ICAN, a little-known organization that campaigns to abolish nuclear weapons, won this year's Nobel Peace Prize. It becomes the 27th organization to scoop the accolade. 

Here's what we know about The International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons. 

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Where is ICAN based?

ICAN began life in Melbourne, Australia, but launched officially in Austria on the sidelines of a nuclear disarmament conference a decade ago. It is now headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, and operates in more than 100 countries. 

What does ICAN do?

ICAN is an umbrella group comprised of hundreds of non-governmental organizations that push for abolishing nuclear weapons. It lobbies the United Nations and national governments, and runs nuclear-awareness campaigns and events. ICAN campaigned for the United Nations' Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.

Why did ICAN win the Nobel Peace Prize?

The Norwegian Nobel Committee awarded ICAN 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."

It seems likely the committee was trying to make a political point in light of the standoff between the United States and North Korea over the latter's nuclear ambitions, as well as the possibility President Trump could pull the U.S. out of the Iran nuclear deal. 

What has the reaction been?

From ICAN:

The prize "sends a message to all nuclear-armed states and all states that continue to rely on nuclear weapons for security that it is unacceptable behavior. We will not support it, we will not make excuses for it, we can’t threaten to indiscriminately slaughter hundreds of thousands of civilians in the name of security. That’s not how you build security," the group's executive director Beatrice Fihn said. 

From the European Union: 

"We share a strong commitment to achieving the objective of a world free from nuclear weapons," Federica Mogherini, the political bloc's top diplomat, said on Twitter. Mogherini was involved in brokering a deal to contain Iran’s nuclear program.

From President Trump:

There hasn't been one. In diplomatic terms, that is a reaction in itself.

More: Trump says he's made a decision on Iran nuclear deal — but won't reveal it 


The International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) has won the Nobel Peace Prize 2017. Time




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