Today the European Union and Norway are pleased to announce the three people shortlisted for the EU Human Rights Defenders Award 2021. The three are: -

Ritah Aciro Lakor is the Executive Director of Uganda Women’s’ Network (UWONET) and has been at the forefront of advocacy and campaigning on the rights of women and girls for almost 20 years. Ms. Aciro is passionate about up lifting the status of women and girls and providing equal opportunities in all aspects of their lives. She has worked extensively with communities and governments in Uganda and East African on a wide range of issues including the role of girls and women in leadership, women’s land rights, combatting gender-based violence, women in peace building as well as civic and voter education and election observation.

Rosemary Nambooze is the founder and Director of Angel’s Center for Children with Special needs in Wakiso. After her second son was born with Down Syndrome, an intellectual disability, Ms. Nambooze became aware of the lack of services and facilities in Uganda for children with disabilities. She established the Angel’s Center in 2012 to provide vital services to children with intellectual disabilities and their families. Ms. Nambooze has also worked to combat the practice of so-called mercy killings of disabled people and to scale up community-based psychosocial support during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Moses Mulumba  is the Executive Director of the Centre for Health, Human Rights and Development (CEHURD), a non-profit focusing on sexual and reproductive health rights and medical ethics which affect vulnerable people. In August 2020, Mr. Mulumba helped to win a landmark Constitutional Petition in which the court found that the failure to provide basic material health care violated the right to health guaranteed in Uganda’s constitution. During the COVID-19 pandemic lock down, Mr. Mulumba was a strong advocate for equitable access to COVID related information and services.

The standard of nominations was extremely high again this year, with the EU and Norway receiving over one hundred nominations for the 2021 Award. Dozens of Human Rights Defenders from all over the country, working on a wide range of human rights issues, were nominated.

"We congratulate this year’s three shortlisted candidates. Year after year, we are impressed by the large number of high-quality nominations received for the Human Rights Defender award," said EU Ambassador to Uganda, H.E. Attilio Pacifici. "It is an encouraging sign that women and men of all ages and from all regions of this country contribute their time and energies to advance the rights of their fellow Ugandans. At the same time, it tells us that there continue to be critical needs to be addressed across the full spectrum of civil and political rights as well as social, economic and cultural rights in Uganda."

The EU Human Rights Defender Award is given annually by the EU Delegation in Uganda, EU Member States present in the country and the Embassy of Norway to recognise the outstanding contribution of a human rights defender in Uganda. The 2021 Award winner will be announced at a ceremony in Kampala to be broadcast live on NTV Television from 3.30pm to 4.30pm on Thursday 29^th April, 2021.

For further information about the Award, please write to the EU Delegation in Kampala on DELEGATION-UGANDA-HUMAN-RIGHTS-DEFENDERS@eeas.europa.eu or call +256 776 008 187.