Nobel Peace Prize goes to OPCW

On 11 October in the capital of Norway, the Nobel Committee announced the winner of the Nobel Peace Prize for 2013.

The prestigious award was given to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW ), which in late September approved the plan for the destruction of chemical weapons arsenal in Syria.

According to the Organizing Committee of the Award, the OPCW is awarded for its extensive work on the elimination of chemical weapons in the world. This was stated by the chairman of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, Secretary General of the Council of Europe Thorbjorn Jagland .

OPCW is an international organization created with the support of the United Nations on 29 April 1997, following the entry into force of the Convention on the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, opened for signature in January 1993. Among the main objectives of the organization is the monitoring of compliance with the ban on the use of chemical weapons and liquidation of its stocks, the promotion of cooperation in the field of peaceful chemistry, assistance to States in providing protection against chemical weapons and its non-proliferation. The headquarters of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons is in the Hague.

Nobel Peace Prize is traditionally awarded on 10 December, the Human Rights Day, in Oslo. The prize winner will receive a cash award of 1,250,000 dollars.

This prestigious international award is awarded since 1901 for achievements in peacemaking and humanitarian activities. After 1991, the Norwegian Nobel Committee has officially announcedthe termination of local conflicts and wars, and the protection of human rights as its priorities.

Photo: AP