The City of Oslo, the University of Oslo, the Norwegian Nobel Institute and the Nobel Peace Center invite the city’s population to celebrate Oslo Peace Days for eight full days in December.
Oslo is one of the most peaceful cities in the world, a force in peace and human rights research, and not least; the city where the Nobel Peace Prize is awarded. Now the two Nobel institutions, the University of Oslo and the City of Oslo are inviting the public to an extended week of events in December: the Oslo Peace Days. The purpose of the initiative, launching on the UN International Day of Peace, is to let the public engage with the Nobel Peace Prize and to put peace and human rights even higher on the agenda.
“We wish to place Oslo firmly on the map as a city of peace. I hope and believe that Oslo Peace Days and the cooperation between the City of Oslo, the Nobel Institute, the University of Oslo and the Nobel Peace Center will engage the public and raise awareness of Oslo as a peace city,” says Governing Mayor Raymond Johansen.
Oslo Peace Days kick off on 5 December with the University of Oslo Human Rights Award, and peaks with the awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo City Hall on 10 December. Finally, on 12 December, the Days conclude with the opening of this year’s Peace Prize Exhibition at the Nobel Peace Center. There will be activities for the public and a generous academic program. A full program for the Oslo Peace Days will be released on 11 October.
“We want the Oslo Peace Days to become an arena where the public can meet, learn more about, and discuss issues related to peace, democracy and human rights,” says Rector at the University of Oslo, Svein Stølen.
The Nobel Institute’s cooperation with the University of Oslo and the City of Oslo goes back many years. From 1947 to 1989, the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded in the University Aula, and since 1990, the ceremony has taken place in Oslo City Hall. After the Nobel Peace Center opened in 2005, the museum has been a focal point for activities related to the Nobel Peace Prize. Cooperation between these four entities will hopefully contribute to an increased sense of ownership of the Peace Prize in Oslo, and a greater awareness of peace issues, says Olav Njølstad, director of the Norwegian Nobel Institute.
“Peace is something that must be built every day through activities and dialogue, and not least by experiencing things together. That is what we are going to do during Oslo Peace Days, “says the Nobel Peace Center director Liv Tørres.
