Doctors Without Borders’ Nobel Peace Prize speech is still a vital, urgent message

Amid increasingly dire humanitarian emergencies, our message is as relevant today as it was in 1999.

Listen to the powerful and timely message of Dr. James Orbinski, then-president of the MSF International Council, who accepted the 1999 Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo on behalf of Doctors Without Borders.

Why was Doctors Without Borders awarded the 1999 Nobel Peace Prize?

In October 1999, Doctors Without Borders was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize “in recognition of the organization’s pioneering humanitarian work on several continents.”

The Nobel Committee recognized Doctors Without Borders as an aid organization that “demands full and unimpeded freedom to carry out its work in accordance with medical ethics and the rights of human beings to humanitarian aid.” They also recognized Doctors Without Borders for our record as a “frequent critic of violence and violations of human rights”—particularly in areas of conflict.

Learn more about our history and our founding by journalists and doctors in 1971.

What was the message of Doctors Without Borders’ acceptance speech?

In his acceptance speech, Dr. James Orbinski—then President of MSF’s International Council—used the speech to condemn Russian violence against civilians in Chechnya under Russian President Boris Yeltsin.

The powerful message of Dr. Orbinski’s speech still echoes today in our work. From Ukraine to Gaza to Sudan, our teams witness too often how civilians and the most vulnerable people are often.

We continue to speak out when we see our patients’ human rights violated. We will always raise our voices about the causes of our patients’ suffering—because neutrality is not synonymous with silence.

The act of humanitarianism comes down to one thing: Individual human beings reaching out to those others who find themselves in the most difficult circumstances. And they reach out one bandage at a time, one suture at a time, one vaccination at a time.
Dr. James Orbinski, MSF International Council President

What did Doctors Without Borders do with the 1999 Nobel Peace Prize money?

Doctors Without Borders used the Nobel Peace Prize money to expand access to care for patients who are too often overlooked by:

Investing in research and development to deliver safe, affordable, and effective medicines for patients with neglected diseases.
Exploring not-for-profit models for drug research and development for neglected diseases.
Establishing treatments that are affordable and patient-friendly, resulting in millions of lives saved.

What does it mean to practice humanitarianism?

To be a humanitarian means to help alleviate people’s suffering. Doctors Without Borders puts our humanitarian values into action by independent, comprehensive care to any patient in need—regardless of race, religion, gender, ethnicity, or sexual orientation. You can learn more about our organizational values here.

How you can help

Not everyone can treat patients in the field. But everyone can do something.

Some humanitarian crises make the headlines—others don’t. Unrestricted support from our donors allows us to mobilize quickly and efficiently to provide lifesaving medical care to the people who need it most, whether those needs are in the spotlight or not. And your donation is 100 percent tax-deductible.