OSLO – The 2020 Nobel Peace prize has been awarded to the World food Programme, the Norwegian Nobel Committee announced on Friday.
The food-assistance branch of the United Nations was awarded “for its efforts to combat hunger, for its contribution to bettering conditions for peace in conflict-affected areas and for acting as a driving force in efforts to prevent the use of hunger as a weapon of war and conflict,” the committee explained.
The prize is worth 10m Swedish krona ($1.1m; £872,600).
The WFP, the 101st winner of the prize, said it was “deeply humbled”.
WFP is deeply humbled to receive the 2020 #NobelPeacePrize.
This is in recognition of the work of WFP staff who put their lives on the line every day to bring food and assistance to more than 100 million hungry children, women and men across the world. pic.twitter.com/cjHOtqLcLk
— World Food Programme (@WFP) October 9, 2020
“This is in recognition of the work of WFP staff who put their lives on the line every day to bring food and assistance to more than 100 million hungry children, women and men across the world,” it said on Twitter.
Some 211 individuals and 107 organisations were nominated for the prize this year.
The Nobel Prize, which one of the world’s most important awards, was started in accordance with the will of Swedish inventor Alfred Nobel, with the first award handed out in 1901.
Nobel Prizes are awarded in several categories to people “who have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind” in the previous 12 months.
Some famous Nobel Peace Prize winners
- Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed (2019)
- Pakistan’s child education activist Malala Yousafzai (shared 2014)
- European Union (2012)
- Former US President Barack Obama (2009)
- Former US President Jimmy Carter (2002)
- United Nations and its secretary-general at the time, Kofi Annan, (shared 2001)
- Mother Teresa (1979)
