Summary: October 20, 2003: Sakharov Prize for 2003 awarded to UN in memory of Sergio Vieira de Mello
The Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought for 2003 has been awarded to "UN Secretary General Kofi Annan and all staff of the United Nations in special memory of Sergio Vieira de Mello and many other UN officials who have lost their lives in carrying out their work for peace in the world".
In the wake of the recent terrorist attacks in Iraq that caused the deaths of several UN employees, MEPs decided to award the prize to UN staff out of respect for their work, often performed in difficult conditions and at risk to their own lives.
The European Parliament's Conference of Presidents selected the winner at its meeting on Thursday 23 October. The prize will be awarded to Kofi Annan on 29 January 2004 at a formal sitting during the UN Secretary General's visit to Parliament in Brussels.
The Sakharov Prize, first awarded in 1988, is conferred upon individuals or organisations who have made a decisive contribution to the fight for human rights. The prize, named in honour of Andrei Sakharov, gives recognition to those who have fought for human rights and fundamental freedoms and against oppression and injustice.
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