The International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) has been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for their activism against nuclear weapons.
The coalition of activism groups has a presence in 101 countries, and Bangladesh is one of them.
Two Bangladeshi organisations- Centre for Bangladesh Studies and Physicians for Social Responsibility - are part of ICAN.
President of Physicians for Social Responsibility and Vice-Chancellor of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University Prof Kamrul Hasan Khan said: “Bangladesh’s contribution towards world peace has been acknowledged. Congratulations to the Nobel Committee. We hope that Bangladesh will continue to move forward.”
Meanwhile, celebrating the news, Centre for Bangladesh Studies General Secretary Aurup Rahi told the Bangla Tribune: “We joined ICAN in 2014, and we strongly protest the use of nuclear technology as weapons. We represented Bangladesh in the peaceful protest against nuclear weapons across the globe. We also published a book on the issue.”
Rahi also posted on Facebook: “Centre for Bangladesh Studies is a proud member of ICAN. I believe that the Nobel Peace Prize awarded to ICAN will positively effect the international movement against nuclear weapons.”
According to a report published by Reuters, ICAN operates in more than 100 countries at the grass-roots level. The organisation started its journey from Australia, but officially revealed itself as an activist group in Vienna on 2007.
The ICAN headquarters is situated in Geneva, Switzerland.
The organisation released a statement after being awarded the Nobel Peace Prize saying: “This prize is a tribute to the tireless efforts of many millions of campaigners and concerned citizens worldwide who, ever since the dawn of the atomic age, have loudly protested nuclear weapons, insisting that they can serve no legitimate purpose and must be forever banished from the face of our earth.”
This story was first published on Bangla Tribune
