2024 Nobel Peace Laureate and The “Nuclear Taboo” Under Pressure

Click to watch the trailer of Countdown to Zero (2010) by Lucy Walker

Oslo - The 2024 Nobel Peace Prize awarded to Nihon Hidankyo honors not only the organization’s unwavering dedication to nuclear disarmament but also the collective achievement of civil society and governments, which have managed to avoid nuclear weapon use for nearly 80 years. Committee Chair Frydnes acknowledged this fragile yet crucial milestone, saying, “The testimony of the Hibakusha – the survivors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki – is unique in this larger context.” This award is a tribute to the efforts of governments, NGOs, and civil society, which, like Nihon Hidankyo, work tirelessly to reinforce the "nuclear taboo" that stigmatizes nuclear arms.

This recognition comes at a time of heightened nuclear risk. Several countries, including the U.S., Russia, China, France, the U.K., India, Pakistan, North Korea, and Israel, hold nuclear arsenals, making the abolishment of nuclear arms impossible in the current world. Especially concerning are oppressive regimes, such as North Korea and Iran, which are accelerating their nuclear programs and fueling regional tensions. The expansion of nuclear forces in North Korea and China has led many to worry that the best response today may be reinforcing safety measures and international security protocols to avert potential disaster.

Nihon Hidankyo’s mission recalls the events of 1983, when Soviet officer Stanislav Petrov chose not to follow protocol by reporting a false alarm of 6 incoming U.S. nuclear missiles, a decision that prevented a catastrophic counterattack and likely saved the world. Petrov was honored in 2014 by Cinema for Peace and First World Forum with Nobel Laureate Mikhail Gorbachev, who was honored as the “Man of the Century” for ending the cold war. 

The World Forum 2024 in Berlin has built on this legacy, with figures like Hillary Clinton, Ban-Ki Moon, Bob Geldof, and Sharon Stone. The next World Forum in 2025 on the future of democracy, technology, AI and humanity, will convene on March 18-19, uniting global leaders to address humanity’s most urgent issues. An element will be a panel on initiating a discussion on pathways to a new START-4  and INF-2, two negotiation processes to establish essential protocols for nuclear risk reduction among the U.S., Russia, and China. These proposed treaties may build on historic agreements like the INF Treaty by Reagan and Gorbachev in 1987, which eliminated ground-launched missiles with ranges of 500-5,500 km and START II, established in 1993, aimed to reduce strategic nuclear delivery vehicles and eliminate multiple independently targetable reentry vehicles (MIRVs).

Accompanying these discussions are films that explore nuclear risks and the human quest for survival in a nuclear age. Nominated films such as Countdown to Zero examine the long-lasting effects of nuclear arms, the moral imperatives behind disarmament and the complex legacies of nuclear power alongside the necessity of enduring safety precautions. Led by Dr. Lili Xia of Rutgers University, a staggering report concludes that "even a conflict involving just 20-30 nuclear weapons could trigger a global fallout," illustrating that a limited nuclear exchange — involving less than three percent of the world's nuclear supply — could result in mass starvation and up to 2.5 billion deaths worldwide. The stakes are even higher in an all-out nuclear war scenario between the United States and Russia, which experts estimate could cause over 5 billion deaths. By honouring Nihon Hidankyo and the Hibakusha survivors, the Nobel Committee highlights the enduring importance of nuclear disarmament advocacy.