Palladium is proud to announce that four of our Humanitarian and Stabilisation Operations Team (HSOT) staff have been awarded the Humanitarian Medal.

Today, they were recognised with a new medal for their humanitarian aid work on behalf of the United Kingdom at Buckingham Palace. They were honoured to mark their service contributing to HM Government’s humanitarian response to the 2023 Morocco earthquake, Libya flooding and conflict in Gaza helping to save lives and alleviate suffering.

HSOT Director Rebecca Pankhurst-Lapiña says "I am incredibly pleased that HSOT staff are among the first aid workers honoured with the new Humanitarian Medal. They are thoroughly dedicated humanitarians and have deployed overseas to help the UK government deliver life-saving aid in humanitarian emergencies."

Humanitarian Adviser Alexandra Lages Miquel, awarded a medal for humanitarian work in the aftermath of the earthquake that hit Morocco in 2023 says, "The four of us are hugely honoured to receive the Humanitarian Medal but want to highlight that what we’ve accomplished was very much a team effort. As a team we work incredibly hard and being awarded a medal is a great recognition for everything we do."

The Humanitarian Stabilisation Operations Team is made up of over 80 UK-based staff with expertise in humanitarian operations. The team maintains a high readiness to respond, and staff are ready to deploy within eight hours from the onset of a crisis. The team is known for its ‘can do’ attitude, and ability to deliver at pace and at scale during times of crisis.

HSOT has been a trusted partner of the UK Government since 2017, and works closely with colleagues in the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. To date, the team has responded to 87 major humanitarian disasters.

Read more about the UK-funded HSOT in their Annual Report.