The UN refugee agencys (UNHCR) prestigious Nansen Award is shining a light on the people proving that compassion and solidarity with displaced communities remain strong even in some of the most difficult places on earth.

The offer sounded almost unreal. The UN was fishing around for someone with a knack for building prisons preferably a woman to join its mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Would she go?

The UN human rights office,OHCHR, on Friday welcomed the Nobel Peace Prize committees decision to name opposition leader Maria Machado as this years laureate, in recognition of her work promoting the Venezuelan peoples democratic hopes.

This years honourees include five remarkable laureates from Cameroon, Mexico, Ukraine, Iraq and Tajikistan, each recognised for their courage, empathy and determination to protect people forced to flee.

Established in 1954, the award celebrates those who go far beyond the call of duty to support refugees, internally displaced people and the stateless.

Announcing the winners, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi, said their actions demonstrate that humanity continues to prevail.

This years laureates remind us that, even in dark times, compassion remains undimmed, he said.

Their unwavering commitment to protecting and uplifting displaced people offers hope and inspiration. They embody the spirit of Nansen a belief thatevery person forced to flee, wherever they are, deserves dignity, safety and hope.

A village opens its doors

The 2025 global laureate, Chief Martin Azia Sodea of Cameroon, has become a symbol of what welcome and leadership can look like.

When tens of thousands of refugees from the Central African Republic crossed into his village of Gado-Badzr, he and his community made a collective decision: no one should be turned away. Under his guidance, families offered land for shelter and farming, helping 36,000 people rebuild their lives.

We are all human beings, and we have to take care of each other, Chief Sodea said.

He recalls villagers rescuing exhausted people who collapsed along the road. We could not watch our brothers die. There is no distinction between the refugees and the host population. We live together.

His example has encouraged other traditional leaders to follow suit, helping shift attitudes across the region and demonstrating how empathy can reshape entire communities.

Regional champions

Four regional winners will also be honoured this year.In Mexico, business leader Pablo Moreno Cadenahas become a driving force for refugee inclusion by encouraging major appliance manufacturer MABE to hire hundreds of refugees, proving that integrating displaced people strengthens workplaces and communities alike.

In Ukraine, the organisation Proliskacontinues to deliver life-saving support to millions of people, often reaching areas just hours after shelling or air strikes. Their teams work where few others can, ensuring no one is left behind.

In Iraq, Taban Shoresh a genocide survivor turned activistfounded The Lotus Flower, a women-led organisation supporting more than 105,000 conflict survivors with protection, counselling and livelihoods.

And in Tajikistan, Afghan refugee Negara Nazarico-founded the Ariana Learning Centre, a school offering displaced Afghan children the education they were previously denied. A former scholarship student, she chose to give others the chances she once received.

Together, this years laureates offer a powerful message: that acts of kindness, inclusion and courage can transform lives and that even in the most challenging times, humanity endures.