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The 2017 Nobel Peace Prize Award Ceremony in Oslo celebrated the work of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons, the twelfth group or individual to be so awarded for work on the nuclear weapons issue.  Their ambitious goal is to rid the world of nuclear weapons and they were a key player in the UN’s recent passage of the Treaty to Prohibit Nuclear Weapons.  The award raises the eternal question about human progress, the prospects for peace, and the very fate of humanity on the planet.  In a period of time when political and cultural shifts seem particularly momentous, it is appropriate to ask if there is hope to escape from the dreadful shadow of nuclear weapons, which has loomed over us all since 1945.  Social and political and economic systems seem very stable and timeless and immutable, until they aren’t.  The Soviet Union was a superpower until one day it disappeared.  Authoritarian governments in the Arab world seemed fixed in stone, until they collapsed in the Arab Spring.  Gay marriage was socially unacceptable until suddenly it was not.  These shifts in social norms are hard to predict, but Beatrice Fihn, in her mid-thirties, speaks of and for a new generation of young leaders who do not see the need, wisdom, or certainly the morality of these weapons of mass destruction.

Her Nobel Lecture, delivered along with the Hiroshima survivor Setsuko Thurlow, was a rousing call to action to rid the world of nuclear weapons, warning that we are “one tantrum away” from a potential nuclear strike.  The nuclear story will end some day, she warned, with either the end of these weapons or the end of us.  It is more complicated than that, since even without the weapons, our knowledge of how to make them will always be with us, and even with the most primitive weapons, humans can wreck unimaginable horrors (it just takes longer to do them).  A full legal ban would not guarantee that some rogue nation did not possess a well-hidden stash of the weapons, or that a new international crisis would not prompt a chaotic scramble to re-acquire the weapons.  But there is little doubt that we should move toward a world free of these weapons or at a minimum, far fewer than we currently have. Though never perfectly safe, such a world would be immeasurably safer than the one we are in now.  Exactly what kind of military policies and goals we should pursue, and how to move toward them, will be part of the nuclear security dialogue sessions this coming May and June, co-sponsored by the Nobel Peace Prize Forum and the Foreign Policy Association, and funded by the Carnegie Corporation. We look forward to sharing the results and insights from those discussions at the 2018 Nobel Peace Prize Forum in Minneapolis on September 14-15th.

Although this goal of a nuclear-free world might seem Quixotic, we have seen dramatic progress over the last thirty years, as the graphic below demonstrates.

Over the course of the last 70 years we have seen first terrifying increases, and then dramatic decreases in the number of nuclear weapons deployed around the globe since they reached the insane peak of over 64,000 such weapons in the late 1980s.  We are now at slightly less than 10,000, which is still much too high, but less than one-sixth of the previous level.  This is huge progress, for which we should be glad and on which we can keep building, even if the prospects for great power diplomacy on that front appear dim in the next few years.  The priority in the short term will be to keep the pressure on and prepare the foundation for the next round of U.S.-Russia arms reductions talks once there is leadership that is more open to this way of thinking in Moscow and Washington.

In the remarks delivered by the laureates, and the Chair of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, there were frequent appeals to the nuclear powers and their allies to sign the nuclear ban treaty.  So far 54 countries have signed it, and only three have ratified.  Interestingly, Norway itself has not signed the Nuclear Ban treaty, even though it was one of the original proponents of the “Humanitarian Pledge” and nuclear disarmament efforts that led up to the UN Nuclear Ban Treaty’s passage in the UN this July.  But as part of NATO and a close ally of the U.S., Norway has chosen now to support the “nuclear umbrella” concept whereby it gains some level of the security afforded by an extension of the U.S. nuclear deterrent. The current Norwegian government has taken a more hawkish stance on the world stage, recently purchasing 52 F-35 fighter jets from the U.S., at a cost of $8.4 Billion. The increased tensions with Russia are fueling concerns about potential Russian expansion of its sphere of influence into the Baltic region.  Having once been invaded and occupied by Nazi Germany, Norway remains uneasy about letting its guard down too much.

