Chief Adviser (CA) Professor Muhammad Yunus today (Oct 11) congratulated Nihon Hidankyo, the Japanese atomic bomb survivors' group, on its winning of the Nobel Peace Prize for 2024.

"Congratulations to Nihon Hidankyo on being awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for 2024. Your unwavering commitment to nuclear disarmament and peace is an inspiration to us all," he said in a message of felicitation.

Prof Yunus, also the 2006 Nobel Peace Laureate, said: "Your advocacy and tireless efforts to ensure that the horrors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki are never forgotten resonate deeply in our quest for a safer world".

"Thank you for your courage and dedication. Warmest congratulations once again," the message read.

Nihon Hidankyo has won the 2024 Nobel Peace Prize "for its efforts to achieve a world free of nuclear weapons".

The group received the honour "for demonstrating through witness testimony that nuclear weapons must never be used again", said Jorgen Watne Frydnes, chair of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, awarding the prize at the Norwegian Nobel Institute in Oslo on Friday.

Founded in 1956, Nihon Hidankyo sends survivors around the world to share their testimonies of the "atrocious damage" and suffering caused by the use of nuclear weapons, according to its website.

Their work began almost a decade after the devastation of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

The atomic bomb survivors' group has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize "many times" in the past, including in 2005 when it received a special mention by the Norwegian Nobel Committee.

BDST: 2130 HRS, OCT 11, 2024
MSK