The PGA Defender of Democracy Awards honor individuals who have demonstrated exceptional commitment and contribution to promoting peace, democracy, the rule of law, human rights, non-discrimination and/or gender equality.
Their actions should support PGA’s vision, namely “to contribute to the creation of a rules-based international order for a more equitable, safe and democratic world.”
2019 DDA Recipients:
Mme Katana Gégé Bukuru, (DRC) and the Democratic Process of Cabo Verde
Women no longer want to harbor fear in their heart.
2019 DDA Awardee: Gégé Katana Bukuru (Democratic Republic of Congo)
Mme Gégé Katana Bukuru is an activist known as the "Iron Lady" of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) for her courageous commitment to the struggle for women's rights and peace. She is the founder of SOFAD (Solidarity of women activists for the defense of human rights), the first organization in DRC supporting women’s rights.
Since the 1990s, according to United Nations’ humanitarian agencies, more than 5 million people have been killed and approximately 4 million displaced in DRC. South Kivu has been particularly impacted, the area where Gégé Katana Bukuru lives. Bukuru advocates for education for women and girls and the meaningful participation of women in all levels of the peace process. SOFAD provides support to the many victims of sexual assault and violence, notably by organizing workshops and trainings for women who become leaders in their field; encouraging them to create "peace cells" in their neighborhood. SOFAD's mission is to train and mobilize women activists, enhance their participation in the protection and promotion of Human Rights, and facilitate the rehabilitation of victims of all forms of violence. The organization also fights against the proliferation of weapons in the Great Lakes region and East Africa.
Gégé Katana Bukuru’s activism has been recognized by Amnesty International. She continues her work despite having been arrested and forced into exile because of death threats against her and her family. Her strength and courage inspire women all over the world to stand up for their human rights.
2019 DDA Awardee: The Democratic Process of Cabo Verde
Cape Verde enjoys a stable democratic system: elections have been considered free and fair, there is a free press, and the rule of law is respected by the State authorities. In acknowledgment of this, Freedom House granted Cape Verde its top marks in the annual Freedom in the World report-- a perfect score, for freedom, political rights and civil liberties.
PGA recognizes the Democratic Process of Cape Verde with its 2019 Defender of Democracy Award. The multi-party democratic process is the result of the struggle of the people of Cape Verde against the One Party regime (Partido Unico) during the first 15 years of the country’s independence. Today, the healthy democratic system is considered the main factor in the stability and development that Cape Verde has enjoyed in the last 28 years.
The award was received by His Excellency, the President of the Republic of Cape Verde, Dr. Jorge Carlos de Almeida Fonseca, on behalf of the people of Cape Verde.