The Norwegian Foreign Minister,in opposition to the Nobel Committee’s decision, did not attend the award award ceremony, but the current Conservative Prime Minister Erna Solberg was there, and the camera panned to her repeatedly when the calls were made for countries to support the nuclear ban treaty.  In its choice of Peace Prize laureates, the Nobel Committee sometimes directs its message at their own government, and in this case to all the nuclear states as well.  Will they listen?  Beatrice Fihn met with Prime Minister Sohlberg on December 11th, but there was no big announcement of a sudden change of heart. B ig changes do not appear imminent, but, as we have seen, it is always difficult to predict when big changes in policy and values will happen.

The presence in Oslo City Hall of some of the hibakusha, the Japanese survivors of the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki was powerful.  For them, the change cannot come soon enough.  It is almost unimaginable to think of what they went through.  Humans are capable of unspeakable cruelty, short-sightedness, and violence.  But we also sometimes get it right. In spaces like the General Assembly Hall of the United Nations, and in City Hall in Oslo on December 10th each year, we participate in part of building a better future, one built on kindness, patience, and hundreds of years of hard-fought wisdom. Hundreds of years from now I think people will look back and see these efforts as laying the groundwork for a more peaceful and just society and world order.  The pompous posturing and petty political dynamics that seem to so preoccupy us these days will be forgotten, or viewed with a certain bemused puzzlement by future generations (who will almost certainly still have to deal with whatever future version of that political pettiness still exists).  But I am confident they will admire the efforts of all those people, like the grassroots organizers of ICAN, and the wise, patient, and long-sighted diplomats working to address the challenges of climate change and nuclear threats, and be grateful for their tireless efforts to bequeath to future generations a more peaceful, just, and sustainable world.

People are tired of war and injustice, and ready to do the hard work of slowly and patiently addressing the big challenges we face. I am confident that the visions forwarded by the Nobel Peace Prize laureates are the future, not the kind of selfish, fearful, and violent behavior that is so often in the headlines. These kinds of venal behaviors, these aspects of human nature, will remain with us undoubtedly. But they will be countered by the institutions and frameworks and values being developed and strengthened in places like the UN and celebrated by the Norwegian Nobel Committee.  We all look forward to being part of those efforts in the months, years, and decades ahead.

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2016 Nobel Peace Prize Days in Oslo, Norway

It’s been a busy weekend in Oslo to say the least! Our Program Director, Joe Underhill has experienced it all. Please see below links to view the different events.

President Santos said in his acceptance speech:
“It is much more difficult to achieve peace than to wage war. The Colombian peace agreement is a ray of hope in a world troubled by so many conflicts and so much intolerance. It proves that what, at first, seems impossible, through perseverance may become possible even in Syria or Yemen or South Sudan.”

We look forward to hosting Colombia’s President and now Nobel Peace Prize Laureate in the near future!

Juan Manuel Santos’ Nobel Lecture

Presentation Speech by Kaci Kullman Five (presented by Berit Reiss-Andersen)

The 2016 Nobel Peace Prize Ceremony in full

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“I invite everyone to join our strength, our minds and our hearts in this great national endeavor so that we can win the most important prize of all: peace in Colombia,” he said during his first public appearance after being awarded the this prestigious prize.

See President Santos’ reaction after the news: Aljazeera 

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For anyone who has ever asked themselves if their voice as a citizen matters or could make a difference when it come to peace and security — the Norwegian Nobel Committee, which awards the Nobel Peace Prize, has issued a resounding response: Indeed.When citizens from all walks of life and backgrounds are engaged constructively together, they have the power to turn a tide of conflict and violence to one of peace and prosperity.

Peace, arguably, requires much more strength, endurance and courage than violence. Building peace can be a treacherously slow process that requires sustained commitments over time — both political and financial — to dialogue.

