Stan Lysberg Solum/NTB Scanpix/AFP via Getty Images Peace is long term The factors that drive war or peace are complex and are unlikely to be significantly influenced by an annual award given in Norway.Ī photo of Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed is on display at the Nobel Peace Center in Oslo, Norway, recognizing winners of the Nobel Peace Prize. Unsurprisingly, such statements encouraging peace – alongside the Nobel Prize itself – have had little effect on how prize winners act. A United Nations investigation found in 2022 that all sides in the conflict have committed war crimes against civilians.īerit Reiss-Andersen, the chair of the Nobel award committee, later said in 2022 that Ahmed “has a special responsibility to end the conflict and contribute to peace.” The war between the Ethiopian military and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front resulted in tens of thousands of civilian deaths before it ended in November 2022. Just one year after winning the award in 2019, Abiy ordered a large-scale military offensive against the Tigray People’s Liberation Front, a controversial political party that represents the northern Tigray region of Ethiopia. Others selections, such as Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, have proved embarrassing in hindsight. Obama” to pursue nuclear disarmament, but in the end he said that he regretted giving Obama the award. Geir Lundestad, a former secretary of the Nobel Peace Prize Committee, wrote in his 2019 memoir that he had hoped the award “ would strengthen Mr. The committee gave him the award “based on his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples.” However, Obama had been in office for less than a year when he got the prize, which is likely not enough time to do either of these things. For example, former President Barack Obama said that he was even surprised by the award when he won it in 2009. Some previous awardees are head-scratchers, for peace experts and casual observers and recipients alike. And the prize is not a precursor to peace actually happening, or lasting. The Nobel Committee, in my view, does not always give the peace prize to people who actually deserve the recognition. Issouf Sanogo/AFP via Getty Images The prize can be off-mark Leymah Gbowee, who was a joint Nobel Peace Prize winner in 2011, marches with women’s rights activists to pray for peace in Monrovia, Liberia. Will the award celebrate a true peace builder, or a politician that just happened to sign a peace agreement? Will it celebrate a true and historic achievement, or what happens to be in the newspaper right now? A mixed historyĪdmittedly, the Norwegian Nobel Committee – made up of five Norwegians, mostly former politicians, whom the Norwegian parliament appoints for a six-year term – has made some great peace prize selections over the years. But given the track record of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, I always feel some dread before the peace prize announcement. Each year, I think I should look forward to this moment, when a champion of peace is celebrated on the world stage. I have worked in the peace-building field for over 20 years to support societies as they work to prevent violence and end wars. The winner will receive a medal, US$994,000 and global recognition. 6, 2023, drawing from a pool of 351 nominees.Įnvironmental activist Greta Thunberg and Ukrainian Prime Minister Volodymyr Zelenskyy are reportedly two of the nominees, among political dissidents, leaders and human rights activists who are up for the prize. The Norwegian Nobel Committee is set to announce the recipient of the annual Nobel Peace Prize on Oct.
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