Nobel Peace Prize recognises 'importance of grassroots organisations' says UN

The Nobel Peace Prize is a "recognition of the importance of grassroots organisations," says Ravina Shamdasani, spokesperson for the UN human rights office, as the prize has been awarded to the anti-nuclear group Nihon Hidankyo. The Japanese organisation, founded in 1956, is a movement of atomic bomb survivors from Hiroshima and Nagasaki, also known as Hibakusha. Shamdasani adds in Geneva that the award also recognises "survivors of horrific violations for their tireless and persistent work". SOUNDBITE