Geneva: Four extraordinary individuals and a front-line national organization, who have demonstrated inspirational courage and compassion by helping those forced to flee, have won this year's prestigious Nansen Refugee Award from UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency. Established in 1954, the Nansen Award honors individuals, groups, and organizations who go beyond the call of duty to protect refugees, as well as internally displaced and stateless people. According to United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, the winners in 2025 include a village chief in Cameroon, who helped integrate 36,000 refugees; the founder of a refugee-run school in Tajikistan; a women's organization in Iraq reaching 105,000 conflict survivors; a business executive in Mexico who helped hire hundreds of refugees; and frontline responders in Ukraine who stay put when others evacuate. The Nansen Refugee Award celebrates extraordinary courage and compassion, said the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi. This year's laureates re mind us that, even in dark times, compassion remains undimmed. Their unwavering commitment to protecting and uplifting displaced people offers hope and inspiration. They embody the spirit of Nansen - a belief that every person forced to flee, wherever they are, deserves dignity, safety, and hope. This year's global laureate, Chief Martin Azia Sodea from Cameroon, is a visionary leader who has touched thousands of lives with his humanity and generosity. When refugees from the Central African Republic fled to their village, the people of Gado-Badzéré did not turn them away. Led by Chief Sodea and his family, they offered the newcomers a chance to rebuild, providing land for shelter and farming. His leadership turned a small village into a symbol of solidarity, built on the belief that those who arrive in distress deserve support and space to breathe. Chief Sodea has also inspired other traditional leaders to support refugees, helping spark a shift in how refugees are welcomed across the region, and proving th at empathy can be a powerful force for change. His message is simple yet profound: We are all human beings, and we have to take care of each other. The four regional winners to be honored this year are: Pablo Moreno Cadena (Americas), a business leader in Mexico who has become a trailblazer for refugee inclusion in the country. A senior executive at MABE, a major appliance manufacturer, he encouraged the company to actively hire and integrate refugees into its workforce. Proliska (Europe), a Ukrainian organization providing life-saving aid to more than 3.2 million people, often in the most dangerous and isolated areas. In the aftermath of air strikes and shelling, Proliska is often among the first to respond, ensuring no one is left behind. Taban Shoresh (Middle East and North Africa) is an aid worker, women's rights activist and founder of The Lotus Flower, a women-led organization that supports conflict survivors in Iraq. A genocide survivor, Taban was inspired by her own experiences to make a real diff erence in the lives of displaced women and girls in the Kurdistan region of Iraq. Negara Nazari (Asia-Pacific), an Afghan refugee and co-founder of the Ariana Learning Centre in Tajikistan. A former DAFI scholar with a degree in economics, Negara chose a path rooted in compassion and action. Instead of pursuing a corporate career, she decided to build a school for young Afghan refugees who were unable to access education.
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