MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Brazilian nun chosen for UNHCR award

A graduate lawyer, Sister Rosita has also been instrumental in shaping Brazilian public policy

Sister Rosita Milesi, a Brazilian nun, lawyer, social worker, and movement builder who has championed the rights and dignity of displaced people for nearly 40 years, has been granted the UNHCR Nansen Refugee Award, the United Nations announced in Geneva Wednesday. Besides Milesi, four other women were named regional winners.

“All too often, women face heightened risks of discrimination and violence, especially when forced to flee,” said UNHCR High Commissioner Filippo Grandi. “But these five winners show how women are also playing a critical role in the humanitarian response and in finding solutions,” he underscored. Grandi praised their dedication to driving action in their own communities, building grassroots support and even shaping national policies.

Sister Rosita has personally assisted thousands who have either been forced from their homes or gone in search of new opportunities – helping them access legal documentation, shelter, food, healthcare, language training, and access to Brazil's labor market. As a lawyer, she has also been instrumental in shaping public policy, the UNHCR said.
Her work on Brazil’s 1997 refugee law helped to amplify refugee rights in line with the 1984 Cartagena Refugee Declaration, thus ensuring more protection for people in need, in line with international standards.

“I decided to dedicate myself to migrants and refugees. I’m inspired by the growing need to help, to welcome, and to integrate refugees,” the 79-year-old Sister Rosita said. “I’m not afraid to act, even if we don’t achieve everything we want to. If I take something on, I will turn the world upside down to make it happen,” she added.

Established in 1954, the award this year will also give an honorable mention to the people of Moldova who overlooked their economic challenges and acted “as a beacon of hope for humanity” by adapting schools, community spaces, and homes to become shelters for more than a million people fleeing the war in Ukraine.

The awards, with financial support from the governments of Norway, Switzerland, the Swedish Ikea Foundation, and the Canton of Geneva, will be presented in Geneva on Oct. 14.
Also receiving awards at a regional level will be Burkina Faso activist Maimuna Ba (Africa), Syria-born entrepreneur Jin Davod (Europe), Sudanese refugee Nada Fadel (Middle East and North Africa), and Nepal's Deepti Gurung (Asia-Pacific).

The award is named after Norwegian explorer and refugee rights stalwart Fridtjof Nansen (1861-1930), who became the first international high commissioner for their protection back in the then-League of Nations, the UN's predecessor.