Fazzina, who is one of the rare women photographers to report from the tribal areas of Pakistan, joins the ranks of personalities such as Edward Kennedy, Valéry Giscard d'Estaing and Eleanor Roosevelt, who received the award in the past.

The prize, given by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees was awarded to Fazzina for "her tireless dedication to uncovering and portraying the overlooked human consequences of war."

Fazzina has documented "the plight of the uprooted through distinctive and moving photo reportages. [Her work] has taken her to Eastern Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Asia to cover human tragedies often neglected by mainstream media," the organisation adds.

In announcing the Nansen Award, U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees António Guterres said in a statement: "Alixandra Fazzina stands out as a fearless humanitarian who achieves something remarkable by unearthing and so vividly portraying individual stories of uprooted people. Her particular talent, her commitment and empathy and her incredible devotion to getting to the bottom of every story makes her an exemplary chronicler of the world’s most vulnerable people."

In her career, Fazzina has documented land mine victims in Kosovo, civilians stranded behind enemy lines in Angola, rape as a weapon of war in Sierra Leone, the abuse of children by militias in Congo and Uganda and the refugee situations in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

The Nansen Refugee Award was created in 1954 in honour of Fridtjof Nansen, Norwegian explorer, scientist and the first U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees. "It is given annually to an individual or organisation for outstanding work on behalf of refugees."

Fazzina will receive, in a 05 October ceremony, a commemorative medal and a $100,000 monetary prize donated by the governments of Switzerland and Norway.

Check this Wikipedia entry for a full list of past Nansen Refugee Award winners.

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