This year, a number of strong contenders were the nominees for the Nobel Prize for Peace. Among these contenders was the Pakistani education activist, Malala Yousafzai, who was considered by many as a likely winner. However, the Prize was awarded to OPCW, a chemical weapons watchdog.
Organisation for Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) essentially promotes the Chemical Weapons Convention throughout the globe. It tries to ensure that different countries sign up for the Convention and then act by it.
The significance of OPCW recently became all the more pronounced when the use of chemical weapons was alleged during the Syrian conflict. The Syrian regime blamed the use of such weapons on the rebels whereas the international authorities hinted that the atrocity was committed by the Assad’s government.
The organization was established back in 1997 and has recently been engaged in efforts to dismantle the stock of chemical weapons in Syria and have them eliminated, as part of an international agreement with the Syrian government.
When the Nobel Committee announced that OPCW had been awarded the Peace prize, things took an interesting turn as the Committee was unable to contact OPCW in any way. In fact, the Committee ended up tweeting OPCW to contact them as soon as possible.
Many around the world were expecting that the prestigious award may go to Malala Yousafzai, a 16-year old from Taliban-ridden areas of Swat who was attacked for her views towards the terrorists and female education. Taliban attacked Malala, hitting her in the head, although she thankfully survived the attempt. Malala was considered a strong contender for the Peace Prize, yet many cited that the prize was originally meant to promote peace and disarmament initiatives around the globe. And in that context, OPCW’s victory seems fair.
Courtesy: The Guardian
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