The proposal to nominate the children of Gaza for the Nobel Peace Prize continues to garner support in Italy and abroad. The initiative, promoted by Professor Domenico Mazzarella, has gradually developed into an appeal involving figures from the academic, cultural and religious worlds, as well as from civil society, together with organisations engaged in protecting human rights and providing humanitarian assistance. The Italian Bishops’ Conference daily Avvenire has also devoted considerable attention and support to the campaign. The aim of the proposal is to draw the international community’s attention to the consequences of armed conflicts for children, making the children of Gaza a symbol of suffering shared by millions of children caught up in wars throughout the world
(Foto Prio)
Haakon Gjerløw spoke to SIR about the proposal. He is acting director of the Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO), one of the leading international research institutes working on peace, security and conflict resolution. Founded in 1959, PRIO is regarded as an authoritative observer of the Nobel Peace Prize and publishes its own independent annual shortlist of candidates (https://www.prio.org/nobelshortlist), considered particularly significant for the promotion of peace and human rights. Although the institute has no role in the decision-making process of the Nobel Committee, its shortlist represents an authoritative reference point in the international debate surrounding the award. PRIO’s 2026 shortlist includes, among others, Save the Children and Mykola Kuleba, founder of the Ukrainian organisation Save Ukraine, jointly nominated for their work on behalf of children affected by armed conflicts. According to PRIO, recognition for such organisations would help draw global attention to the devastating impact of wars on children and to the work of those seeking to protect their rights, safety, education and access to justice. This nomination has clear parallels with the proposal put forward by Mazzarella and with the campaign in support of the children of Gaza. The winner of the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize will be announced by the Norwegian Nobel Committee on 9 October 2026 in Oslo, while the award ceremony will take place, as is traditional, on 10 December 2026 in the Norwegian capital.
Director Gjerløw, do you consider a nomination such as that of the children of Gaza to be compatible with the spirit and historic aims of the Nobel Peace Prize?
The Nobel Peace Prize can be shared by no more than three recipients. An award to the “children of Gaza” would therefore require a representative, who could be an organisation or an individual. According to Alfred Nobel’s will, the prize should be awarded to those who have done the most to prevent conflicts and promote disarmament and international cooperation. For this reason, it has never been awarded to victims of conflicts, but often to individuals and organisations committed to protecting them. In a similar vein to Professor Mazzarella’s proposal, PRIO has included Save the Children and Mykola Kuleba, founder of Save Ukraine, on its shortlist.
An award of this kind would highlight both the impact of war on children and the active role they can play in such contexts, while also recognising the work of those who seek to protect them. It would also draw attention to the United Nations framework concerning the six grave violations committed against children in conflict zones.
What are these violations?
The United Nations has identified six grave violations committed against children in situations of armed conflict (https://childrenandarmedconflict.un.org/en/six-grave-violations). They are: killing and maiming of children, when children are killed or suffer serious injuries as a result of military operations; recruitment or use of children as soldiers, through the forced or voluntary enlistment of children by armies or armed groups; sexual violence against children, including all forms of abuse, exploitation and sexual coercion linked to conflicts; abduction of children, who may be used as hostages, forcibly recruited or illegally transferred; attacks against schools or hospitals, depriving children of access to education and healthcare; and denial of humanitarian access for children, preventing or obstructing the delivery of essential assistance such as food, water, medicine and humanitarian aid. These six categories constitute the framework used by the United Nations to monitor and report the most serious violations of children’s rights in war zones.
Beyond formal eligibility under the Nobel regulations, what symbolic value could an initiative of this kind have in today’s international context?
I believe that an award focused on children involved in armed conflicts would highlight the devastating consequences of war for children and underscore the need to protect their rights, safety and access to justice and education in situations of war.
Are there precedents for nominations for the Nobel Peace Prize intended to represent broader categories of victims or populations affected by suffering and conflict?
Nominations remain confidential for fifty years, so much of what has been proposed over time is unknown. The prize, however, has never been awarded to generic categories of victims. It has instead been awarded to individuals and organisations representing such groups and actively working to protect them. The 2014 Nobel Peace Prize, for example, was awarded to Kailash Satyarthi (India) and Malala Yousafzai (Pakistan/United Kingdom) for their work on children’s rights: Satyarthi against child labour and Yousafzai for girls’ right to education.
Is there a risk that focusing on the children of Gaza could be perceived as giving greater prominence to one tragedy over others, or could the symbolic value of such a nomination help draw attention to all children affected by war?
The Nobel Committee does not hesitate to award the prize to people or organisations working in specific geographical or political contexts, even though this may result in greater attention being given to some situations than to others. Such awards, however, are generally placed within a broader perspective and linked to issues of international significance. The 2025 Nobel Peace Prize awarded to María Corina Machado, for example, drew considerable attention to the situation in Venezuela, but the Committee above all sought to highlight the broader issue of protecting democratic rights.
If the proposal were to take shape through a representative individual or organisation, what characteristics should it possess to be considered credible and consistent with the Nobel tradition?
According to Nobel’s will, the individual or organisation should be the one that has done the most to prevent conflicts, promote disarmament and advance international cooperation.
Could a nomination of this kind help strengthen international awareness of the impact of armed conflicts on children, regardless of nationality, ethnicity or religion?
Yes. Awarding the prize to an organisation with a global perspective would also help highlight the international agenda for protecting children involved in armed conflicts. Save the Children, for example, plays a central role in preventing and responding to the six grave violations against children identified by the United Nations. Its protection programmes, advocacy work and long-established field presence demonstrate how important humanitarian organisations are in protecting children and holding those responsible for abuses to account.
The post Nobel for the children of Gaza. Gjerløw (PRIO): “The Nobel does not reward victims, but those who protect them. It would send a strong signal” first appeared on AgenSIR.