Fredspris!

Nå på fredag skal Thorbjørn Jagland igjen fryde oss med sin engelske aksent og presentere vinneren av årets Nobels fredspris. Studentene på Bjørknes Høyskole skal samles foran TV’en og det blir veddemål på forhånd samt diskusjon i etterkant.

Dersom dere lurer på hvem som egentlig kan nominere kandidater til denne fredsprisen, så er det bare å lese om dette hos Den norske nobelkomiteen. Som de skriver så kommer det inn mellom 150 og 200 ulike forslag på kandidater til Nobels Fredspris hvert år. De skriver: «Nobelkomiteen gjør sitt valg på bakgrunn av de nominasjonsforslag som er mottatt eller poststemplet før 1. februar det gjeldende år. Forslag som ikke overholder tidsfristen blir normalt tatt med ved neste års bedømmelse.»

Det som er interessant, og litt rart, er at komiteen ikke offentliggjør navnene på de nominerte. Først etter femti år blir dette gjort offentlig tilgjengelig. Så da blir følgende liste fra PRIO spekulasjon/detektivarbeid (som de også selv påpeker):

·       Edward Snowden, US surveillance whistleblower. Nominated by Norwegian MPs from Socialist Left, Snorre Valen and Bård Vegar Solhjell

·       Denis Mukwege, Congolese gynaecologist and advocate against sexual violence. Confirmed nomination by Norwegian MPs from Socialist Left, Karin Andersen and Audun Lysbakken.

·       Igor Kochetkov (Russia), Frank Mugisha (Uganda), Sunil Babu Pant (Nepal) and ILGA, The International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association; for their fights for LGBT rights. Nominated by Norwegian MPs from Labour, Anette Trettebergstuen and Håkon Haugli.

·       Catherine Ashton, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security policy, along with Prime Ministers of Serbia and Kosovo, Ivaca Dačić and Hashim Thaçi. Nominated by European Parliament member Johannes Swoboda (Austria), President of the Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialist & Democrats in the European Parliament, for the three's conciliatory efforts in Balkan.

·       National Priorities Project, a US research organization nominated by the International Peace Bureau for its "clear and steadfast commitment to re-allocating the enormous sums devoted to the military".

·       Ales Bialitski, Belarusian human rights activist. Nominated by Polish MPs.

·       Yuan Longping, the Chinese 'father of hybrid rice', along with Indian geneticist Mankombu Sambasivan Swaminathan. Nominated by Norwegian MP from Centre Party, Trygve Slagsvold Vedum, for their contributions to food security and provision.

·       Vladimir Putin, President of Russia. Reportedly nominated by the International Academy of Spiritual Unity and Cooperation Among the Nations of the World and backed by Russian MP Iosif Kobzon, for his averting of an air strike on Syria after the chemical gas attacks in August 2013.

·       Mother Agnes Mariam of the Cross (Fadia Laham) and the Mussalaha (Reconciliation) Initiative in Syria. Nominated by Peace Prize laureate Mairead Maguire.

·       Malala Yousafzai. Nominated by Norwegian MPs from Labour, Magne Rommetveit and Freddy de Ruiter.

·       The Giulio Andreotti Institute and Secret Archives and its Director, Patricia Chilelli. Confirmed by US nominator

·       Chelsea Manning, US whistleblower. Nominated (jointly with Manning) by Icelandic MP from the Pirate Party, Birgitta Jónsdóttir.

·       José Mujica, President of Uruguay. Nominated by the Drugs Peace Institute, for his legalizing of marijuana.

·       James Anaya, UN Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. Nominated by Norwegian MP from Socialist Left, Torgeir Knag Fylkesnes.

·       The "people of Lampedusa, represented by the highest authority of the island". Nominated by Norwegian Professor Elisabeth Eide, in the context of their receiving of and co-existence with boat refugees coming to the island.

·       The International Space Station (ISS) is nominated, according to Space Safety Magazine.

·       Jockin Arputham and Shack/Slum Dwellers International. Nominated by Swedish Minister for Public Administration and Housing, Stefan Attefall, for their decades of struggle for the poor, against urban inequality and social strife.

·       Gene Sharp, nonviolence advocate and peace researcher. Nominated by the American Friends Service Committee.

·       The Nansen Dialogue Network. Nominated by Bosnia and Herzegovina Minister of Education and Science, Damir Mašić, for the organization's work to rebuild trust and confidence in the Balkans.

·       Military Religious Freedom Foundation provides a nomination text on their website (nominator's name omitted). 

·       Article Nine of the Japanese Constitution has apparently been nominated by a group of university professors (though it is somewhat unclear which legal entity is nominated). Article Nine came into effect in 1947 and renounces Japan's right to engage in war or to maintain military forces.

·       Abdullah Öcalan, founder of the militant organization Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) was nominated by Iraqi MP Heval Kostani, but presumably too late for the 2014 prize.

·       Tunisia's labour union UGTT nominated for its role in the mediation and compromise between the secular and religious political sides in Tunisia, following the uprisings in 2011 and the ensuing end of the Ben Ali dictatorship.

·       Dr Catherine Hamlin, nominated by Ethiopian Minister for Foreign Affairs Dr. Tedros Edhanom, for her work on the treatment and prevention of obstetric fistula in Ethiopia.

·       Benny Wenda, founder of the Free West Papua Campaign, reports to have been nominated by a group of politicians as well as a British reverend.

·       Bridges Academy, an Afghan education initiative taking place amongst other places in camps for internally displaced refugees. Nominated by James C. Toole from University of Minnesota. Read more about BA here.

·       There is also debate over a nomination and potential prize to Canadian PM Stephen Harper. B’nai Brith of Canada announced this autumn that they would nominate Harper. This would in effect mean a nomination for the 2015 prize, however, given the late submission. Moreover, as noted above, there are limitations to who has the right to nominate.

Når vi får vite hvem som er vinneren, vil vi her på Freds- og konfliktstudier jobbe mot et offentlig seminar (forhåpentligvis avholdt på Litteraturhuset) i desember som skal debattere vinneren/vinnersaken. Følg med!

- Hilde

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