Germany’s Angela Merkel receives Unesco peace prize for ‘political courage’ in welcoming migrants
- Organisers said former German Chancellor Angela Merkel showed political courage in welcoming refugees who had fled conflict in Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan and Eritrea
- Other than accepting another award from the UN refugee agency, she has kept a relatively low profile since handing over to successor Olaf Scholz in December 2021
Former German Chancellor Angela Merkel received a Unesco peace prize on Wednesday for her decision to welcome more than 1.2 million migrants to Germany despite resistance at home and among European partners.
Organisers said that Merkel showed political courage when Germany welcomed refugees in 2015-2016 who had fled conflicts in Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan and Eritrea.
Nobel Peace Prize winner Denis Mukwege, president of the jury awarding the prize, praised Merkel for having opened the gates of Germany “at the same time many other countries were overcome with fear”.
“You showed public opinion and decision-makers that we have not only to defend our own rights, but those of others in times of crisis, that each society needs more than ever to respect and protect human rights without any form of discrimination,” he said.
“We commend your humanity, your spirit of solidarity and your keen sense of ethics and your inspiring leadership,” he added.
In accepting the award, Merkel spoke of current refugee crises, particularly the war in Ukraine.
