More than 55 panelists also participated in break-out sessions, including Nobel Peace Prize laureates, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalists, technology and business leaders, philanthropists and UCLA scholars. Panels centered on pressing themes, including the right to education, forced displacement and refugees, climate change and environmental justice, gender justice, the risks and benefits of A.I., the global healthcare crisis and others.

Later that day, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass kicked off the awards ceremony by providing opening remarks and presenting a certificate of recognition on behalf of the city to Garry and Aurora Humanitarian Initiative Executive Director Armine Afeyan.

“I want to express my sincere appreciation for your tireless efforts to make the world a more just and compassionate place,” Mayor Bass said. “The City of Los Angeles well understands the critical impact of exceptional individuals whose courage and dedication have saved and transformed lives worldwide, and we will continue to uplift that work.”

The 2024 Aurora Prize Laureate was announced during the ceremony dinner: Dr. Denis Mukwege is a world-renowned gynecological surgeon and human rights activist who is one of the preeminent leaders in treating survivors of sexual violence in conflict. Mukwege’s Panzi Hospital and Foundation is in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where he and his team have cared for more than 80,000 women and girls who have been subjected to sexual violence since 1999. His hospital also provides crucial supportive services, including legal aid, psychosocial services and socio-economic reintegration.

Mukwege has fearlessly advocated for accountability for the perpetrators of these crimes, calling for those responsible to be brought to justice - even when they are members of the Congolese government or militia groups. He accepted the Aurora Prize in honor of all the people in the world who are working to fight for gender equality and against rape as a weapon of war.

“Let us take this moment not just as a celebration, but as a renewal of our commitment to fight for a world where humanity shines its brightest,” Mukwege said. “Together, let us continue to awaken hope and nurture the flame of compassion and dignity for survivors of sexual violence.”

“Dr. Mukwege has dedicated his life not only to caring for women and girls suffering from the brutality of sexual violence but also fiercely advocating for their rights,” said Dr. Noubar Afeyan, co-founder of the Aurora Humanitarian Initiative, CEO of Flagship Pioneering, and co-founder and chairman of Moderna. “Aurora is honored to support Dr. Mukwege’s mission to help those in need, demand justice for the victims of sexual violence in war and bring the perpetrators to justice.”

The prize ceremony was rounded out with special performances by violinist Diana Adamyan and Aloe Blacc, who debuted his new single “Shine,” written in honor of the Aurora Prize laureates.

This emphasis on the arts carried through into the next day’s screening of the award-winning animated documentary film Aurora’s Sunrise. Shown at UCLA’s Hammer Museum Billy Wilder Theater, the film was introduced by producer Esrailian and followed by a Q&A with filmmakers Inna Sahakyan and Vardan Hovhannisyan, moderated by Professor Ann Karagozian, who serves as the executive director of The Promise Armenian Institute at UCLA. The film traces the story of Aurora Mardiganian.

The namesake of the Aurora Prize and herself a survivor of crimes of sexual violence, Mardiganian lost everything to the Armenian Genocide at only 14 years old. She managed to escape to New York through extraordinary courage, and her story of survival became a media sensation. She went on to play herself in the silent film Auction of Souls, which was a blockbuster in early Hollywood and launched her as the face of one of the largest and most successful charity campaigns in America for supporting Armenian refugees at the time. Through interwoven animation, interviews with Mardiganian herself and re-discovered, salvaged footage from the silent film, Aurora’s Sunrise connects history to the Aurora Prize Initiative and the urgency of ongoing human rights protections and accountability for atrocity crimes.

Reflecting on the Aurora Prize and surrounding events, Garry says, “These are increasingly dark and turbulent times for our world and basic respect for human rights. Nevertheless, there are countless individuals working tirelessly to bring light and healing where it is needed most. It was an honor to co-host the Aurora Prize events in Los Angeles and at UCLA, home to many courageous human rights activists and progressive leaders over the years. The 2024 Aurora Prize events provided a global platform for connection, inspiration and renewed commitment towards full realization of human rights and justice for all. No less than the survival of our planet depends on it.”

Conference panels included “Conflict, Environmental Harm and International Criminal Law,” “Climate Change, Justice and the Future of the Law of the Sea,” “Environmental Rights and Climate Justice,” and “Evidence, State Responsibility and the Voices of the Most Vulnerable.”

“The conversations I had with other activists and scholars about ecocide and indigenous sovereignty were incredibly thought-provoking and inspiring,” says UCLA Law student Julia Nguyen ’25. “These connections are ones that I will continue to cherish and will undoubtedly have a lasting impact on my legal career.”

In his keynote address, Volker Türk, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, expressed support for classifying ecocide as a new international crime. In another keynote presentation, Nazhat Shameem Khan, a deputy prosecutor at the International Criminal Court, said, “We know that unchecked environmental degradation poses an existential threat to the world as we know it. The international legal system, including the ICC, stands at a crucial juncture where we must remain relevant and respond to this crisis before it is too late.”

Cheryl Bazard, the ambassador of the Bahamas to Belgium and the European Union, also addressed the topic in a stirring speech. “Devastating storms, rising sea-levels, unpredictable weather patterns and other adverse effects of climate change threaten the very existence of our islands and the livelihoods and identities of our people,” she said. “The obligations of states in respect of climate change are not an abstract legal exercise, but a matter of survival.”

In addition, the Promise Europe hosted a high-level consultation for the ICC prosecutor, Karim Khan, regarding his forthcoming policy paper on environmental crimes. This allowed him and Kevin Jon Heller, a scholar of international law and special advisor to the ICC, to hear from a broad array of viewpoints, including from environmental activists and attorneys on the frontlines of the climate emergency. The conversation stemmed from a project in which Mackintosh had supervised a group of UCLA Law students who analyzed responses to a public call for inputs on this policy.

The Promise Europe came away from the conference rich with projects that participants formulated or made stronger through their collaboration at the event. These include work with, and legal assistance for, youth climate activists across Africa; a collaboration with academic partners on a new evidence resource for climate litigation; and continued support to the ICC prosecutor on environmental crimes.

“At the conference, we worked with practitioners and activists to ask what story we need to tell, whose story we need to tell and how we need to tell it to make the most compelling case for climate and environmental justice,” Mackintosh says. “Crucially, we are foregrounding the voices and analyses of people on the frontlines of the ecological crisis, as without these inputs we will never find comprehensive and lasting solutions. It is time to unlock the potential of international law to confront this crisis and move us towards a new era of multi-species care, kinship and justice.”