20th anniversary of Handicap International recognition by UNHCR Nansen Award

What is the Nansen Medal Award?

Jean-Baptiste Richardier: The Nansen Medal Award is presented each year by the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) to recognize individuals or organizations working in aid of displaced people.

How important was this award for Handicap International in 1996?

It was a big surprise, that’s the first thing to say. We didn’t even know we’d been nominated! We were very touched by it, and it made a big difference to us.

In 1996, Handicap International was still a young organization - we’d been operating for 15 years - with a rebellious, determined streak, and we were fighting to ensure the needs of people with disabilities were more effectively taken into account, particularly during refugee outflows.

We’d worked closely with the UNHCR on a number of programs, but we still had a very independent mindset. We’d been critical of the organization on more than one occasion, hence our surprise! The award provided us with peer recognition from our fellow international and humanitarian organizations.

What role did Handicap International play alongside the UNHCR?

One of the biggest refugee crises in the mid-1990s was on Thailand’s border with Laos, Cambodia and Burma. Major humanitarian operations were also underway in Afghan refugee camps in Pakistan. These two crises presented the UNHCR with serious organizational and financial challenges. They were supported by partners like Handicap International, and we were given responsibility for a number of large-scale humanitarian programs.

The award also came just a few years after Handicap International had first set up its “Mine Action” department. We launched our initial mine clearance operations in Cambodia, providing support to the UN, which was struggling to cope with the scale of the threat from mines to refugees repatriated from camps in Thailand. That’s when Handicap International launched its humanitarian mine clearance operations and we’re proud to have been one of the pioneers.

The UNHCR was keen to recognize our work. I’d also say that, in 1996, it bolstered our legitimacy within the International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL), a year before the adoption of the Mine Ban Convention - the Ottawa Convention.

What do you remember most about the ceremony?

It was a very solemn affair, attended by representatives of “Geneva International”. Mrs Ogata made a very strong speech: “My organization owes much to Handicap International’s managers. Working tirelessly alongside people with disabilities [...] your organization represents the best of humanitarian action.”

What did this award change for Handicap International?

It gave us lasting media visibility. The image of a serious NGO on which the UN Refugee Agency could rely further strengthened our credibility with donors. It marked a turning point in the organization’s history and perhaps its inclusion in the group of NGOs that count.

Find out more about the impact of our work