The Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO) has nominated U Kyaw Moe Tun, Myanmar’s United Nations ambassador, and the National Unity Consultative Council (NUCC) for the 2023 Nobel Peace Prize.
The Norwegian peace research group praised the ambassador and political institution for working to root out Myanmar’s dictatorship and build a federal democracy.
The prize winners will be announced by the Norwegian Nobel Committee on Friday.
U Kyaw Moe Tun swiftly denounced the February 2021 coup, calling on UN member states not to recognize or legitimize the regime.
Since then he has represented the civilian National Unity Government (NUG) and Myanmar’s people in the UN.
The Washington Post said U Kyaw Mon Tune has led efforts to keep Myanmar on the international agenda while the military’s escalating violence has not been a top global priority.
The newspaper piece on Nobel peace contenders said U Kyaw Mon Tune had survived the junta’s multiple attempts to unseat him and become one of the most effective representatives for the resistance, urging world leaders to impose meaningful sanctions on the regime and provide civilian aid.
In the US, U Kyaw Moe Tun also faced attempts on his life when two men were tasked by a Thai arms dealer who was supplying the regime.
The NUCC is an advisory body to the NUG. It was formed by elected parliamentarians, some of Myanmar’s established ethnic armed organizations, ethnic minority political parties and civil society organizations.
The PRIO said the NUCC aims to end all forms of dictatorship and to build a federal democratic union that guarantees democracy, national equality and self-determination.
“For their efforts to inclusively work for peace and democracy, and to end the violence by the security forces, the ambassador U Kyaw Moe Tun and NUCC would be worthy recipients of the 2023 Nobel Peace Prize,” the PRIO said.
The regime is committing atrocities, including arbitrary and extrajudicial killing of civilians, using civilians as human shields, looting and burning villages, conducting artillery and airstrikes on civilian areas and acts of sexual violence.
The UN has accused the regime of committing crimes against humanity and war crimes.
The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, which monitors deaths and arrests under the junta, reported on Wednesday that the regime had killed 4,141 people and 25,237 had been detained.
Myanmar’s civil disobedience movement, which includes several thousand government staff, police and soldiers who refuse to work for the regime, was nominated for the 2022 peace prize.
