A coalition fighting nuclear weapons said Friday it hopes the awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize to the Japanese organization Nihon Hidankyo will combat apathy surrounding the growing risk of their use.
The Geneva-based International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) won the Peace Prize in 2017 for its efforts to promote compliance with the United Nations Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.
Daniel Hogsta, the deputy director, told Reuters he was “absolutely thrilled” to win the Nobel Prize awarded to him by Nihon Hidankyo, which represents survivors of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
“It couldn’t have come at a better time,” he said. “I mean, it is generally recognized that the risk of using nuclear weapons right now is as high or perhaps even higher than it has ever been.”
He cited the war in Ukraine, where Russia has warned that growing Western involvement increases the danger that it may resort to nuclear weapons.
“But unfortunately there is a lot of apathy,” Hogsta said. “And what Nihon Hidankyo shows us, and why this award is so important, is that people and political leaders must be motivated to act.”
ICAN is a coalition of non-governmental organizations from approximately 100 countries that have successfully lobbied for the adoption of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, which has been ratified by 73 countries.
“We will continue to work closely with Nihon Hidankyo and Hibakusha around the world to ensure the treaty is the game-changer it has the potential to be,” Hogsta said.
Source: Terra
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