This week, Tom is speaking to Roberto González, Chief Advocacy Officer from the Human Rights Foundation about a very special prize which celebrates the work of human rights lawyers working in countries under authoritarian rule.

On October 15th, the international human rights community will gather in The Hague to celebrate the work of Iranian lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh, who is the recipient of the Thulani Maseko Justice Prize 2026.

This is the fourth edition of the Prize, which was created by the Human Rights Foundation in partnership with the Thulani Maseko Foundation.

The Prize honours the memory of Thulani Maseko, who was assassinated in his home country of Eswatini in 2023. Eswatini (formerly known as Swaziland) is a small kingdom in Southern Africa, and is one of the last 'absolute monarchies' in the world. Its King, Mswati III, has been in power for more than 40 years, and his regime is widely believed to have orchestrated the assassination.

Both Nasrin and Thulani epitomise the work done 'behind the scenes' by legal professionals - who often find themselves in even greater danger than the public figures they are representing.

Find out more about Nasrin's work - and the Thulani Maseko Justice Prize - at https://hrf.org/latest/announcing-the-2026-thulani-maseko-justice-prize-laureate/

Stories of Purpose is produced by The City of the Hague, and the Hague and Partners. Visit the website at https://thehague.com/newsroom/en for more news about some of the amazing organizations working in the international city of Peace and Justice.

Theme music: Dreams by the Sea by Black Rhomb.

Today, Tom is speaking to Sanam Naraghi Anderlini from the International Civil Society Action Network (ICAN).

ICAN's mission is to bring prominence to people that live and work in conflict zones, and to amplify voices that are rarely heard in the West. In particular it works with women's groups who are operating at the front line - often in extremely dangerous circumstances - and makes sure the world hears their stories.

It calls these groups 'Peacebuilders'.

From September 29 - October 1 2026, ICAN celebrates its 20th anniversary by bringing together women from all over the world to The Hague for the Women, Peace, and Security Forum. Titled 'Security Reimagined', this year's forum promises to be the largest in the organisation's history, and includes a day of events at the city's famous Peace Palace.

To find out more about the Forum, visit: https://icanpeacework.org/security-reimagined-icans-11th-annual-forum/

Stories of Purpose is produced by The City of the Hague, and the Hague and Partners. Visit the website at https://thehague.com/newsroom/en for more news about some of the amazing organizations working in the international city of Peace and Justice.

Theme music: Dreams by the Sea by Black Rhomb.

In this episode, Tom speaks to Nickolas Eburne and Karin Arana Chacón - two of the current cohort of Judicial Fellows at the International Court of Justice.

2026 is a double anniversary year for the ICJ. It is 80 years since the first hearing held by the Court - but it is also 25 years since the founding of the Judicial Fellowship programme. In that time, more than 250 top legal students have been given the opportunity to work closely with the 15 judges of the ICJ - working on hugely consequential international cases. Each Fellow spends a year at the court - and former students are an eclectic mix of academics, authors and international arbitration experts - including the international Human Rights lawyer Amal Clooney.

Now, the Fellowship has launched an Alumni Association so that former Fellows can come together in The Hague and reminisce about their experiences.

Stories of Purpose is produced by The City of the Hague, and the Hague and Partners. Visit the website at www.thehague.com/newsroom/en for more news about some of the amazing organizations working in the international city of Peace and Justice.

Theme music: Dreams by the Sea by Black Rhomb.