This year’s Nobel Peace Prize highlighted some leading peacebuilders:
3. The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) was nominated for enforcing peace in the political transition in The Gambia. Their success was hailed a victory for African democracy and bolstered hopes for long-term regional stability.
2. The United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) was recognized for standing up for refugees. Over 65 million people are now forcibly displaced, worldwide and the UNHCR has defended refugee rights, giving them a voice.
1. The International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) won the 2017 Peace Prize for their ground-breaking efforts to prohibit nuclear weapons.
“They have also brought the debate forward by focusing so heavily on the humanitarian consequences of using nuclear arms,” said Berit Reiss-Andersen, chairman of the Norwegian Nobel Committee.
“We have a lot of organizations that are members but have worked with little resources, a lack of media attention and kind of ignored by mainstream media, so I think this will really – this will mean the world to us, this is going to change everything,” said Beatrice Fihn, executive director of ICAN.
