On January 6, 1941, President Franklin D. Roosevelt, proclaimed in his State of the Union that if democracy is to survive and flourish, people everywere in the world are entitled to four human rights: freedom of speech and expression, freedom of worshipo, freedom from want and freedom from fear. Roosevelt’s Four Freedoms form the foundation of the democracy as we know it today. Yet in many countries these freedoms are under pressure. That is why it is important to highlight individuals and organizations that serve as examples. One way we do this is through the presentation of the Four Freedoms Awards.
Ceremonies
From 1982, the Four Freedoms Awards are presented in Middelburg in even years. In the odd years they are presented in New York by the Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt Institute.
Meet-up
Since 2020, the Four Freedoms Meet-up has also been organized in addition to the ceremony. The purpose of the Meet-up is to encourage young people to think about what the Four Freedoms and the Roosevelt's ideas mean to them.
Laureates
The Four Freedoms Awards are presented to freedom fighters, also known as laureates. Since 1982, John F. Kennedy and Nelson Mandela, among others, have received a medal.
Presenters
Each laureate has a Dutch presenter who presents the award. Each and every one of them feels connected in their own way to the ideas of Franklin Delano Roosevelt and the work of the laureate.
Four Freedoms
In 1941, President Roosevelt proclaimed in his historic Four Freedoms speech that everyone, everywhere in the world, has the right to four fundamental human rights: freedom of speech, freedom of worship, freedom from want and freedom from fear.
About the Roosevelt Foundation
In 1982, the Roosevelt Foundation was established to host the Four Freedoms Awards ceremony in even-numbered years. The Foundation works closely with the Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt Institute in Hyde Park, New York. We believe it is important to encourage young and old to keep the ideas of Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt alive.