What is ICAN?
October 6, 2017
The International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons is a coalition of non-governmental organizations that promotes adherence to and ratification of a United Nations ban on nuclear weapons. ICAN won the 2017 Nobel Peace Prize.
Nobel committee chairwoman Berit Reiss-Andersen described the Geneva-based organization as a "driving force in prevailing upon the world's nations to pledge to cooperate with all relevant stakeholders in efforts to stigmatize, prohibit and eliminate nuclear weapons."
It began in Australia and was launched internationally in Austria in 2007. The founders of ICAN based their model on the International Campaign to Ban Landmines.
Read more: International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons receives the 2017 Nobel Peace Prize
In 2017 the UN adopted the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons by a wide margin, prohibiting the stockpiling, production, testing, and use of nuclear weapons. Having the agreement ratified by signatories has become the goal of ICAN after years of lobbying to have such a resolution passed.
The treaty needs at least 50 nations to sign on and ratify before it comes into effect, but it has been largely ignored by nuclear-armed nations.
Nuclear-armed states include Israel, North Korea, Pakistan, India, China, France, the UK, Russia and the US. 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.
Read more: The Nobel Prizes - what you need to know
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. Before it is too late, we must take that path."
"This prize is a tribute to the tireless efforts of many millions of campaigners and concerned citizens worldwide who, ever since the dawn of the atomic age, have loudly protested nuclear weapons, insisting that they can serve no legitimate purpose and must be forever banished from the face of our earth."
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.