Let’s celebrate the people who help others. Let’s recognise their achievements in the field of human rights!

Do you know an individual, a group of individuals or an organisation that did something extraordinary to defend the human rights of others, who acted bravely beyond the call of duty? Whose deeds made a difference to people’s lives and are worth celebrating? Does their work deserve recognition and a prize of 10,000 euros?

At the initiative of the Swedish Government and the Hungarian Parliament, the Council of Europe has created a Raoul Wallenberg Prize in order to keep the memory of Raoul Wallenberg's achievements alive.

Starting in 2014, the Council of Europe Raoul Wallenberg Prize, worth € 10 000, will be awarded every two years in order to reward extraordinary humanitarian achievements by a single individual, a group of individuals or an organisation. The award ceremony will take place at the Council of Europe around 17 January – the date of Raoul Wallenberg's arrest in Budapest in 1945.

The Jury consists of six independent persons with recognised moral standing in the field of human rights and humanitarian action, and appointed by: the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, the Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the municipality of Budapest, the Raoul Wallenberg Institute in Lund, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the Raoul Wallenberg family.

2024 Prize

Back PACE Winter Session: hatred against LGBTI people, football governance, Alexei Navalny poisoning

PACE Winter Session: hatred against LGBTI people, football governance, Alexei Navalny poisoning

Debates on combating rising hate against LGBTI people in Europe and on alleged violations of their rights in the Southern Caucasus, on business and values in football governance – with an intervention by FIFA President Giovanni Infantino – on the poisoning of Alexei Navalny, and on the role of the media in times of crisis, are among highlights of the 2022 Winter Session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), to be held from 24 to 28 January in hybrid format.

On 27 January the Assembly holds a special event to mark the International Day of Commemoration in memory of the victims of the Holocaust, with the participation of French Education, Youth and Sports Minister Jean-Michel Blanquer, and video speeches and video messages from survivors. The event will be followed by a debate on the Observatory on History Teaching in Europe.

At the opening of the Session, the Assembly will elect its new President. The Chairperson of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Željko Komšić, will also address the parliamentarians. The Assembly will also hold its usual exchange of views with the Italian Presidency of the Committee of Ministers. Council of Europe Secretary General Marija Pejčinović Burić will also address the Assembly.

Also on the agenda are debates on the EU pact on migration and asylum seen from a human rights perspective, the right of children to be heard in a democracy and on climate change, enforced disappearances on Council of Europe territory, and the functioning of democratic institutions in Armenia.

 2022 Winter Session special page

Parliamentary Assembly session Strasbourg 21 January 2022
  • Diminuer la taille du texte
  • Augmenter la taille du texte
  • Imprimer la page

Related Assets

More information
Video
Interview
About Raoul Wallenberg


In Budapest in 1944, Swedish diplomat Raoul Wallenberg used his status to save tens of thousands of Jews from the Holocaust. His actions show that one person's courage and ability can really make a difference, offering inspiration to us all to speak out and indeed to act against persecution, xenophobia and anti-Semitism.

In recognition of his outstanding contribution during that period, the State of Israel awarded Wallenberg the title of "Righteous among the Nations". He was also made an honorary citizen of Israel, the United States, Canada and Hungary.

Raoul Wallenberg was arrested by the Soviet forces on 17 January 1945. His fate remains an intriguing mystery. There is still no clear picture of what happen to him after his arrest.