RSN Celebrates Founder Maung Sawyeddollah as Inaugural Laureate of the Kofi Annan Geneva Youth Peace Prize
The Rohingya Student Network (RSN) proudly celebrates a historic milestone as its Founder and Executive Director, Maung Sawyeddollah, has been named the inaugural laureate of the Kofi Annan Geneva Youth Peace Prize 2026, recognizing his outstanding commitment to peacebuilding, youth empowerment, human rights, and justice.
Presented in Geneva on 15 October 2026, this prestigious international recognition honors a young Rohingya leader whose journey from surviving genocide and living in a refugee camp to advocating for peace on the global stage reflects extraordinary determination, courage, and leadership.
For the Rohingya Student Network, this recognition carries a significance far beyond an individual achievement. It represents the potential of refugee-led initiatives, the leadership of stateless young people, and the conviction that communities affected by conflict must have the opportunity to shape their own futures.
From a Refugee Camp to International Recognition
In 2017, Sawyeddollah was forced to flee his home in Myanmar amid the violence against the Rohingya community. Displaced to Bangladesh as a teenager, he experienced firsthand the barriers that statelessness, displacement, and discrimination impose on young people’s lives.
Rather than allowing these circumstances to define his future, he committed himself to creating opportunities for others.
In 2019, while living in a refugee camp in Cox’s Bazar, he founded the Rohingya Student Network with a vision to empower Rohingya youth through education, leadership development, and advocacy.
What began as a refugee-led youth initiative has grown into an organization advancing educational opportunities, developing emerging leaders, and amplifying Rohingya voices across local and international platforms.
A Recognition Shared with an Entire Community
During his acceptance remarks in Geneva, Sawyeddollah dedicated the Prize to young people whose potential continues to be constrained by conflict, displacement, and statelessness.
“I receive it for the Rohingya child studying despite circumstances designed to limit their future. For the young refugee with talent, but no passport. For the survivor whose suffering is discussed in international rooms where their own voice is missing.”
He also delivered a powerful message about the importance of meaningful participation in peacebuilding:
“Do not build peace for communities while leaving them outside the room where peace is designed. Build it with them.”
These words reflect the principles upon which the Rohingya Student Network was founded: that young refugees are not merely beneficiaries of humanitarian assistance, but individuals with the knowledge, capacity, and leadership to shape lasting solutions.
A Milestone for Rohingya Youth Leadership
The inaugural Kofi Annan Geneva Youth Peace Prize represents an important moment of international recognition for Rohingya youth leadership.
For generations, Rohingya communities have faced persecution, displacement, exclusion, and the denial of fundamental rights. Yet throughout these challenges, young Rohingya have continued to pursue education, organize their communities, advocate for justice, and imagine a more peaceful future.
Sawyeddollah’s recognition demonstrates that statelessness does not diminish a person’s capacity to lead, and that meaningful contributions to peace can emerge from communities that have experienced profound injustice.
His message in Geneva also emphasized that pursuing peace does not require abandoning the demand for justice:
“I can demand justice for the Rohingya while believing that Rohingya, Rakhine, and all the peoples of Myanmar must someday build a future together. I can challenge someone without denying their humanity. I can seek accountability without seeking revenge.”
Our Commitment Continues
As an organization founded by Rohingya youth and built upon their aspirations, RSN celebrates this achievement with immense pride and renewed responsibility.
This recognition is also a tribute to the students, volunteers, educators, community leaders, partners, and supporters who have contributed to RSN’s mission since its establishment in 2019.
We extend our sincere appreciation to the Kofi Annan Foundation, the Geneva Peacebuilding Platform, the Geneva Graduate Institute, and everyone involved in making this recognition possible.
The legacy of Kofi Annan reminds us that peace requires courage, inclusion, dialogue, and a sustained commitment to human dignity. We are proud to see our founder recognized in connection with that legacy.
Today, we celebrate our founder. Tomorrow, we continue the work that brought us here.
We remain committed to ensuring that Rohingya young people are not defined solely by the injustices they have endured, but recognized for their ideas, achievements, leadership, and contributions to a more just and peaceful world.
As Sawyeddollah concluded his acceptance remarks:
“We cannot always choose what history gives us. But we can choose what we give back to history.”
Congratulations to our Founder and Executive Director, Maung Sawyeddollah, on becoming the inaugural laureate of the Kofi Annan Geneva Youth Peace Prize 2026.
Rohingya Student Network (RSN)
Empowering Rohingya Youth Through Education, Leadership, and Advocacy
Official announcement:
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