The Emergency Response Rooms (ERRs), Sudan’s grassroots mutual aid groups, have been awarded the 2025 Chatham House Prize, in recognition of their crucial role in delivering humanitarian assistance during the ongoing war in Sudan.
The ERRs accepted the award at the Chatham House, the Royal Institute of International Affairs in London, England.
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The Emergency Response Rooms have been awarded the 2025 Chatham House Prize, in recognition of their crucial role in delivering humanitarian assistance during the ongoing war in Sudan.
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The Chatham House Prize is an annual award presented by the London-based international affairs think-tank
Chatham House (the Royal Institute of International Affairs) to a person, persons, or organisation deemed to have made the most significant contribution to improving international relations in the previous year.
Since April 2023, Sudan has been engulfed by a devastating war between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), triggering one of the world’s largest humanitarian crises. Over thirteen million people have been displaced from their homes, with more than 33 million – around two‑thirds of the population – needing humanitarian assistance. The conflict has devastated infrastructure and left vast areas without functioning state institutions, or reliable access to basic services, with women and children most impacted by the lack of security, healthcare and livelihoods.
According to Chatham House:
“The ERRs have proven indispensable. These community networks are said to have been the difference between life and death for millions–saving lives in areas often inaccessible to international organisations. They provide essentials like food, water and medical supplies, and maintain or repair infrastructure such as power and water systems – all while under risk of attack and obstruction by the warring parties. Their work has been praised and recognised by several international bodies, including the Norwegian Nobel Committee, particularly for their impartial nature and attempts to provide aid to all those caught up in the conflict.”
The Chatham House Prize was launched in 2005. Previous recipients of the Prize include Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Sir David Attenborough, the Committee to Protect Journalists and Médecins Sans Frontières. The Chatham House Prize is voted for by Chatham House members, following nominations from the institute’s staff. The award is presented on behalf of the institute’s patron, His Majesty the King, representing the non-partisan and authoritative character of the Prize.
The ERRs have recently been recognised by some of the most prestigious peace and human rights organisations in the world for their work in Sudan, including the Rafto Prize for Human Rights 2025 during a ceremony on 9 November 2025 in Bergen, Norway. They have also been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize two years in a row, first in 2024 and second in 2025. Their first nomination in 2024 was made by the Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO) for their critical role in providing lifesaving aid amidst one of the world’s most severe humanitarian crises. However, they did not receive the award.
For more information about the Chatham House prize, visit chathamhouse.org
