Berlin - The international organization Reporters Without Borders and Iranian human rights activist Shirin Ebadi were named recipients of a prestigious German award on Wednesday.

They were awarded the Roland Berger Human Dignity Award, a prize established last year to promote peaceful cooperation in the world.

The prize is worth 1 million euros (1.34 million dollars), of which 900,000 euros will go to the Paris-based Reporters Without Borders and 100,000 euros to Ebadi.

"Freedom of expression and free access to information are human rights and serve as a foundation of a functioning democracy," said Berger, a retired professor who set up a global consultancy in 1967.

The award was intended as a signal for more press freedom in a world where more than 80 per cent of the population has limited or no access to independent reporting, he said.

Former German foreign minister Joschka Fischer, a member of the jury, praised journalists who take a high personal risk when they report from war zones or speak out against authoritarian regimes.

"They are threatened, harassed, arbitrarily arrested and physically attacked, and often their families are also in danger. For this reason, journalists must be protected and supported in their cross-border work," he said.

Reporters Without Borders was founded in 1985 and fights for press freedom across the globe. The organization has made it its mission to document violations of press freedom and to support journalists and media in trouble.

Ebadi, a lawyer and university professor who won the Nobel peace prize in 2003, was honoured for her commitment to defend human rights.

"Because of her legal work, she and her family are consistently threatened and publicly defamed. This pressure has increased over the past few months," the citation said.

The prizes will be presented by German President Horst Koehler at a ceremony in Berlin on April 21.

Last year's prize went to Somaly Mam, a Cambodian woman dedicated to fighting human trafficking and the sexual exploitation of children and women. (dpa)