329 Nobel Peace Prize Candidates This Year... Including Trump

WHO, Gavi and Others Recognized for COVID-19 Response Efforts
Russian and Belarusian Opposition Leaders Also Nominated... Greta Thunberg Reappears

Former U.S. President Donald Trump, who is stepping down, waves goodbye as he leaves the White House in Washington DC and boards the Marine One helicopter on January 20th (local time). [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Minwoo Lee] This year, there are 329 candidates for the Nobel Peace Prize. Former U.S. President Donald Trump and his son-in-law were also named.

According to major foreign news agencies such as AP and AFP on the 1st (local time), the Nobel Committee announced that a total of 329 candidates were nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize, including 234 individuals and 95 organizations, following the deadline on the 1st of last month. This is the third highest number of candidates in history. The record for the most candidates was 376 in 2016.

Among the organizations nominated for this year’s Nobel Peace Prize are the World Health Organization (WHO) and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance. They were recognized for leading the frontline response to COVID-19. They formed the international project 'COVAX Facility,' which jointly purchases and equitably distributes COVID-19 vaccines.

The global 'Black Lives Matter (BLM)' movement was also nominated. It spread worldwide following the death of George Floyd, a Black man in Minneapolis, Minnesota, who was suffocated by a white police officer’s knee in May last year. Other nominees include the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), Reporters Without Borders (RSF), and the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ).

Among individuals, former U.S. President Donald Trump and his son-in-law Jared Kushner, former White House Senior Advisor, were named. Avi Berkowitz, former White House Middle East envoy, was also nominated. These three were recognized for their contributions to Middle East peace by helping establish diplomatic relations between Israel and neighboring countries.

Environmental activist Greta Thunberg was nominated again this year. Three Belarusian opposition female leaders?Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, Veronika Tsepkalo, and Maria Kalesnikava?were also nominated. They were acknowledged for leading protests against the authoritarian regime’s refusal to accept the presidential election results.

Russian opposition activist Alexei Navalny was also nominated. He was poisoned with a nerve agent in August last year, treated in Berlin, Germany, and was arrested immediately upon his return to Russia in January this year.

Meanwhile, the Nobel Peace Prize winner for this year will be announced on October 8. The award ceremony will be held on December 10, the anniversary of Alfred Nobel’s death. Last year, the World Food Programme (WFP) was awarded for its efforts in combating hunger despite the COVID-19 pandemic.