Rohingya wins inaugural Kofi Annan Geneva Youth Peace Prize
Maung Sawyeddollah, survivor of 2017 Rohingya genocide in Burma, honored for advancing refugee education, human rights and youth leadership
GENEVA (MNTV) — Rohingya human rights activist Maung Sawyeddollah, a survivor of the 2017 genocide against his Muslim community in Burma, has won the inaugural Kofi Annan Geneva Youth Peace Prize for his efforts to promote education, justice and peace among stateless Rohingya refugees.
The award recognizes Sawyeddollah’s work in empowering young Rohingya refugees to participate in decisions affecting their future and advocating for a community that continues to face displacement, statelessness and persecution.
The Kofi Annan Foundation, Geneva Peacebuilding Platform and Geneva Graduate Institute announced the recognition Thursday, describing Sawyeddollah as an emerging peacebuilder whose advocacy demonstrates the role of young people in advancing justice and preventing conflict.
Sawyeddollah is the founder and executive director of the Rohingya Student Network (RSN), a refugee-led organization he established while living in a refugee camp.
Through the organization, he has worked to amplify the voices of Rohingya youth, promote educational opportunities and encourage their participation in discussions about human rights, peace and the future of their community.
His recognition comes nearly a decade after Burma’s military launched a brutal crackdown against Rohingya Muslims in Rakhine State in August 2017, forcing more than 700,000 people to flee into neighboring Bangladesh.
The military campaign involved mass killings, sexual violence and the destruction of Rohingya villages. United Nations investigators subsequently concluded that the operations had been carried out with genocidal intent.
Most Rohingya refugees remain in overcrowded camps in southeastern Bangladesh, where restrictions on movement, limited educational opportunities and uncertainty over their future continue to affect younger generations.
Despite surviving the violence and displacement, Sawyeddollah has focused his advocacy on ensuring that Rohingya refugees are recognized not merely as victims of persecution but as individuals capable of contributing to decisions about their own future.
“Receiving the Kofi Annan Geneva Youth Peace Prize tells me that people who have experienced conflict do not have to remain defined by it. We can become leaders in preventing it,” he said.
“I receive this recognition not only for myself, but for Rohingya young people who continue to choose education, dialogue, justice and peace despite everything they have experienced.”
The newly established prize honors young peacebuilders whose work reflects the principles associated with former United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan, including dialogue, inclusion, integrity, courage and innovation.
Annan, a Ghanaian diplomat who served as UN secretary-general from 1997 to 2006, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2001 alongside the United Nations for efforts to promote international peace and cooperation.
Sawyeddollah received the award during the Kofi Annan Geneva Peace Address on October 15, delivered by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Dr. Denis Mukwege, a Congolese physician internationally recognized for his work with survivors of sexual violence.
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