THE Franco-German Prize for Human Rights and the Rule of Law was presented to Philippine Alliance of Human Rights Advocates (Pahra) Secretary-General Rosemarie Trajano on December 12 by no less than the ambassadors of France and Germany to the Philippines.
Trajano was jointly nominated by the German and French Embassies in the Philippines for her outstanding work with Pahra, which brings together about 50 organizations nationwide advocating for all human rights.
A nurse by profession and a human-rights advocate since 1986, the Secretary-General has more than 30 years of experience in working to engage civil society in the Philippines in defense and protection of human rights in all its forms: from gender equality to health, workers’ rights, to indigenous people’s rights, among others.
She is one of the 15 awardees selected by the Franco-German Council of Ministers from a list of nominees put forward by the French and German embassies all over the world.
Ambassador of Germany to the Philippines Dr. Gordon Kricke said, “The promotion and the protection of human rights worldwide is a paramount objective of German and French foreign policies.”
Drawing from lessons in history, Germany enshrines the inviolability and inalienability of human dignity and human rights under its constitution. The universality of human rights is central to the European Union foreign policy and the United Nations, through which the Universal Human Rights Declaration of 1948 was instituted.
“Human-rights defenders in many parts of the world need considerable courage for their work. They are often threatened, persecuted or even killed,” Kricke added. “The human-rights day which we celebrated days ago reminded us again that we have to continue to build a world where all people can live free of fear, in peace and dignity.”
For his part, Ambassador of France to the Philippines Nicolas Galey emphasized that the award serves as an inspiration to those who work for the defense of “our fundamental and universal freedoms wherever, whenever and in all circumstances” as he praised Trajano’s commitment to defend and promote human rights in the Philippines.
Galey went further: “France and Germany may not share a common geography or history with the Philippines, but what binds us together is our common commitment to the promotion and defense of the democratic universal values enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.”
The awardees were announced on December 9 in commemoration of the International Human Rights Defenders Day.
Announced in April 2016 by the Franco-German Council of Ministers as an annual international award, the Franco-German Prize for Human Rights and the Rule of Law pays tribute to men and women who work toward defending human rights around the world and whose actions deserved support and recognition. It serves as a symbol of France and Germany’s shared values and commitments to protect human rights for all.
Awardees each receive a diploma and a medal designed by Anna Martha Napp. The medal features a hand cradling a newborn baby symbolizing the common dependence of every individual on the protection promised by universal and inviolable human rights and the rule of law. The back of the medal shows the symbol of human rights: a hand stylized as a dove.
Image credits: Embassies of France and Germany in the Phils.