The Norwegian Nobel Committee announced on Friday that the 2024 Nobel Peace Prize will be awarded to Nihon Hidankyo, a Japanese grassroots organization of atomic bomb survivors from Hiroshima and Nagasaki, known as Hibakusha. The committee recognized Hibakusha for their dedication to eliminating nuclear weapons and for their powerful testimony, which serves as a reminder of the devastating consequences of nuclear arms and the need to prevent their use.
Jorgen Watne Frydnes, chair of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, explained that the award comes at a time when the global norm against the use of nuclear weapons is under threat. He added that the committee aims to honor the survivors who, despite enduring immense physical pain and traumatic memories, have chosen to use their experiences to promote peace and hope.
Nihon Hidankyo’s recognition continues the Nobel Peace Prize’s tradition of honoring efforts against nuclear weapons. Previous winners include the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) in 2017 and Joseph Rotblat with the Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs in 1995 for their efforts to reduce the influence of nuclear arms in international politics and to work towards their complete abolition.
This year’s Peace Prize was awarded amid ongoing global conflicts, including in the Middle East, Ukraine, and Sudan. Alfred Nobel stated in his will that the prize should be awarded for “the most or the best work for fraternity between nations, for the abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the holding and promotion of peace congresses.”
The prize comes with a monetary award of 11 million Swedish kronor (around $1 million). Unlike the other Nobel Prizes, which are awarded in Stockholm, founder Alfred Nobel decreed the Peace Prize be decided and awarded in Oslo by the five-member Norwegian Nobel Committee.
The Nobel season ends Monday with the announcement of the winner of the Economics Prize, formally known as the Bank of Sweden Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel.
