Giuseppe Motta Medal
Presented annually since 2004 to people from any country or region of the world for exceptional achievement in the promotion of peace and democracy, human rights, and sustainable development.
The prize commemorates Giuseppe Motta (1871–1940), a Swiss politician, five-time President of the Swiss Confederation, President of the League of Nations Assembly and member of the Swiss Federal Council.
The selection of the recipients of the medal is made by GIDD's Board of Trustees, composed of distinguished individuals from the fields of politics, academia and civil society. The award ceremony is attended by people from around the world.
Over the years, the Giuseppe Motta Medal has been awarded to numerous individuals who have dedicated their lives to promoting peace and conflict resolution.
At a glance
Two decades of laureates
Three medals are awarded each year, one per category, to recognise achievement in peace and democracy, human rights, and sustainable development.
| Year | Support for peace and democracy | Protection of human rights | Work to achieve sustainable development |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Arthur Simon | Elena Bonner | Geoffrey Ballard |
| 2005 | Violeta Chamorro | Kim Seong Min | Jonathon Porritt |
| 2006 | Nelson Mandela | Alirio Uribe Muñoz | Joan Bavaria |
| 2007 | Vicente Fox Quesada | Desmond Tutu | James Harris Simons |
| 2008 | Václav Havel | Solange Pierre | Junichi Fujino |
| 2009 | Martin C.M. Lee | Nadera Shalhoub-Kevorkian | Al Gore |
| 2010 | Richard von Weizsäcker | Liu Xiaobo | Charles G. Koch |
| 2011 | José Maria Gil-Robles Gil-Delgado | Nasrin Sotoudeh | Ernesto Bertarelli |
| 2012 | Soon Ok Lee | Abel Barrera Hernández | Richard Branson |
| 2013 | Aung San Suu Kyi | Guillermo Fariñas | Alessandro Carlucci |
| 2014 | Angela Merkel | Denis Mukwege | Naomi Klein |
| 2015 | Tawakkol Karman | Michel Forst | Jeremy Leggett |
| 2016 | Giorgi Margvelashvili | Amina Mohammed | Joan Carling |
| 2017 | Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović | Bianca Jagger | Vandana Shiva |
| 2018 | David McAllister | Nadia Murad | Christiana Figueres |
| 2019 | Zuzana Čaputová | Bryan Stevenson | Greta Thunberg |
| 2020 | Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya | Ai Weiwei | Johan Rockström |
| 2021 | Maria Ressa | Marielle Franco | Sandra Steingraber |
| 2022 | Volodymyr Zelenskyy | Ales Bialiatski | Kate Raworth |
| 2023 | Ellen Johnson Sirleaf | Denis Mukwege | Melinda Gates |
| 2024 | Tsai Ing-wen | Badiucao | Vanessa Nakate |
| 2025 | José Ramos-Horta | Narges Mohammadi | Mia Mottley |
| 2026 | Narges Mohammadi | Michelle Bachelet | Hindou Oumarou Ibrahim |
Looking for a recipient's citation or the criteria for a specific year? Contact us →