An ICAN spokesperson said it was "elated" to have won the prestigious award.In its work to totally ban nuclear weapons, ICAN highlights their high humanitarian costs and their potential to unleash total environmental, medical and ecological descruction. List of Nobel Peace Prize Laureates from 1901 to 2018: The International Committee of the Red Cross has been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize three times (in 1917, 1944 and 1963), and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees has been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize two times (in 1954 and 1981), there are 23 individual organizations which have been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. "ICAN praised the treaty as a vital route to rid the world of nuclear weapons, saying it applauded the nations that had already signed and ratified the agreement, which include just Thailand, Guyana and the Vatican.UN spokeswoman Alessandra Vellucci told reporters the prize would hopefully lead to more nations signing and ratifying the treaty.The Swedish Academy awarded the 2017 Nobel Peace Prize to ICAN. However, ICAN's nuclear non-proliferation efforts were praised early on, including by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in 2012.The Geneva-based ICAN has tens of thousands of activists working around the world, including a German branch in Berlin. The 2017 Nobel Peace Prize has been awarded to International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN), a coalition of non-governmental organisations from over 100 countries around the globe. Unlike the other prizes, the Peace Prize is occasionally awarded to an organisation (such as the International Committee of the Red Cross, a three-time recipient) rather than an individual. However, ICAN's nuclear non-proliferation efforts were praised early on, including by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in 2012.The Geneva-based ICAN has tens of thousands of activists working around the world, including a German branch in Berlin. The International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) won the 2017 Nobel Peace Prize. Joachim Frank receiving his Nobel Prize diploma and Nobel Prize medal. Nobel Prizes and Laureates. The Peace prize includes a medal, diploma, and a monetary award. None have signed the agreement.ICAN has partners in more than 100 countries and endorsements from people including former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, the Dalai Lama and Martin Sheen.The group organizes global days of action, runs public awareness campaigns, and lobbies the UN and national parliaments.It aims to put the "catastrophic, persistent effects of nuclear weapons on our health, societies and the environment" at the center of discussions about nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation.Accepting the prize, ICAN said: "This award shines a needed light on the path the ban treaty provides towards a world free of nuclear weapons. ICAN has 468 partner groups in 101 countries.In naming ICAN as the Nobel Prize recipient (above), the Norwegian Nobel Committee highlighted the Geneva-based organization's "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 of such weapons." The Peace Prize announcement came in the midst of the In a telephone interview immediately after the announcement, ICAN Executive Director Nominations for the prize numbered 318, including 215 individuals and 103 organizations, second highest to the record 376 nominations considered in 2016.Congratulatory messages in the days following the award announcement came from individual disarmament supporters as well as ICAN coalition organizations, other civil society groups, public figures, governments and the United Nations, including: survivors of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings (Welcoming the implications of the Peace Prize announcement in an interview with Supporters from faith communities issued congratulatory statements, including: the While the majority of reactions from the international community hailed the Nobel Committee's decision, other reactions were critical about the announcement's implications.A day ahead of the December 10th award ceremony at After the first wartime use of nuclear weapons, in 1946, the Peace Prize began to recognize nuclear disarmament efforts:In the award presentation speech on December 10, 2017, Nobel Committee Chair Berit Reiss-Andersen recalled that "twelve Peace Prizes have been awarded, in whole or in part," to honor "efforts against the proliferation of nuclear weapons and for nuclear disarmament," and included