Together with the city of Bonn and the state of NRW for democracy and the rule of law
Together for democracy: Lord Mayor Katja Dörner (front left) and Professor Dorothee Dzwonnek, Chair of the Board of the Bonn International Democracy Prize Association, signed the cooperation agreement on the sponsorship of the prize of the same name in the presence of the other board members (from left) Folke große Deters, Dr. Monika Hörig and Jürgen Nimptsch.
Democracy must currently be defended more than ever in many places around the world. In order to recognize those who are committed to strengthening and defending democracy and the rule of law, the Internationaler Demokratiepreis Bonn e.V. association has launched the "Bonn International Prize for Democracy and the Rule of Law" thanks to a cooperation with the state of North Rhine-Westphalia that began in the spring. The City of Bonn is now also supporting this prize with 50,000 euros annually A corresponding cooperation agreement was signed on Thursday, October 17, 2024, by Lord Mayor Katja Dörner and Chairwoman of the Board Professor Dorothee Dzwonnek. Jürgen Nimptsch, Deputy Chairman of the Executive Board, Executive Board member Dr. Monika Hörig and Folke große Deters, Head of Department and Administrative Management of the City of Bonn and Executive Board member for the City of Bonn in the association, were also present.
"75 years after the adoption of the International Charter of Human Rights, we see that in more and more countries around the world, fundamental rights are being restricted, free elections are no longer possible and constitutional principles such as the separation of powers and independent courts are being abolished," said Lord Mayor Katja Dörner, quoting from the preamble to the agreement. "We in Germany have had a stable democracy with all its freedoms and rights for more than 70 years now. We therefore want to support people who courageously fight for freedom and honor their commitment," continued the mayor.
"Bonn is an important place in the history of German democracy. We are delighted that, thanks to the support of the city of Bonn and the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, we can help to further raise this profile. Our association's prize is intended to help make people aware again and again that standing up for freedom and democracy is essential for our peaceful coexistence here and in the world," said Professor Dorothee Dzwonnek.
The association had been awarding the Bonn International Democracy Prize, as it was known in previous years, since 2009. The first winner was Vaclav Havel.
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