Newsroom
Former OSCE staff member gains top Canadian human rights award
SARAJEVO 14 August 2003
SARAJEVO, 14 August 2003 - Canadian human rights lawyer, Georgette Gagnon, who served from 2001 to 2003 as Director of Human Rights for the OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina, has been honoured with the Walter Tarnopolsky Human Rights Award.
This award is presented annually by the Canadian section of the International Commission of Jurists to a Canadian who has made an "outstanding contribution to domestic or international human rights."
Her nomination was strongly supported by the Head of the OSCE's Mission, Ambassador Robert M. Beecroft. "I am delighted to learn about this well-deserved award. Our former colleague is one of those rare individuals who has single-handedly made a difference in Bosnia and Herzegovina, by enabling refugees and displaced persons to achieve justice while playing a key role in laying the foundations for a society based on the rule of law."
"She commands an unparalleled respect among international colleagues and local counterparts in Bosnia and Herzegovina for her profound commitment to advancing respect for human rights in a country where abuses are still common," he added.
As Director of the Human Rights Department for Mission, Mrs. Gagnon headed a staff of 150 whose primary task was to help people repossess their homes and businesses lost during the war.
Ambassador Beecroft noted that the award was not only a fitting recognition of the work of Mrs. Gagnon, but of all of her colleagues in the OSCE Mission, who continue to confront the challenge of returning property to their pre-war owners and other burning human rights issues.
This award is presented annually by the Canadian section of the International Commission of Jurists to a Canadian who has made an "outstanding contribution to domestic or international human rights."
Her nomination was strongly supported by the Head of the OSCE's Mission, Ambassador Robert M. Beecroft. "I am delighted to learn about this well-deserved award. Our former colleague is one of those rare individuals who has single-handedly made a difference in Bosnia and Herzegovina, by enabling refugees and displaced persons to achieve justice while playing a key role in laying the foundations for a society based on the rule of law."
"She commands an unparalleled respect among international colleagues and local counterparts in Bosnia and Herzegovina for her profound commitment to advancing respect for human rights in a country where abuses are still common," he added.
As Director of the Human Rights Department for Mission, Mrs. Gagnon headed a staff of 150 whose primary task was to help people repossess their homes and businesses lost during the war.
Ambassador Beecroft noted that the award was not only a fitting recognition of the work of Mrs. Gagnon, but of all of her colleagues in the OSCE Mission, who continue to confront the challenge of returning property to their pre-war owners and other burning human rights issues.