Prof Yunus congratulates Nihon Hidankyo for winning Nobel Peace Prize

Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus has congratulated Japanese organisation Nihon Hidankyo, a grassroots movement of atomic bomb survivors from Hiroshima and Nagasaki, for winning the Nobel Peace Prize.

The congratulatory message was sent from the Chief Advisor’s Office shortly after the winner of the Nobel Peace Prize was announced on Friday, reports bdnews24.com.

In 2006, Yunus won the Nobel Peace Prize for his contribution in alleviating poverty through the establishment of Grameen Bank and introducing the concept of microcredit.

In his message, Yunus said: “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. 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.”

Witnesses to the only two nuclear bombs ever to be used in conflict, known in Japan as "Hibakusha", have dedicated their lives to the struggle for a nuclear-free world.

"Hibakusha is receiving the Peace Prize for its efforts to achieve a world free of nuclear weapons and for demonstrating through witness testimony that nuclear weapons must never be used again," the Norwegian Nobel Committee said in its citation.

The Nobel Peace Prize, worth 11 million Swedish crowns, or about $1 million, is due to be presented in Oslo on Dec 10, the anniversary of the death of Swedish industrialist Alfred Nobel, who founded the awards in his 1895 will.