36-year-old Maria Kristensen has been awarded the Ole Lippmann Memorial Prize 2011. Maria Kristensen is working for for the Danish Refugee Council in Chechnya, and receives the prize for her unselfish work in the conflict zones of the world.

It was an unexpected and a pleasant surprise for both Maria Kristensen and the Danish Refugee Council, as the Ole Lippmann Foundation announced the person judged worthy of the 2011 award.

"I had no idea I was to be selected for this, but I am of course deeply honoured and pleased to have received the award. When the Ole Lippmann Foundation awards a prize like this to me, I see it as a recognition of the humanitarian work that takes place in many of the world's hotspots, "says Maria Kristensen, Country Director in the Russian Federation and based in Grozny, Chechnya.

Maria Kristensen, originally from Sunds in Jutland, has studied in Germany, Canada and the USA. As a professional in the humanitarian sector, she has also travelled and worked in many parts of the world. For the Danish Refugee Maria Kristensen been stationed in Northern Uganda in 2001, and in Darfur in 2005-07 before she came to Chechnya in 2009.

In 2006, the Ole Lippmann Foundation Memorial Prize was instituted, to be awarded to a candidate chosen every five years. Maria Kristensen is the second recipient of the memorial prize. In 2006, Danish journalist and writer Herbert Pundik received the prize.

"Throughout his life, Ole Lippmann chose to support young people with the courage to look outside the country borders in order to contribute positively to global development. Maria Kristensen's humanitarian commitment in the last 10 years is entirely in the spirit in which Ole Lippmann wanted to promote and support, "said the Ole Lippmann Foundation in a press release in connection with Memorial Award the 2011.

The Ole Lippmann Memorial Prize 2011 was presented at the Resistance Museum in Copenhagen on 9 May 2011 at ceremony attended by among others, Ole Lippmann's widow, Inga Lippmann, who is behind the decision to institute the award after her husband's death in 2002.

Ole Lippmann, former director of the company Simonsen and Weel, is best known for his actions during World War II where he was the Allies' representative in Denmark and at the Freedom Council. Less known is the fact that throughout his life, Ole Lippann took an active part in humanitarian work. Ole Lippmann was among those supporting the hospital ship Jutlandia financially and with medical equipment.

Ole Lippmann was also very involved in the mandating of democracy, primarily in Eastern Europe, especially Poland was of great importance to him. As Lech Walesa visited Denmark in April 1995 as Poland's president was Ole Lippmann his personal aide during the state visit.

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