December 10, 2017, was a festive day for PAX! We are incredibly proud that the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) received the Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo on Sunday afternoon.
PAX is a driving force behind this campaign. PAX is on the steering committee and played a crucial role in the realization of the international Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, a Treaty supported by 122 countries. This was one of the reasons the Nobel Committee awarded the prize to ICAN.
Program director Miriam Struyk, program leader Susi Snyder and program officer Selma van Oostwaard were present at the official ceremony in Oslo to celebrate together with ICAN executive director Beatrice Fihn, Hiroshima survivor Setsuko Thurlow and ICAN partners.
In the Netherlands, PAX followed the official ceremony at our offices in Utrecht alongside politicians, partners, and volunteers. General Director Jan Gruiters, Socialist Party (SP) Member of Parliament Jasper van Dijk and Campaign Leader Krista van Velzen reflected on the prize and the No Nukes and ICAN campaign. With the peace price as extra encouragement, we continue our efforts to achieve a world free from nuclear weapons!
Watch the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony in Oslo, with speeches by ICAN director Beatrice Fihn and Hiroshima survivor Setsuko Thurlow here.