The Norwegian Nobel Committee on Friday has awarded the 2024 Nobel Peace Prize to Nihon Hidankyo, a Japanese organization representing atomic bomb survivors from Hiroshima and Nagasaki, commonly known as Hibakusha.

This grassroots movement is being recognized for its tireless efforts to promote a world free of nuclear weapons and for its powerful witness testimonies that underscore the catastrophic consequences of nuclear warfare.

Jørgen Watne Frydnes, chair of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, said the award was made as the “taboo against the use of nuclear weapon is under pressure.”

The Japan Confederation of A- and H-Bomb Sufferers Organizations, commonly known as Nihon Hidankyo , was established by hibakusha in 1956. This organization aims to pressure the Japanese government to enhance support for atomic bomb victims and to advocate for the global abolition of nuclear weapons.

The Nobel Peace Prize is being awarded Friday against a backdrop of devastating conflicts raging in the world, notably in the Middle East, Ukraine and Sudan.

Alfred Nobel stated in his will that the prize should be awarded for "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.” Since 1901, 104 Nobel Peace Prizes have been awarded, mostly to individuals but also to organizations that have been seen to advance peace efforts.

Last year’s prize went to jailed Iranian activist Narges Mohammadi for her advocacy of women’s rights and democracy, and against the death penalty. The Nobel committee said it also was a recognition of “the hundreds of thousands of people” who demonstrated against “Iran’s theocratic regime’s policies of discrimination and oppression targeting women.”

But in a year of such conflict, the Norwegian Nobel Committee that decides on the winner could opt not to award a prize. The last time that happened was in 1972.