Nobel Peace Prize nominations
Nomination intended to draw attention to Judicial Review being conducted in the UK about arms trading in Saudi Arabia
The American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) and Quaker Peace & Social Witness (QPSW) have nominated two organisations – Mwatana for Human Rights and Campaign Against Arms Trade (CAAT) – for the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize.
The nominating letter says the timing of the nomination is ‘intended to draw attention to the Judicial Review being conducted in the UK about arms trading in Saudi Arabia, to support protests in the US about renewed arms sales to the UAE, and to highlight the misery and suffering of the Yemeni people in the proxy war being conducted in their country. The pairing of the two organisations is intended to hold up collaborations between local organisations and activism with initiatives by civil society to engage policy and law making through legal and diplomatic channels.’
Dana Aboul Jabine, from CAAT, said they were honoured to receive the nomination. ‘Yemen is on the brink of a famine and the UN has stated that it remains the worst humanitarian disaster in the world and yet UK-made fighter jets continue to drop UK-made bombs, killing and maiming civilians, targeting hospitals, homes and schools.’
Oliver Robertson, head of witness and worship for Britain Yearly Meeting, said: ‘The conflict in Yemen may be out of world headlines but its devastation and destruction continues.’
In 1947, the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to the Friends Service Council (the precursor to QPSW) and AFSC on behalf of Quakers worldwide for their work during and after the two world wars to feed starving children and help Europe rebuild itself. The nomination is used to highlight the work of peacebuilding.
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