Abune Paulos is a renowned scholar and peace advocate and a former exile in the United States who has worked on reconciliation between Ethiopia and Eritrea.

Paulos and the Ethiopian Orthodox Church have also been especially involved in the support of war-displaced and drought-hit Ethiopians, making the Church one of the major "relief organizations" in the country, alongside with the Muslim society. His peace efforts and humanitarian work were probably the key reasons for his being chosen to receive the Nansen Medal by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees.