ICAN Will Receive Nobel Peace Prize on Sunday, December 10th

On Sunday, December 10th, the Norwegian Nobel Committee will award the Nobel Peace Prize to the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN).  The Nobel Prize Award Ceremony will be streamed live on https://www.nobelprize.org/index.html and https://www.youtube.com/nobelprize  It will be held at the Oslo City Hall at 1 pm Central European Time, or 5 am Mountain Standard Time in New Mexico.

On October 6, 2017, the Committee announced the award.  It said ICAN “is receiving the award for its work to draw attention to the catastrophic humanitarian consequences of any use of nuclear weapons and for its ground-breaking efforts to achieve a treaty-based prohibition of such weapons.”  https://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/2017/press.html

ICAN responded by saying, “It is a great honour to have been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for 2017 in recognition of our role in achieving the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. This historic agreement, adopted on 7 July with the backing of 122 nations, offers a powerful, much-needed alternative to a world in which threats of mass destruction are allowed to prevail and, indeed, are escalating.

“The International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) is a coalition of non-governmental organizations in one hundred countries. By harnessing the power of the people, we have worked to bring an end to the most destructive weapon ever created – the only weapon that poses an existential threat to all humanity.

“This prize is a tribute to the tireless efforts of many millions of campaigners and concerned citizens worldwide who, ever since the dawn of the atomic age, have loudly protested nuclear weapons, insisting that they can serve no legitimate purpose and must be forever banished from the face of our earth.

“It is a tribute also to the survivors of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki – the hibakusha – and victims of nuclear test explosions around the world, whose searing testimonies and unstinting advocacy were instrumental in securing this landmark agreement.

“The treaty categorically outlaws the worst weapons of mass destruction and establishes a clear pathway to their total elimination. It is a response to the ever-deepening concern of the international community that any use of nuclear weapons would inflict catastrophic, widespread and long-lasting harm on people and our living planet.

“We are proud to have played a major role its creation, including through advocacy and participation in diplomatic conferences, and we will work assiduously in coming years to ensure its full implementation. Any nation that seeks a more peaceful world, free from the nuclear menace, will sign and ratify this crucial accord without delay.

“The belief of some governments that nuclear weapons are a legitimate and essential source of security is not only misguided, but also dangerous, for it incites proliferation and undermines disarmament. All nations should reject these weapons completely – before they are ever used again.

“This is a time of great global tension, when fiery rhetoric could all too easily lead us, inexorably, to unspeakable horror. The spectre of nuclear conflict looms large once more. If ever there were a moment for nations to declare their unequivocal opposition to nuclear weapons, that moment is now.

“We applaud those nations that have already signed and ratified the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, and we urge all others to follow their lead. It offers a pathway forward at a time of alarming crisis. Disarmament is not a pipe dream, but an urgent humanitarian necessity.”

ICAN concluded by saying, “We most humbly thank the Norwegian Nobel Committee. This award shines a needed light on the path the ban treaty provides towards a world free of nuclear weapons. Before it is too late, we must take that path.”  http://www.icanw.org/action/nobel-peace-prize-2017-2/

On Monday, December 11^th, the 2017 Nobel Peace Prize Forum Oslo will host an event called “Across Dividing Lines.”  It will address indigenous rights within the context of social justice and environmental protection.  The forum will recognize the 10^th anniversary of the adoption of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.  It will also recognize the 25^th anniversary of Dr. Rigoberta Menchu Tum receiving the Nobel Peace Prize for her work with indigenous peoples’ rights.  She will give the keynote about the state of affairs of indigenous peoples in the world, including resistance at Standing Rock and the Nussir copper mine in Norway.  It will be streamed live from 10 to 11:30 am Central European Time, or 2 to 3:30 am Mountain Standard Time, at  https://www.nobelprize.org/events/nobel-peace-prize-forum/index.html and https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-V6odR7HzLCuqjYeowPjLA

Joni Arends, of CCNS, said, “CCNS appreciates and recognizes the leadership and diligent work ICAN provided to civil society and the United Nations for the adoption of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.  We are grateful that the Norwegian Nobel Committee awarded ICAN the Nobel Peace Prize.  We look forward to ratification of the treaty.  CCNS will do our part here in New Mexico to ensure the treaty becomes international law at the earliest possible date.”

Tags: Across Dividing Lines, Dr. Rigoberta Menchu Tum, ICAN, International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons, Nobel Peace Prize, Nobel Peace Prize Forum, Norway, Norwegian Nobel Committee, Nussir copper mine, Standing Rock, Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples