Finnish Science Academies’ Risto Pelkonen Human Rights Award will be granted in spring 2024 for active efforts in promoting human rights in academic communities. The Human Rights Award, given for the third time, is named after Finland’s archiatrist Risto Pelkonen. Pelkonen is one of the founding members of the Human Rights Committee of the Finnish Science Academies. Last year, the award was presented to the Finnish National Theatre for the theatre play ‘Docents’.
The criteria for the award:
- The award can be granted to a person, an organisation, or a community for active efforts in promoting freedom of science, academic freedom or human rights of academics.
- The awarded person/organisation/community can operate locally or internationally, within or outside the academic community.
- The activity can relate to fostering of human rights (such as freedom of speech) of academics or ensuring the foundations and possibilities for diversified academic work and scientific processes;
- The activity can relate to immediate intervening in human rights violations of academics or fighting against discrimination in its many forms;The activity can relate to objecting to hate speech, stigmatising of academics, or demeaning of scientific knowledge or communities.
The Human Rights Committee of the Council of Finnish Academies calls for nominations for the 2024 Awardee. Please submit the nominations with supporting statements to humanrights@academies.fi by 15 February 2024.