Quakers receive the Nobel Peace Prize in 1947. Photo: Courtesy of AFSC.
Eyes on the prize: Marian Liebmann wants Friends to nominate a Nobel candidate
‘We welcome further names.’
This year has been one of turmoil and war, and many of us are near to despair. But here is one small action you can take: you or your Meeting can nominate someone (or a group) for the Nobel Peace Prize.
Alfred Nobel’s will established the Nobel Peace Prize (among others), specifying that the prize should go ‘to the person who shall have done the most or the best work for fraternity between nations, for the abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the holding and promotion of peace congresses’. Fairly early in its history, the Norwegian Nobel Committee decided to award the Peace Prize to organisations as well as to individuals. More recently, it has included contributions to the advancement of human rights and environmental sustainability.
In 1947, the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) and Friends Service Council (FSC) in Britain (now Quaker Peace & Social Witness (QPSW)) accepted the Nobel Peace Prize on behalf of all Quakers, for their peace work during world war two. Nobel laureates are allowed to nominate future Nobel Peace Prize winners, so AFSC set up the Nobel Peace Prize Nominating Task Group (NPPNTG) to discuss possible nominations from Quakers, and put forward a nomination each year. This is an opportunity to focus the world’s attention on the work of organisations and individuals that exemplify Quaker values and principles in living practice. The positive publicity can enhance the work of the nominated person or organisation. Each year the Task Group sends a name (or group) to the AFSC board, which then sends the nomination to the Nobel Committee in Oslo.
As co-recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize, QPSW is represented on the NPPNTG, so I attend their meetings on Zoom – there used to be one in-person meeting per year, but that stopped with Covid. My responsibilities include: liaising with QPSW and Quaker Life Central Committee; encouraging nominations from British Quakers and those who share our commitment to peace and justice; and ensuring that QPSW vets and approves the nominee.
These are the criteria for nominating someone.
- A commitment to nonviolent methods.
- The quality of the candidate as a person, and of their sustained contribution to peace.
- The candidate’s work on issues of peace, justice, human dignity and the integrity of the environment.
- The candidate’s possession of a worldview and/or global impact as opposed to a parochial concern.
Additional criteria guide our considerations.
- Giving attention to candidates from all parts of the world.
- Offering valuable support to an organisation by highlighting its work.
- Considering the relevance of a candidate’s work to Quakers.
Candidates nominated by AFSC have included the joint nomination of Mwatana for Human Rights and the Campaign Against the Arms Trade (CAAT). Mwatana for Human Rights is a grassroots organisation working in Yemen to defend human rights, reporting on health care, detention, and the impact of the conflict on education. The timing of the nomination was also intended to draw attention to the Judicial Review which CAAT instigated in the UK about arms trading with Saudi Arabia, to support protests in the US about renewed arms sales to the United Arab Emirates, and to highlight the misery and suffering of the Yemeni people in the proxy war being conducted in their country.
Another nomination was Miriam Were, a doctor from Kenya. This drew attention to Were’s tireless work since the 1970s in promoting trust between governments, health authorities and the citizenry, through community health approaches and culturally-sensitive programmes. These efforts helped the uptake of health initiatives among the most vulnerable people, including vaccination.
Another nomination also included two organisations working in similar fields, one in the US and the other in Kenya: the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition (FRRC), which campaigns for the rights of citizens disenfranchised after imprisonment; and the National Council of Churches in Kenya (NCCK), which works to support the holding of peaceful, free, fair and credible elections. These organisations were chosen for supporting the human right to representation by government and working towards a better-organised and more peaceful world. Quakers hoped this nomination would draw attention to threats to democracy, from voter suppression to interference with elections, which particularly impact those most affected by contemporary crises.
The NPPNTG does not always reach unity behind a single or joint candidates to nominate. This was the case in 2020 and again this and last year. It is important to acknowledge differences in outlook among committee members – this is why we need a committee. But sometimes circumstances make it difficult to reach unity.
Like many groups we were appalled by the events of 7 October 2023 and its aftermath. But it proved very difficult to find reliable information to help our discernment. We were inspired by several individuals and organisations working in two broad thematic areas:
- healthcare workers providing aid in situations where peace and justice are absent.
- those working for peace over long periods of time in areas and at scales that receive little global media attention.
In both cases, we were unable to accomplish the research required to develop a compelling, evidence-backed nomination within the timeframe of the annual cycle of Nobel nominations.
During 2025 we will continue to consider many of these names, but we also welcome further names. If you wish to submit a candidate to the NPPNTG, please contact us, with documentation as to how the candidate meets the criteria. Please note the candidate must be living. Submissions are accepted between February and 30 June this year, allowing time for research, study and discernment, before making a decision during the autumn, allowing AFSC to submit the nomination to the Norwegian Nobel Committee before 31 January 2026.
We hope there will be interest from British Quakers. If so, please submit your suggestions, with accompanying evidence, to: nobel@afsc.org, or access the application form at https://quakernobel.org. For further information, see: http://quakernobel.org/criteria.
