The 1917 Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to the International Committee of the Red Cross (Comité international de la Croix Rouge), based in Switzerland, for undertaking the tremendous task of trying to protect the rights of the many prisoners of war on all sides of World War I, including their right to establish contacts with their families.
The Nobel Peace Prize is one of the five Nobel Prizes created by the Swedish industrialist, inventor, and armaments manufacturer Alfred Nobel. Since 1901 it has been awarded annually (with some exceptions) to those who have “done the most or the best work for fraternity between nations, for the abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the holding and promotion of peace congresses” Over the next few months we’ll be introducing you to the past Nobel laureates, leading up to the award of the 2016 prize in October.
