7 October 2026, Arusha, United Republic of Tanzania
Rocío Abed de Zacarías, a lawmaker from Paraguay, has been awarded the 2026 Cremer-Passy Prize for her efforts in promoting human rights.
The Prize is named after the two IPU founders, parliamentarians Frédéric Passy and Sir William Randal Cremer, who created the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) in 1889.
Ms. Abed has been a member of Paraguay’s Chamber of Deputies since 2018 and is serving her second consecutive legislative term until 2028.
Her parliamentary work has focused primarily on issues of health, women’s rights and social inclusion, including three pieces of legislation where she played a key role.
- Ms. Abed was a co-proponent of a 2024 law in Paraguay that established a legal right to palliative care for people with terminal or advanced chronic illnesses. The measure covers physical, psychological and spiritual support from diagnosis to the end of life, including pain relief, and assistance for families.
- She was the lead sponsor of a 2022 law expanding the national programme for cervical and breast cancer prevention, early detection and treatment. The legislation provides for free breast reconstruction surgery within the public health system. It also seeks to improve access to screening and diagnostic services.
- Ms. Abed also helped advance a 2023 law on the digital inclusion of older persons. As President of the Chamber of Deputies’ Commission on Social Equity and Gender, she supported public consultations on the measure, which promotes access to information and communication technologies for people aged 60 and over.
In 2025, she published Paraguayas en el Poder, a book presenting the stories of more than 100 women who have held high-level positions across Paraguay. The publication highlighted the diverse paths women have taken to leadership, the barriers they have encountered, and the resilience they have shown in public and political life.
Ms. Abed also contributes actively to the work of the IPU, notably as a member of the Bureau of the IPU Standing Committee on Democracy and Human Rights, representing the IPU Group of Latin America and the Caribbean.
Background
The Cremer-Passy Prize is open to any sitting parliamentarians who make an outstanding contribution to the defence and promotion of the IPU’s objectives, as well as those “who contribute to a more united, peaceful, sustainable and equitable world”.
The jury comprises six former IPU Presidents or prominent parliamentarians representing all regions of the world. It assesses nominees for the Prize against criteria including their commitment to defending IPU values, their track record and achievements, and the potential for their parliamentary work and good practices to be replicated in other countries.
Previous winners include Ms. Cynthia Lopez Castro of Mexico and the Verkhovna Rada, the Parliament, of Ukraine (2022), Mr. Samuelu Penitala Teo, former Speaker of the Parliament of Tuvalu (2023), and Dr. Haroun Kabadi, President of the Senate of Chad (2024).
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The IPU is the global organization of national parliaments. It was founded in 1889 as the first multilateral political organization in the world, encouraging cooperation and dialogue between all nations. Today, the IPU comprises 184 national Member Parliaments and 15 regional parliamentary bodies. It promotes peace, democracy and sustainable development. It helps parliaments become stronger, younger, greener and more gender-balanced. It also defends the human rights of parliamentarians through a dedicated committee made up of MPs from around the world.
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