This past March, the Nobel Institute announced that a record 237 candidates were nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize, the highest number in the award's history. Carrying on the tradition of speculating on possible winners of the Nobel Peace Prize, the Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO) Director Kristian Berg Harpviken will discuss this year's top nominees just ahead of the Norwegian Nobel Committee's formal announcement of the award recipient on Friday, October 8.

This year's peace prize is likely to be awarded to a candidate or organization that has made a significant contribution to the prevention or resolution of armed conflict. Kristian Berg Harpviken has proposed that women and security, independent reporting, and transitional justice are three possible themes for this year's award. He will discuss his top candidates, including Sima Simar, a female Afghan human rights advocate and chairperson of the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission, whose nomination highlights women's contributions to peace and security on the 10th anniversary of U.N. Security Council Resolution 1325. Other strong candidates include the Democratic Voice of Burma, a diaspora-based news agency, and the Special Court for Sierra Leone, a transitional justice initiative that has been recognized for its effectiveness and its local impact.

Featuring:

• Kristian Berg Harpviken
  Director
  Peace Research Institute Oslo
• Ambassador William Taylor, introduction
  Vice President, Center for Post-Conflict Peace and Stability Operations
  U.S. Institute of Peace