Hardly an excellent track record of nominations, but …
What is ICAN, winner of Nobel Peace Prize 2017?
The International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) won the 2017 Nobel Peace Prize. But until now the small group that dreams of a nuclear weapon-free world was only really known to defense experts.
« click for more info
The International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons is a coalition of non-governmental organizations that promotes adherence to and ratification of a United Nations ban on nuclear weapons. ICAN won the 2017 Nobel Peace Prize.
Nobel committee chairwoman Berit Reiss-Andersen described the Geneva-based organisation as a “driving force in prevailing upon the world’s nations to pledge to cooperate with all relevant stakeholders in efforts to stigmatize, prohibit and eliminate nuclear weapons.”
It began in Australia and was launched internationally in Austria in 2007. The founders of ICAN based their model on the International Campaign to Ban Landmines.In 2017 the UN adopted the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons by a wide margin, prohibiting the stockpiling, production, testing, and use of nuclear weapons. Having the agreement ratified by signatories has become the goal of ICAN after years of lobbying to have such a resolution passed.
The treaty needs at least 50 nations to sign on and ratify before it comes into effect, but it has been largely ignored by nuclear armed nations.
Nuclear-armed states include Israel, North Korea, Pakistan, India, China, France, the UK, Russia and the US. None have signed the agreement.
