Ukrainian Tetiana Barantsova receive UNHCR Nansen Prize for European Region
The Ukrainian government ombudsman for the rights of people with disabilities Tetiana Barantsova received the Nansen Prize of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in the European Region in 2020, said Noel Kalhoun, Deputy Representative of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.
"In 2020, the regional winner of this award is Mrs. Tetyana Barantsova [...] She worked in Luhansk region, in the east of Ukraine, where she was a co-founder of the Ami-Vostok organization dedicated to protecting the rights of people with disabilities in Ukraine," she said at the online awards ceremony on Monday.
According to Kalhoun, in 2014, after the outbreak of the conflict, Barantsova had to move with her family from the East.
"As soon as she arrived here, she immediately began to receive calls from people who also tried to get out of there, she organized a hotline in order to identify those who need help. As a result, thousands of people were saved, they got to safe places, and, once there, a new stage, no less difficult, began - to find a new life, a new job, schools for children, to get new documents. Mrs. Barantsova, together with her team, helped thousands of people to resume their lives after moving out of the conflict zone," she said.
Norwegian Ambassador to Ukraine Erik Svedahl said that Barantsova, like no one else, deserves to receive this award.
"Mrs. Barantsova is receiving our prize in the European region this year. She and her family have suffered from the conflict in Eastern Europe. And her civic organization is committed to protecting the rights of internally displaced persons and children and youth with special needs. [.. ] Her activism, her active civic position, her devotion, her courage and, of course, we note her sympathy, her willingness to help. Mrs. Barantsova, like no one else, deserves to receive this award," the ambassador said.
The Nansen Prize is an annual Human Rights Award from the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, awarded for achievements in the protection of refugee rights.
Еще по теме
