The 1982 Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to Alva Myrdal, of Sweden and to Alfonso García Robles, of Mexico, for their magnificent work in the disarmament negotiations of the United Nations, where they both played crucial roles and won international recognition. In her acceptance speech, Myrdal said, “How would it be possible, even at immense expense, to inaugurate a new and happy existence for the world on the ruins of one that would be at least half-destroyed? The misconception that a victory can be worth its price, has in the nuclear age become a total illusion.”
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.
