Norway is proud to partner with the UN Refugee Agency on this Award, named after our famed Norwegian polar explorer, statesman and Nobel laureate, Fridtjof Nansen.
For 66 years the Nansen Refugee Award has honoured extraordinary individuals and groups that have courageously gone beyond the call of duty to help refugees or stateless people.
As the United Nation's oldest and most prestigious humanitarian Prize, the Nansen Refugee Award serves a powerful platform to advocate for some of the most vulnerable people in the world.
I am delighted to congratulate the 2020 Laureate, Mayerlín Vergara Pérez, of Colombia: Maye – you are truly courageous. You have identified and rescued hundreds of young people. Your work highlights the importance of preventing the terrible crime of trafficking and exploitation of refugee children.
To everyone watching around the world, I hope you will join me in celebrating this year’s Award winner and her extraordinary efforts!