The Conrad N. Hilton Foundation has named Handicap International, an independent nongovernmental organization that works to promote respect for and respond to the essential needs of people with disabilities, as the winner of this year's $1.5 million Hilton Humanitarian Prize, the world's largest award for humanitarian achievement.

Handicap International was founded in 1982 by two French doctors, Jean-Baptiste Richardier and Claude Simonnot, to help Cambodians who had been seriously injured by landmines. The organization now provides assistance to people in sixty countries who have been disabled due to injury, natural disaster, armed conflict, disease, and poverty. Services provided by the organization range from landmine clearance to providing artificial limbs and economic and psychological support to people who have been disabled.

According to Dr. Richardier, Handicap International's CEO, the prize will be used to strengthen the organization's disaster preparedness capabilities, with some money set aside to benefit the thousands of Haitians who lost limbs or sustained other serious injuries in the devastating earthquake that struck the impoverished country in 2010.

Handicap International has a long history of international advocacy on behalf of people with disabilities and played a leading role in campaigning for the adoption of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which became international law in 2008. It also helped spearhead the International Campaign to Ban Landmines, which led to the adoption of the Mine Ban Treaty in 2007.

"In just three decades, Handicap International has transformed the way the world deals with persons with disabilities who have been overlooked and underserved, especially in emergency situations," said Hilton Foundation president and CEO Steven M. Hilton. "By dedicating its resources and talents to working with and advocating for people with disabilities, Handicap International gives help and hope to the most vulnerable among us."