Hi Friend, 

Did you see the incredible news?  Nihon Hidankyo, the main organisation of survivors from Hiroshima and Nagasaki, has won this year’s Nobel Peace Prize for “its efforts to achieve a world free of nuclear weapons and for demonstrating through witness testimony that nuclear weapons must never be used again.”

This is fantastic news and so well deserved.  The hibakusha have worked tirelessly for decades to raise awareness of the catastrophic impacts of nuclear weapons and push for their total elimination, and this important recognition comes at a crucial moment, when the threat of use of nuclear weapons is as high as it’s ever been. 

As our Executive Director Melissa Parke put it: “It is extremely important that the hibakusha - the survivors of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki - have been recognised for their lifelong work to bring the world’s attention to what nuclear weapons actually do to people when they are used. It is particularly significant that this award comes at this time when the risk that nuclear weapons will be used again is as high, if not higher, as it has ever been.”

ICAN is so honoured to work alongside Nihon Hidankyo and the hibakusha to push for the prohibition and total elimination of nuclear weapons. Their testimonies and tireless campaigning have been crucial to nuclear disarmament as a whole and the adoption and entry into force of the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) in particular.

Today, we want to congratulate Nihon Hidankyo, celebrate the incredible legacy of the hibakusha and stand in solidarity with their calls to end nuclear weapons once and for all. Will you please join us ?

With thanks for all you do,

Sincerely,

Daniel Högsta
Deputy Director
ICAN

Photos: Darren Ornitz | ICAN
Marlena Koenig | ICAN