Auguste Marie François Beernaert (July 26, 1829-October 6, 1912) was born in Ostend, Belgium, in a middle-class Catholic family of Flemish origin. His father was a government functionary whose changing appointments took the family from Ostend to Dinant and then to Namur, where Auguste and his sister spent their childhood. Their early education was undertaken…

Willy Brandt was born in Lübeck, Germany, in December, 1913. He was educated in Lübeck and in Oslo after escaping Nazi persecution in Germany. After leaving Germany, he continued his work against Nazism through international cooperation and frequent visits to various European countries. He had close links with German anti-Nazi forces and for some time…

Dr. Mohamed ElBaradei is the Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), an intergovernmental organization that is part of the United Nations system. He was appointed to the office effective 1 December 1997, and reappointed to a third term in September 2005. From 1984, Dr. ElBaradei was a senior staff member of the…

Presentation Speech by Fredrik Stang, Chairman of the , on December 10, 1927 The Nobel Committee has awarded the Peace Prize for this year jointly to Ferdinand Buisson and Ludwig Quidde. At last year’s ceremony the Committee gave prominence to three events of historical significance to the world: the Dawes Plan, the Locarno Pact, and…

Presentation Speech by Gunnar Jahn, Chairman of Albert Schweitzer was born in Alsace in 1875, a few years after this province had become part of the German Empire. He has seen Alsace reincorporated with France, overrun by the Germans during the Second World War, and then once again reunited with France. Having grown up in…

Presentation Speech by Mrs. Aase Lionaes, Chairman of the Nobel Committee of the Norwegian Storting Your Majesty, Your Royal Highnesses, Ladies and Gentlemen: On January 23 of this year a ceasefire agreement was concluded between the United States of America and the Vietnamese Democratic Republic. At its meeting on October 16 the of the Norwegian…

has decided to award the 1990 Nobel Peace Prize to Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev, president of the Soviet Union, for his leading role in the peace process which today characterizes important parts of the international community. During the last few years, dramatic changes have taken place in the relationship between East and West. Confrontation has been…

Nobel Committee Chairman Francis Sejersted delivering his speech at the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony, 10 December 1992. Presentation Speech by Francis Sejersted, Chairman of the Norwegian Your Majesties, Your Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, The Norwegian Nobel Committee decided to award the Nobel Peace Prize for 1992 to Rigoberta Menchú Tum. It is a particular pleasure…

more