Henrik Syse, a researcher at PRIO since 1997, has been nominated to the Nobel Committee by the Conservative Party of Norway (‘Høyre’). Syse is a philosopher with a specialization in the ethics of war, and is also co-editor of the Journal of Military Ethics. “We are very proud to see a colleague entering the committee, and appreciate that the nominators are now seeing the importance of bringing researchers - especially experts on peace and conflict - into the committee’s work”, says PRIO director Kristian Berg Harpviken.

The PRIO director has a tradition of offering annual speculations on who will be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. The Nobel Committeeoperates with a secrecy clause, and reveals neither the list of nominees nor the content of its reviews of and deliberations over candidates.

Harpviken and Syse are fully committed to maintaining a watertight separation on all issues that have to do with the Nobel Peace Prize. The Nobel Peace Prize, says Harpviken, is widely respected as the world’s most important prize, not least thanks to the committee’s ability to act independently and with integrity.