The World Food Program wins the 2020 Nobel Peace Prize
Copenhagen, Oct 9 (efe-epa).- The United Nations World Food Program will receive the 2020 Nobel Peace Prize, the Norwegian Nobel Committee, based in Oslo, announced Friday.
The Peace Prize, like the rest of the Nobel awards, is awarded on Dec. 10, the anniversary of the death of the founder of these distinctions, Alfred Nobel.
The UN agency deserves the award “for its efforts to combat hunger, for its contribution to improving the conditions of 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, “said the Nobel Committee.
It added that with this concession “he wishes to turn the eyes of the world towards the millions of people who suffer or face the threat of hunger.”
The World Food Program (WFP) is the world’s largest humanitarian organization dealing with hunger and promoting food security and in 2019 it provided assistance to nearly 100 million people in 88 countries, the Norwegian entity recalled.
The Nobel Committee referred to the coronavirus pandemic when announcing its award as it recalled that “it has contributed to a strong rise in the number of victims of hunger in the world.”
“The World Food Program has shown an impressive capacity to intensify its efforts” in light of the situation created by the pandemic.
The Nobel Committee said the WFP is dedicated daily “to promoting the brotherhood of nations referred to in Alfred Nobel’s testament. As the largest specialized agency of the UN, it is a modern version of the peace congresses the prize Nobel Peace Prize intends to promote!”
The Peace Prize is the only one of the six prizes awarded outside of Sweden, in Oslo, at the express wish of Alfred Nobel, since during his time, Norway was part of the Swedish kingdom.
This award is the last one announced this week, after those corresponding to Medicine, Physics, Chemistry and Literature were known. The Economy prize will be announced Monday.
All awards include a financial prize, which this year increased to 10 million Swedish crowns ($1,1 million) – 1 million more than in 2019 – to be distributed in the case of more than one winner.
All awards are presented Dec. 10, the anniversary of the death of the founder, Alfred Nobel, in parallel events in Stockholm, for scientists, literature and economics, while the Peace ceremony is held in Oslo.
Both the announcements of the awards and the delivery will be held in a reduced format due to the coronavirus pandemic. EFE-EPA
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