The Kofi Annan Foundation is an independent, not-for-profit organisation whose mission is to help build peaceful, democratic and resilient societies. It was founded and legally incorporated in Switzerland in 2007 by the late Kofi Annan, former secretary general of the United Nations.
Kofi Annan believed that “there can be no long-term development without security and no long-term security without development. Nor will any society remain prosperous for long without the rule of law and respect for human rights”. Accordingly, the Kofi Annan Foundation believes that fair and peaceful societies rest on three pillars: Peace and Security, Sustainable Development and Human Rights and the Rule of Law, and they have made it their mission to mobilise the leadership and the political resolve needed to tackle threats to these three pillars ranging from violent conflict to flawed elections and climate change, with the aim of achieving a fairer, more peaceful world.
Launched by the Kofi Annan Foundation (K.A.F) and the Democracy and Culture Foundation (D.C.F), the Kofi Annan NextGen Democracy Prize is awarded to a young leader aged between 18 and 30 and presented each year at the Athens Democracy Forum. The prize recognises exceptional leadership and seeks to inspire more young people to commit to the advancement of democracy. An independent judging panel reviews the applications and selects the award recipient.
The winner receives an award of USD 10,000 and a one-year mentorship with a recognised democracy expert. Each year, the winner will have the opportunity to speak at the forthcoming Athens Democracy Forum and officially pass the award to the next recipient.
The Kofi Annan Foundation and the Democracy and Culture Foundation invite nominations for the inaugural Kofi Annan NextGen Democracy Award. Nominees must be aged between 18 and 30 at the time of nomination. The nomination period for the 2024 Kofi Annan NextGen Democracy Award is January 15, 2024, through March 31, 2024. Notification of the awardee will be made by July 2024.
Benefits
- The Prize includes a monetary prize of USD 10,000. The award will be presented at the Athens Democracy Forum, and all travel and accommodation expenses linked to the Awardee’s participation in the Forum will be covered by the organizers.
- Awardees will be invited to take a leading role in organising a panel session on youth and democracy at the following year’s Forum.
Eligibilities
- Nominees must be aged between 18 and 30 at the time of nomination. There are no restrictions in terms of nationality, gender, or occupation.
The Selection Committee will consider the following when deciding the winner:
- Impact: The nominee’s actions had a demonstrated outcome, for instance, a change in policy in a given country, the rate of participation in elections, the number of people reached through a specific campaign, the number of users of a specific application, the number of students gaining a wider understanding of the importance of the democratic process, the number of community associations engaged in an educational campaign etc.
- Innovation: The innovative character of these actions.
- Sustainability: Whether the nominee has advanced the cause of democracy and human rights for a sustained period of one-year minimum, and whether her/his actions are sustainable over time and replicable in other contexts;
- Values: The values displayed by the Nominee through her/his actions.
- Benefit: The added value the Award could bring to the nominee in terms of international notoriety and support.
Application Process
- Send your completed nomination to: [email protected] by midnight CET, 31 March 2024.
- Nominations must come from an organisation, and nominees must be aged between 18 and 30 at the time of nomination.
Nominations must include all of the following:
- Completed Submission Form.
- A Cover Letter of support (max 500 words).
- Short video testimony from the nominee (2 minutes max, can be shot on a smartphone).
Application Deadline: March 30, 2024
Application ClosedOfficial link
