CURRENT AFFAIRS

Detailed explanation-1: -Former German chancellor Angela Merkel won the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) prestigious Nansen award for her “leadership, courage and compassion” in ensuring the protection of hundreds of thousands of desperate people at the height of the Syria crisis.

Detailed explanation-2: -The first person to win the Nansen Refugee Award, in 1954, was Eleanor Roosevelt, first chair of the UN Human Rights Commission and former First Lady of the United States.

Detailed explanation-3: -The Nansen Refugee Award is named after the Norwegian polar explorer, statesman, and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Fridtjof Nansen. As the first High Commissioner for Refugees at the League of Nations, Nansen’s achievements made significant strides in giving a voice to the forcibly displaced.

Detailed explanation-4: -The Nansen Refugee Award is given annually by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in recognition of outstanding service to the cause of refugees. On Oct. 6, 1986, the people of Canada received the Nansen Refugee Award, the United Nations’ highest distinction for refugee aid.