Presenters for the Four Freedoms Awards ceremony announced

International Four Freedoms Award

The International Four Freedoms Award is being awarded to President Volodymyr Zelensky and the Ukrainian people. Prime Minister Rob Jetten will deliver a speech during the ceremony to express his support and “in recognition of their courageous struggle to protect freedom and democracy under exceptionally difficult circumstances.”

Freedom of Speech

Pjotr Sauer presents the Freedom of Speech Award to the non-profit organisation Committee to Protect Journalists. Journalist Pjotr Sauer grew up in Russia, where for a long time he was able to simply do his job as a journalist. Pjotr has experienced first-hand, like no other, how fragile press freedom is and what it is like as a journalist not to be free to do one’s work safely. Until the war broke out and he was suddenly seen as the enemy. He was forced to leave Russia due to the security risks and censorship associated with the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Pjotr is the son of Derk Sauer, who presented the Freedom of Speech Award to the investigative collective Bellingcat in 2024. Pjotr is now travelling through Eastern Europe to document Russia’s actions on the world stage and is a correspondent for The Guardian.

Freedom of Worship: laureate remains anonymous

The Roosevelt Foundation is unable to disclose the identity of the laureate for the Four Freedoms Award for Freedom of Worship. Anonymity is necessary and may even be vital to the laureate’s personal safety. In various parts of the world, people are in grave danger because of their religious beliefs. For many, revealing their identity could lead to discrimination, persecution or even lethal violence. Although the award cannot therefore be presented in person, it remains awarded to this laureate. This is a situation unprecedented in the history of the Roosevelt Foundation.

Dagmar Oudshoorn, director of former laureate Amnesty International Netherlands, will draw on her expertise during the ceremony to explain human rights violations worldwide and the restrictions on freedom of religion. For over sixty years, Amnesty International has been committed to a just world in which people have equal rights and can live in freedom.

Freedom from Want 

Lucille Werner presents the Award for Freedom of Want to Isidora Uribe Silva, who is committed to creating an inclusive society. Lucille Werner has spent her entire career fighting for the rights of people with disabilities, just like Isidora. Among other things, Lucille organised a tour of disabled musicians, a singing competition for young people with disabilities, a beauty pageant, and also wrote the book “Het leven loopt op rolletjes”. She has also set up a foundation and a website. Through these initiatives, she hopes to create a more positive image of people with disabilities and a more accessible labour market. Lucille Werner is a true champion of inclusion.

Freedom from Fear

Olcay Gulsen presents the Freedom from Fear award to Gisèle Pelicot, an international figurehead for victims of sexual violence. Entrepreneur and activist Olcay Gulsen has been committed for many years to eradicating violence against women and girls worldwide. By sharing her personal story, including in the documentary series ‘Olcay & Domestic Violence’, she is making domestic violence a topic of open discussion. In addition, she has been campaigning against femicide for years and has been the national ambassador for the ‘Orange the World’ campaign since 2020. Olcay has been emphasising for years that violence against women is not a private matter, but an urgent social issue that requires robust legislation and regulations.

Youth for Freedom Award

It was previously announced that Deel de Duif will receive the very first Youth for Freedom Award. Natascha van Weezel will present this award to the young founders of Deel de Duif, who are committed to strengthening dialogue, connection and solidarity. As an author and documentary maker, van Weezel is known for her search for nuance in times of polarisation, fuelled by her family history and her commitment to issues surrounding minorities and freedom. In her work, such as the documentary ‘Brug over de breuklijn’ and the book ‘Hoe houd je je hart zacht’, she emphasises how important it is to continue to see one another as human beings and to listen to one another more closely. She advocates for nuance, mutual understanding and connection. Van Weezel knows the initiators of Deel de Duif through their role in the documentary and is a great supporter of their work.

About the Four Freedoms Awards

For over forty years, the Four Freedoms Awards have been presented to men, women and organisations whose commitment and achievements have demonstrated a profound dedication to the ideals of Franklin Delano Roosevelt. The awards are held in Middelburg in even-numbered years and in New York in odd-numbered years. In 1941, President Roosevelt proclaimed in his historic Four Freedoms speech that everyone, everywhere in the world, has a right to four fundamental human rights: freedom of speech, freedom of worship, freedom from want and freedom from fear.

The Four Freedoms Awards ceremony will take place on Thursday 16 April 2026 at the Abbey in Middelburg. The ceremony is by invitation only; it can be watched live at www.fourfreedoms.nl