Call for Nominations, EMILIO F. MIGNONE INTERNATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS PRIZE, the prize is the first one to be awarded by a developing country

The “Emilio F. Mignone International Human Rights Prize” was established in 2007 by the Argentine Ministry of Foreign Affairs, International Trade and Worship to grant recognition
to foreign institutions and/or individuals residing abroad that are making or have made an outstanding contribution towards the promotion and/or protection of human rights in their own countries in the fight against impunity in cases involving systematic violations of human rights, discrimination and social, economic and cultural rights, among other areas. Although other countries award human rights distinctions, the Mignone prize is the first one to be awarded by a developing country that has been conspicuous in this field because of its own historical and political context.

The profile and work of Emilio F. Mignone, founder of the “Centre for Legal and Social Studies“ (CELS), as well as the work carried out by other NGOs will guide the definition of
priorities and selection criteria for the award. Biographical data of Mr. Emilio Mignone in English and Spanish is enclosed.

In previous editions, the Emilio Mignone Prize was awarded to the Asociación de Familiares de Detenidos, Desaparecidos y Mártires por la Liberación Nacional de Bolivia (ASOFAMD -
2007); the Comisión Colombiana de Juristas (CCJ - 2008); and the Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA - 2009).

The Prize is formally awarded at a ceremony presided by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, International Trade and Worship, and attended by Argentine Government officials. To
this end, the winner of the prize or a representative of the chosen organization will be invited to visit the country for a week (economy class ticket, accommodation and per diem included). During the visit, the winner will be invited to disseminate experiences in a number of activities and conferences organized by CELS and academic institutions
and to hold meetings with NGO´s, human rights entities, parliamentary human rights committees, national authorities and the press.

Procedure for nomination and selection of candidates

Argentine Embassies and Consular Offices throughout the world propose candidates based on information gathered and on consultations with the main local human rights organizations. National or foreign non governmental human rights   organizations and international organizations may also make nominations.

All nominations must indicate:

• country of residence or seat of the proposed foreign individual or organization;
• name of the nominated organization or individual;
• if an organization, name of the main representative and of the board, executive committee or council members;
• contact details (address, phone number, e-mail);
• grounds for the candidacy including: historical summary, objectives and background of the candidate (three A4 size pages maximum length).

Any additional information deemed relevant to the consideration of the candidacy may be included as an annex.

Candidates and proposals (with supporting documentation) must be sent by July 15, 2010 to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, International Trade and Worship. NEW DEADLINE: August 16, 2010

Nominations must be sent to the following e-mail address: dighu(at)cancilleria.gob.ar and jon(at)cancilleria.gob.ar. In all cases, an acknowledgement of receipt of the nominations will be sent by e-mail. Additional materials may be sent by post to the Ministry
of Foreign Affairs of Argentina to the following address:

Dirección General de Derechos Humanos
Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores, Comercio Internacional y Culto
Esmeralda 1212 piso 8 oficina 804
C1007ABR
Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires
República Argentina

All nominations received will be evaluated by an ad-hoc Committee integrated by a representative of the Human Rights Secretariat of the Ministry of Justice, Security and Human Rights; a representative of CELS; and the Director General of Human Rights of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The ad-hoc committee will agree on a list of three candidates to be submitted to the Minister of Foreign Affairs for a final decision, on October 1st, 2010. The award ceremony is conducted every year by the beginning of the month of
December. The selection process and the award ceremony are conducted with the participation of the Mignone family.