OSLO: In his will, Swedish philanthropist Alfred Nobel said the peace prize bearing his name should go to those who do most for “fraternity” between nations, reduction of standing armies and “promotion of peace processes”.
On Friday, the secretive Norwegian Nobel Committee formed to carry out his wishes offered a new twist on the century-old guidelines by honouring grassroots economic development as a building block for more peaceful societies.
Bangladesh’s Grameen Bank and its founder Muhammad Yunus won the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize for waging a war against poverty with a revolutionary micro-lending system that has given capital to some of the world’s poorest people.
The surprise decision triggered criticism in some circles, with questions over whether Yunus’s development work could be linked directly to peace.
“This should be a prize for peace, or for encouragement to stay the course — as it was in my case, when it put more wind in my sails,” 1983 Nobel Peace laureate Lech Walesa told Polish television. “Perhaps the name of the prize should be changed to those who work to eliminate (economic) differences?”
Both the panel that gives the award and its 2006 winner argued that economic development was key to promoting peace.
“Eradication of poverty can give you real peace. There is no self-respect and status when you are burdened with poverty,” Yunus told reporters in his home in Dhaka, when asked why he was awarded the Nobel prize for peace rather than for economics.
In its citation, the Nobel Committee said: “Lasting peace can not be achieved unless large population groups find ways in which to break out of poverty. Microcredit is one such means.”
The award’s scope has broadened over time, with nuclear disarmament seen as the modern equivalent of the standing armies of Nobel’s day and human rights activists widely accepted as promoters of world peace.
The 2004 prize went to Kenyan environmentalist Wangari Maathai for her campaign to plant trees in Africa, adding a green dimension to the prestigious prize.
“The choice of Yunus cleverly updates and develops the view of what the prize could comprise by adding the category of development,” said Sverre Logdaard, director of the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs.
Specialists in microcredit — making small loans to the poor — said borrowers tend to have better health, send their children to school and be more active in the community.—Reuters
