He Nobel Peace Prize will be announced on Friday in a dark year for world peace, with UN chief Antonio Guterres, the International Court of Justice and the Palestinian refugee agency among the favourites.
Specialists are trying to predict a winner in the midst of a turbulent global panorama due to the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, famine in Sudan and climate collapse. This year, it is known 286 candidates on the list of nominees, including 197 individuals and 89 organizations. The Norwegian Nobel Committee has kept candidates’ names secret for half a century, but people eligible to nominate them can reveal who they nominated.
UNRWA, UN agency for Palestinian refugees
For him Norwegian Peace Councila collective of numerous NGOs, The prize should go to the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), in the midst of the devastating conflict between Israel and the Islamist group Hamas in the Gaza Strip. “A peace prize for UNRWA will be strong recognition for its work in the face of a difficult political and economic situation,” the group indicates.
UNRWA provides aid to millions of Palestinians in Gaza, the West Bank and neighboring countries. But rewarding its work could anger Israeli authorities, who accuse the organization of complicity with Hamas. If awarded, the UN agency could receive the award along with its head, the Swiss-Italian Philippe Lazzarini.
International Court of Justice (ICJ)
Another way to address the Middle East conflict, as well as the Russian offensive in Ukraine, could be honor the International Court of Justice (ICJ)responsible for resolving conflicts between countries to avoid war. The ICJ, the highest UN court based in The Hagueordered Russia to cease its invasion of Ukraine and, months ago, ordered Israel to immediately stop its military operations in Rafah, southern Gaza. The orders were ignored on the ground, but They increased pressure on the two countries to respect international law. “The ICJ has made important contributions,” says Henrik Urdal, director of the Oslo Peace Research Institute.
“Obviously it is not a court that has the power or structure to give force to its decisions, but rather it depends on the international community to follow up on its rulings,” he explains.
Antonio Guterres, Secretary General of the UN
Asle Sveen, historian and Nobel expert, believes that the prize should go to the Secretary General of the UN, the Portuguese Antonio Guterresprobably together with some UN agency. “The UN needs all the support and attention it can get to survive against the forces that believe that might is right,” defends Sveen.
Antonio Guterres UN.JPG
REUTERS
“A peace prize for Antonio Guterres will give him a unique opportunity to (…) warn about the danger of making the UN and the world order irrelevant“he adds.
The Nobel Peace Prize may not have a winner
Other candidates mentioned are International Criminal Court (ICC), the campaign to stop killer robots, the Emergency Response Rooms initiative for Sudan and Afghanistan women’s rights activist Mahbouba Seraj. But given the dire situation in the world, Dan Smith, head of the Stockholm Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), suggests that This year no one receives the award. “Maybe it’s time to say ‘Yes, there are many people working very hard but we are not achieving it and we need more people and world leaders to wake up and understand that we are in an extremely dangerous situation,’ explains Smith to AFP.
But that is unlikely, because it would be seen as an acknowledgment of failure by the awards committee. “I am confident that there will be a candidate worthy of the award,” says the committee’s secretary, Olav Njolstad. The 2024 Nobel Peace Prize will be announced on Friday at 11:00 am (09:00 GMT) in Oslo.
Source: Ambito
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