Anders Kompass, Director, Field Operations and Technical Cooperation Division of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), has been named UN Friend of the Year 2015 by the Swedish United Nations Association. Mr. Kompass was awarded the prize in recognition of the actions he took to defend “important UN principles of human rights and dignity while at the same time shedding light on the demand for greater transparency of the” UN system.”
In response to receiving the award, Mr. Kompass quoted fellow Swede Dag Hammarskjold, the second secretary general of the United Nations: “Never for the sake of peace and quiet deny your own experience or conviction.”
The United Nations Association (UNA) in Sweden works on issues of peace and security, human rights and democracy, poverty reduction and development. UNA participates in the debate on the UN’s future “by influencing policymakers and decision-makers” and by “reviewing Sweden’s commitments to the UN conventions.”