Tendai Franklyn-Brown, Staff Reporter

Dr Carolyn Gomes - File

HUMAN RIGHTS activist Dr Carolyn Gomes has emerged as one of seven persons, from a list of 189 nominees, to cop the 2008 United Nations (UN) award in the field of human rights.

President of the UN General Assembly, Miguel d'Escoto Brock-mann, announced the winners yesterday.

Gomes, executive director of human rights advocacy group, Jamaicans For Justice, told The Gleaner she was humbled by the award, but acknowledged that there was more work to be done.

"Advocacy for rights is in fact for everybody, not just for criminal rights, as we have been accused of advocating for, but I'm encouraged by this to continue going forward and it's nice to be recognised," she said.

The prestigious award, which is handed out every five years, is given to individuals or organisations in recog-nition of their contribution to human rights advocacy.

Group of the well known

The year 2008 marks the 60th anniversary of the Declaration of Human Rights, for which previous recipients have included Nelson Mandela, Eleanor Roosevelt and the Reverend Dr Martin Luther King.

Gomes will accept her award at a ceremony on World Human Rights' Day, which will be observed on December 10 at the UN General Assembly in New York, United States.

tendai.franklyn-brown@gleanerjm.com