The African Union is seeking nominations for the African Union Nelson Mandela Award for Human Rights Defenders, which honours an African individual or organisation that has used innovative methods of promoting human rights in the face of great odds. Candidates must be African individuals, associations, non-governmental organisations or civil society organisations that work to promote and protect human rights in Africa.

To be eligible for the award, a candidate must promote all or any one of the following

• Civil and political rights
• Socio-economic and cultural rights, including rights to health, water, shelter, land, consumer services, education, food, etc.
• Women's rights; Children's rights; Labour rights
• Human rights education
• Human Rights policy advocacy
• Humanitarian affairs, including IDPs and refugee rights
• Right to self determination or solidarity rights
• Minority, indigenous and environmental rights
• Right to development
• Peaceful resolution of conflicts
• Poverty alleviation, anti-corruption, foreign debt issues and economic development policies
• Academic research on any of the above

Candidates must also demonstrate all or any one of the following:

Innovative ways of promoting human rights at national or regional or international levels in his or her advocacy work.

• Innovative ways of facing challenges at national or regional or international levels in his or her advocacy work.
• Demonstrate that he or she risks or suffers, harassment or disadvantage for exercising the rights expressed in the International Bill of Rights, including both civil and political rights as well as socio-economic rights, the UN Declaration on Human Rights Defenders and the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights, and who, in conformity with these instruments, promotes and protects the human rights and fundamental freedoms of others, individually or in groups.
• Be sufficiently recognised at national level even though s/he may not be internationally well known.

All nominations should fulfil the following requirements:

• Candidate's profile: It should not be more than 3 or 4 pages and should include the organisation's / individual's name, address / contact details, work description, merits etc.
• Nominations from other organisations/ individuals: An organisation/ individual nominating another organisation/ individual should also indicate its name, address, contact details, etc. The written letter/recommendation/script should not be more than 3 or 4 pages.
• Nominations from the same organisation / individual: These should be seconded by another person/organisation.
• Referees: Every nomination should have two referees including their names and contact details.

All nominations and relevant documentation should be submitted to the following address: