Former German Chancellor Merkel awarded UNESCO Peace Prize for welcoming refugees

Record ID: 1686611

  • Title: Former German Chancellor Merkel awarded UNESCO Peace Prize for welcoming refugees
  • Date: 23rd August 2022
  • Summary: PASSAU, GERMANY (FILE - OCTOBER 28, 2015) (REUTERS) MIGRANTS WALKING ON PLATFORM AT PASSAU CENTRAL STATION VARIOUS OF MIGRANTS ON COTS IN TEMPORARY SHELTER, THE FIRST POINT OF CONTACT IN PASSAU, CHILDREN WAVING
  • Embargoed: 6th September 2022 18:09
  • Keywords: 2015 refugee crisis Angela Merkel Syrian refugees UNESCO Peace Prize
  • Location: VARIOUS, GERMANY
  • City: VARIOUS, GERMANY
  • Country: Germany
  • Topics: Conflicts/War/Peace,Europe
  • Reuters ID: LVA003019123082022RP1
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: UNESCO on Tuesday (August 23) awarded the 2022 Peace Prize to former German Chancellor Angela Merkel, 'in recognition of her efforts to welcome refugees."
    According to the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation's twitter and website the Jury of the Félix Houphouët-Boigny-UNESCO Peace Prize awarded the prize to Merkel for her 'courageous' decision in 2015 to welcome more than 1.2 million refugees, notably from Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan and Eritrea.
    Merkel stepped down from power in 2021 after 16 years at Germany's helm and more than any other topic the refugee crisis dominated her third term, proving popular with some and unwelcome to others, and continues to have repercussions today.
    In 2015, as a result of wars in the Middle East, particularly in Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq, a surge of people fleeing converged on Europe's borders.
    In a pivotal moment Merkel opened Germany's borders and famously told Germans "we can do it" as the country welcomed in hundreds of thousands of asylum seekers.
    By the end of 2015, 890,000 asylum seekers had entered Germany, many without proper identity checks, overwhelming local communities, fueling unrest from some local communities and contributing to a surge in support for the far-right, anti-immigration Alternative for Germany (AfD) party.
    In 2015, AfD became Germany's strongest opposition party before declining again as Merkel's handling of the COVID-19 crisis regained voter sympathies.
    In 2022 the new chancellor, centre-left Olaf Scholz opened Germany's borders once more to hundreds of thousands of mainly Ukrainian women and children after Russia attacked Ukraine in February.
    According to UNESCO the prize was created in 1989 to honour an individual, an institution, or a private or public body which has significantly contributed to the promotion, research, safeguarding or maintenance of peace, in accordance with the United Nations Charter and the Constitution of UNESCO.
    The prize is awarded annually.
    According to the website, other recipients of the award included Nelson Mandela, Frederik W. De Klerk, and former U.S. President Jimmy Carter.
    (Production: Tanya Wood)
  • Copyright Holder: FILE REUTERS (CAN SELL)
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