As chairwoman Karin Cecilie “Kaci” Kullmann Five of the Norwegian Nobel Committee noted: The 2015 Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to the Tunisian National Dialogue Quartet (made up of four organizations — the Tunisian General Labor Union; the Tunisian Confederation of Industry, Trade and Handicrafts; the Tunisian Human Rights League, and the Tunisian Order of Lawyers) for “broad-based national dialogue that the Quartet succeeded in establishing [that] countered the spread of violence in Tunisia.”

National dialogue processes can deter violence by helping to build constitutional frameworks, as well as mechanisms for state and political reform, and provide spaces for reconciliation and collective envisioning of the future.

However, not all national dialogues value — or succeed in achieving, as the Quartet did — a “broad-based,” participatory, nationally owned process.

Broad-based or inclusive dialogue processes must genuinely involve a range of stakeholders, including women, religious leaders, youth, elders and more. Importantly, dialogue processes that are inclusive can provide a constructive way for disagreement to be aired and for different points of view to emerge and be dealt with.

Yet, more often than not, those who are not part of government or party to conflict still struggle to be included in mediation and national dialogue processes, particularly women and women’s groups.

The Quartet demonstrates that national dialogues have the power to be transformative when they are truly inclusive and nationally owned. It also points to the strength of internal mediators — particularly compared with other situations in the Arab Spring where the arbiter was the military or a third party.

The Quartet’s success stands in sharp contrast to places suffering armed conflicts and struggling to achieve effective national dialogue processes.

One disastrous consequence of the failure of both national dialogue and disarmament is the current situation in the Central African Republic (CAR).

The United Nations has investigated widespread violence in the CAR, including ethnic cleansing, conflict-related sexual violence and possible acts of genocide committed along religious lines in communities that otherwise have lived peacefully together.

It is a profound crisis that has received little attention — despite U.N. warnings of genocide, estimates of over 800,000 internally displaced persons and refugees, and 35 percent of the population facing food insecurity.

Ultimately, the empowerment, participation and voice of each and every citizen are fundamental requirements for peace. We are all peacemakers and peace builders — in our own homes, our communities and our world.

Every single member of each of the organizations comprising the Tunisian National Dialogue Quartet is the winner of a collective achievement that has maintained the safety, well-being, and future of their neighbors and nation.

Gina Torry was the former executive director of the Nobel Peace Prize Forum, a former member of the United Nations Department of Political Affairs Mediation Support Unit and former coordinator of the NGO Working Group on Women, Peace and Security.

This article was first published as an op-ed in the Minneapolis Star Tribune on October 15, 2015.

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As the incoming Executive Director of the Nobel Peace Prize Forum, I am incredibly excited about the Norwegian Nobel Committee’s decision today. In their announcement, the committee made the critical point that upholding the rights of children and young people must be respected – and that the violation of children leads to violence from generation to generation – especially in conflict affected situations.

Today’s decision is a beacon, and symbol of courage – peace takes courage. It takes perseverance to work for peace, stand up against oppression and use one’s voice, no matter what age you are, in support of peace and human rights. This can be a perilous and winding road.

Kailash Satyarthi’s journey to protect children from exploitation for financial gain has been a brave one, underscoring the responsibility of companies to uphold and implement business practices that support peace and human rights.

There is no doubt that violence committed against children and young people can sow seeds of hatred and revenge that may last lifetimes – but Malala Yousafzay shows us how to turn a seed of hate into a seed of peace.

I think it is important to recall what she said at the United Nations after recovering from being shot in the head by the Taliban for speaking out for girls’ rights to education: “They thought that the bullets would silence us. But they failed. And then, out of that silence came, thousands of voices. The terrorists thought that they would change our aims and stop our ambitions but nothing changed in my life except this: Weakness, fear and hopelessness died. Strength, power and courage was born.”

It is this kind of strength and courage we celebrate today.

