This year’s Nobel Peace Prize for “efforts to achieve a world free of nuclear weapons and for demonstrating through witness testimonies that nuclear weapons can never again be used” has been awarded to the organization Nihon Hidankyo.
Comments from experts at the Nobel Week Information Center at the University of Warsaw:
– The Nobel Committee has shown how important it is to return to the roots and essence of the sense of security. We have a success story here, as the organization Nihon Hidankyo, meticulously collecting testimonies from those who experienced radiation during the bombings in Hiroshima and Nagasaki and speaking about it for years, has led to a change in how nuclear bombs should be perceived within the global community and the establishment of a nuclear taboo. This is particularly important given the ongoing threat of nuclear weapons looming over us and the frequent emergence of this topic in all current conflicts that have taken on a very heated nature. Returning to the stance of “let’s be careful, because we could destroy the whole world” is a fascinating way to address all the challenges associated with maintaining peace in the world. – Dr. Justyna Nakonieczna-Bartosiewicz – Department of Methodology of Political Research, Faculty of Political Science and International Studies, University of Warsaw.
– I see this award as a response to the ongoing threats and the recurring mention of the use of nuclear weapons by a leader of a state currently involved in the conflict, such as the one between Russia and Ukraine. On the other hand, the choice of an organization that gathers individuals with experiences of the evils of war and nuclear war is extremely significant. It serves as a reminder that war does not affect abstract entities like states. War is a misfortune that affects real, flesh-and-blood people—people who have loved ones, who have desires, who have dreams—and war takes all of that away from them. Therefore, I believe that selecting an organization that gathers individuals who bear witness to the horrors of war is immensely important in this regard. Perhaps this will help mobilize more people to activism against the potential use of nuclear weapons. – Prof. Dr. Hab. Paweł Łuków – Department of Ethics, Faculty of Philosophy, University of Warsaw.
– This is a very important award that carries hope that change is possible and that people can achieve great things. However, I fear certain interpretations, particularly those related to the fear of nuclear energy. While the fear of nuclear weapons is justified, primarily due to their destructive potential, the fear of radiation is exaggerated. As a physicist, I can clearly say that nuclear war could dramatically affect the climate, which we have known for a long time. However, I want to emphasize the interpretation that we should oppose absolutely all forms of blackmail and attempts to use nuclear weapons, but we should not apply this to various aspects, such as radiation used for medical purposes or nuclear energy, which provides us with relatively clean electricity and energy for living. We must not allow the mere word “nuclear” to unjustly condemn these technologies to social rejection. – Prof. Dr. Hab. Szymon Malinowski – Institute of Geophysics, Faculty of Physics, University of Warsaw.
Nobel Peace Prize
The Nobel Peace Prize is unique not only because candidates can be nominated by individuals outside the Norwegian Nobel Committee. It is an exceptional symbol and recognition of efforts toward one of the world’s most precious values: the preservation of peace. The distinction in the field of peace activism was mentioned in Alfred Nobel’s will as the last prize. The founder described the profile of a candidate for this award as someone who has done “the most or the best work for fraternity between nations, for the organization and promotion of peace congresses, and for the abolition or reduction of existing armies.” The peace award has been given since the inception of the competition. The first prize was divided between two laureates: Frédéric Passy, one of the main founders of the Inter-Parliamentary Union and organizer of the First World Peace Congress, and Henri Dunant, founder of the Red Cross and initiator of the Geneva Conventions.
Source: https://ceo.com.pl/nihon-hidankyo-laureatem-pokojowej-nagrody-nobla-za-dzialania-na-rzecz-rozbrojenia-nuklearnego-75435
