Nobel Prize for Peace honour shared amongst arts academics and alumnus
Congratulations to members of the Faculty of Arts who contributed to the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN), which has been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for 2017.
ICAN is led by Associate Professor Tilman Ruff from the Nossal Insititute for Global Health and involves a number of University of Melbourne academics, including Emeritus Professor Fred Mendelsohn and Arts/Law alumnus Tim Wright, ICAN’s Melbourne-based Campaign Director; Honorary Professor Richard Tanter and Professor John Langmore.
The campaign was awarded the prize “for its work to draw attention to the catastrophic humanitarian consequences of any use of nuclear weapons and for its ground-breaking efforts to achieve a treaty-based prohibition of such weapons”, according to the Norwegian Nobel Committee.
“Within the School, honorary staff member, Richard Tanter, has been a leading member of the ICAN Committee for some years and John Langmore was a member for several years when it was first established,” says Professor Adrian Little, Head of the School of Social and Political Sciences.
“Congratulations to ICAN on this prestigious award, as well as Richard and John for their efforts within the organisation.”
Professor Tilman and his colleagues have been prominent and consistent voices seeking change, says University of Melbourne Vice-Chancellor Professor Glyn Davis.
“The award of a Nobel Peace Prize, just 10 years after the group was formed, shows how grassroots non-government groups can influence global policy,” Professor Davis says. “To foster an international consensus against their use is a rare and important achievement.”