UNHCR’s Filippo Grandi lauds refugee champions at his final Nansen Refugee Award ceremony

GENEVA - Filippo Grandi, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, last night lauded four exceptional individuals and a front-line organization, in the presence of UNHCR Global Goodwill Ambassador Cate Blanchett, for winning UNHCR's Nansen Refugee Award, celebrating their courage, solidarity and leadership supporting people forced to flee.

Established in 1954, the Nansen Refugee Award is UNHCR's highest distinction, recognizing those who demonstrate exceptional commitment to protecting refugees, internally displaced and stateless people. This year's ceremony carried added resonance as Grandi used the occasion, his last at the helm of the UN Refugee Agency, to "send off" a new generation of champions for refugees, whose actions embody the values he has championed throughout his 10-year tenure.

"The Nansen Refugee Award celebrates extraordinary courage and compassion. This year's laureates remind us that, even in dark times, compassion remains undimmed," said Filippo Grandi. "They show us that commitment to refugees does not rest in one office or one voice. It lives in the actions of people like them, people who choose humanity over fear, solidarity over indifference."

The 2025 global laureate, Chief Martin Azia Sodea of Cameroon, exemplifies that spirit. When refugees fleeing violence in the Central African Republic arrived at the village of Gado-Badzéré, Chief Sodea and his community did not close their doors. Instead, they shared land for shelter and farming, enabling more than 36,000 refugees to rebuild their lives alongside the host population. Under his leadership, a small village became a powerful symbol of peaceful coexistence, inspiring other traditional leaders across the region to welcome displaced people with dignity and respect.

"Challenges remain: forced displacement is rising while resources are shrinking," he highlighted. "Yet solutions exist. They begin with community and sharing. Inclusion, even with modest means, builds peace and dignity."

Four regional laureates were also honoured:

• Pablo Moreno Cadena (Americas) - A senior executive at MABE in Mexico who transformed corporate practice by opening doors to refugees.
• Proliska (Europe) - A Ukrainian humanitarian organization that has delivered life-saving assistance to more than 3.2 million people.
• Taban Shoresh (Middle East & North Africa) - Founder of the women-led organization The Lotus Flower, supporting more than 105,000 conflict survivors in Iraq.
• Negara Nazari (Asia-Pacific) - An Afghan refugee and co-founder of the Ariana Learning Centre in Tajikistan, a refugee-run school for Afghan and local children.

The ceremony also featured Blanchett, who reflected on the deeper meaning of the evening and challenged the audience to move beyond admiration.

"People whose goodness, whose tireless work and sacrifice has had consequences - their work has gone a long way to help transfigure the ugliness which some days might otherwise engulf us," she said. "Tonight, we marvel at these Nansen Laureates' vision and dedication. But if that is all we do this evening - if we leave our marvelling at the congratulations, the trophies, the speeches - we will have missed a golden opportunity to reflect on what their wonderful work inspires us all to do."

As Grandi closed the ceremony, the symbolism was clear: while one chapter of leadership at UNHCR is ending, the movement to protect people forced to flee continues through those willing to act.

"These laureates are not only honourees," Grandi said. "They are champions for refugees. Tonight, we celebrate them - and we entrust them, and all of us, with carrying this cause forward."

For more than 70 years, the Nansen Refugee Award has shone a light on those who refuse to look away from suffering. From village chiefs and refugee educators to business leaders, women's rights advocates and front-line responders, the 2025 laureates stand as living proof that individual and collective action can save lives, restore dignity, and reshape the futures of people forced to flee.

The ceremony was hosted by UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador Leanne Manas and featured performances by Ahmad Joudeh, a former stateless refugee and ballet dancer and choreographer; Maria Sur, a singer and refugee from Ukraine; and Toussaint Chiza, a former refugee and Congolese-Swedish singer.

For more information, please contact:

• In Geneva, Matthew Saltmarsh: [email protected], +41 79 967 99 36
• In Geneva, Babar Baloch, [email protected], +41 79 513 95 49
• In Geneva, Eujin Byun, [email protected], +41 79 747 87 19