OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities launches call for nominations for 2020 Max van der Stoel Award

The Max van der Stoel Award is presented by the Government of the Netherlands every two years. It honours the memory of distinguished Dutch statesman and the first OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities, Max van der Stoel (seen here in Vukovar, Croatia). (OSCE)

Press Release

THE HAGUE, 14 February 2020 – OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities Lamberto Zannier today launched a call for nominations for the 2020 Max van der Stoel Award. The award of 50,000 euros recognizes extraordinary and outstanding achievements in improving the position of national minorities in OSCE participating States. The deadline for nominations is 3 April 2020.

Eligible candidates include individuals, groups or institutions with a record of excellence in the field of improving the position and rights of national minorities in the OSCE area.

“I encourage all interested persons to propose their preferred candidate(s) by contacting an OSCE field operation, institution (ODIHR, RFOM, HCNM as well as the OSCE Secretariat and OSCE Parliamentary Assembly) or delegation,” said Zannier. “Only these OSCE entities can formally nominate candidates and I invite them to support all the proposals they receive and to submit their chosen candidate(s) to my office by the 3 April deadline. I also urge them to proactively engage with civil society and encourage proposals for eligible candidates.”

OSCE field operations, institutions and delegations should send their nominations directly to the office of the High Commissioner on National Minorities via email (mvds@hcnm.org), through the online nomination form (maxvanderstoelaward.com) or by mail/diplomatic post to:

OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities

Max van der Stoel Award

Prinsessegracht 22

2514 AP The Hague

The Netherlands

After receiving all nominations, a special jury composed of distinguished experts of international repute and chaired by the High Commissioner will choose the winner. The award will be presented at a ceremony in The Hague in November 2020.

Established in 2001 by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands, the award honours Max van der Stoel, a prominent Dutch statesperson who was the first OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities, and aims to draw attention to issues related to national minorities.

More information about the award is available in this factsheet.