representation in Poland Ziyad Raoof which prepared nomination form with pictures, videos and information about Hussein Alqaidi rescuing Yazidi People. This year more than 10 candidates from various parts of the world were proposed.
KRG Poland was also involved in lobbying in favor of Hussein Alqaidi. The representation sent letters and had a series of meetings with members of the award committee. The committee consisted among others of representatives of the President of the Republic of Poland, Ambassador of Brazil to Poland, Ambassador of Sweden to Poland, UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Polish Ombudsman for Citizen Rights, the Mayor of Kraków, the US Council General in Kraków and many other NGOs.
The award gala will be held on 10 December 2020. This year the event will take place only in on-line mode due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The recipients will be presented with a statuette, commemorative diplomas, and a monetary prize 10 000 PLN.
KRG Representation in Poland has been cooperating with Villa Decius Foundation for many years, organizing many joint events and conferences also devoted to Yazidi affaires. The award committee of Sergio De Mello prize has been always deeply focused of Middle East affairs. In 2017 Barzani Charity Foundation was awarded the prize in the category “organization”, in 2009 it was UNAMI (United Nations Assistance Mission in Iraq), in 2018 Iraqi human rights activist Hanaa Edwar won the prize.
Many prominent figures of international politics were among laureates of Sergio De Mello Prize, for example: former prime minister of Poland Tadeusz Mazowiecki, former chairman of Israeli parliament Szewach Weiss, former French minister of foreign affairs Bernard Kuchner, former Russian ombudsman and founder of “Memorial” organization Sergey Kovalov, UN peace negotiator in Syria- Staffan de Mistura.
