New York — Richard Gere, the renowned American actor, longtime friend of His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, and steadfast advocate for global human rights—particularly Tibetan human rights—will receive Human Rights First's Inaugural Visionary Award in recognition of his lifetime of outstanding achievements in defending human rights.
Human Rights First, an international human rights organisation based in New York, USA. Which founded in 1978 and dedicated to promote freedom and protect human rights around the world. The organisation announced that its Inaugural Visionary Award for 2025 will be presented to actor and human rights advocate Richard Gere, in recognition of his outstanding achievements in the field of human rights advocacy. The award ceremony will take place on October 14, 2025, at Gotham Hall in New York City, USA.
Human Rights First states," Human Rights First is proud to announce that renowned actor, humanitarian, and activist Richard Gere will be the recipient of the organization’s inaugural Visionary Award."
"The Visionary Award was created to recognize champions who use their influence, professional accomplishments, and creativity to put human rights first and achieve outsize impact. Richard Gere has dedicated a storied career not only to artistic expression as actor, producer and photographer, but also to championing the rights and dignity of oppressed people worldwide. His lifetime of steadfast advocacy for the human rights of Tibetans – exemplified by his chairing the International Campaign for Tibet and co-founding Tibet House US– have shaped bipartisan U.S. and international policy and thwarted Chinese Communist Party efforts to co-opt Tibetan culture. All the while, Gere has been at the forefront of the global fight against HIV/AIDS for decades, and championed the rights of indigenous persons, vulnerable refugees, homeless, and humanitarian crisis response through the Gere Foundation he founded in 1991," the Human Rights Organisation said.
Uzra Zeya, President and CEO of Human Rights First, commented, "As the inaugural recipient of the Human Rights First Visionary Award, Richard Gere embodies the spirit of artistry in service of justice. His lifetime commitment to putting human rights first demonstrates the transformative power of artistic excellence in speaking truth to power and mobilizing global solidarity that transcends both physical and ideological boundaries. Richard Gere’s example reminds us that human rights are for everybody, and everybody deserves rights."