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The Norwegian Nobel Committee’s announcement emphasized “In the poor countries of the world, 60% of the present population is under 25 years of age. It is a prerequisite for peaceful global development that the rights of children and young people be respected. In conflict-ridden areas in particular, the violation of children leads to the continuation of violence from generation to generation.”

The Norwegian Nobel Committee commended the great personal courage of both laureates and “regards it as an important point for a Hindu and a Muslim, an Indian and a Pakistani, to join in a common struggle for education and against extremism.”

In the spirit of the Nobel Peace Prize and its laureates, the 2015 Nobel Peace Prize Forum will bring together Nobel Laureates and leaders of courage and peace, and provide a space for transformative dialogue. Delegates and participants wishing to attend the event will be able to reserve tickets on the Nobel Peace Prize Forum website on January 5, 2015.

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Serendipitously, this photo captures another Nobel Laureate as well. The round brick building in the background is home to the Organisation for Prohibition of Chemical Weapons. Unlike Mandela who now rests from his labors, the OPCW does not. Today’s queue of dignitaries and office workers moving through OPCW security is testimony to the activity within its walls.

As those of us participating in the OPCW conference wait our turn, there is time for reflection. Since the OPCW won the Peace Prize a year ago, its mission to eradicate chemical weapons has made great strides. Only six countries (Egypt, Israel, South Sudan, Angola, Myanmar, and North Korea) still stand outside the boundaries of the international chemical weapons convention. On a drearier note, the challenge to prevent the use of these weapons by rogue elements looms larger, especially with the rise of ISIL in the very region where chemical weapons were unleashed as recently as last year.

With these goals of eradication and prevention in mind, OPCW’s original mandate was more recently expanded to include public outreach and education about chemical weapons. It’s not far-fetched to imagine that an energized global populace might be a powerful means of pressuring remaining states to sign the convention. It might also be a means of making the use of chemical weapons unacceptable in the eyes of non-state actors who care not at all for formal international treaties or entreaties.

That, of course, is the purpose of this OPCW conference called “Education and Peace.” Officials from the nearby city of Ieper/Ypres, Belgium (which suffered the first use of chemical weapons a century ago), give powerful voice to the promise and the possibilities. Educators from Algeria, museum staff from Iran, chemical engineers from Costa Rica, government officials from Argentina, and Nobel Peace Center staff from Norway all convene to explore a new and vigorous approach to education. Who is the audience? What are the messages and the media to be employed? Which human faces today will galvanize popular sentiment and make the inhumanity of chemical weapons emotionally tangible, even as Mandela became the human face renouncing apartheid’s inhumanity?

The OPCW’s specific intent is to use the visibility of its Nobel Peace Prize and the 100th anniversary of the first use of chemical weapons as opportunities to permanently free the globe from chemical weapons. With the OPCW Director General giving a Laureate address at the March 2015 Nobel Peace Prize Forum, the Forum’s attendees will be participants in the ongoing discussion of these questions. Nelson Mandela, walking just down the street with his eyes fixed on the future, would approve.

Former Executive Director Maureen Reed writes from The Hague, where she was participating this week in the OPCW’s conference on Education and Peace.

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The OPCW has created a documentary film series called Fires that focuses on war and peacemaking, showing stories of humans connected with the first type of weapons of mass destruction: chemical weapons.

Learn more about the OPCW and Fires, and watch the films here: http://www.thefiresproject.com/

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Today the world has lost a great man – indeed, one of the very greatest. Nelson Mandela’s name is known across the globe; synonymous with the struggle for peace. In the face of great opposition, he stood up against apartheid, was imprisoned for 27 years, and became the first black president of South Africa. His actions were great and his impact immense.

The mission of the Nobel Peace Prize Forum is to study the work of Nobel Peace Prize Laureates in order to inspire peacemaking. Although Nelson Mandela will never guest the Forum in person, his legacy, reputation, and spirit will be ever-present. He will inspire future Peace Prize Laureates whose work will continue in the same vein as Mandela’s: to bring justice and equality to the world. 

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