Press release -
Announcement on Handshake for Peace
The Nobel Peace Center wishes to pull out of the Handshake for Peace scheme, but hopes the initiative lives on.
The Nobel Peace Center’s board of directors has passed the following resolution:
“The board asks the institution’s management to bring the partnership with FIFA to a close as soon as circumstances allow.
The board also requests that management enter into discussions with the Football Association of Norway to enable the Handshake for Peace to continue in the future.”
The board’s decision does not mean that the agreement with FIFA is being terminated with immediate effect, as some members of the media have been suggesting. “We still have faith in the idea behind the Handshake for Peace, and would like the initiative to carry on in the future,” says Bente Erichsen, executive director of the Nobel Peace Center.
The Handshake for Peace was developed jointly by the Nobel Peace Center and the Football Association of Norway in 2012. In January 2014 the Nobel Peace Center and FIFA agreed that the Handshake for Peace would be used at FIFA-organised competitions. The agreement expires at the close of 2016. Discussions to wind up this collaboration are now underway.
“We have been happy to facilitate the start-up of such a project, but we now see that the time is right to step back and allow the game of football to manage the initiative on its own,” says Ms Erichsen.
The Nobel Peace Center is now holding talks with FIFA and the Football Association of Norway with a view to continuing the Handshake for Peace without further participation from the Nobel Peace Center.
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The Nobel Peace Center presents the Nobel Peace Prize laureates and their work, in addition to telling the story of Alfred Nobel. It is an arena for debate and reflection around topics such as war, peace and conflict resolution. The Nobel Peace Center works where politics and culture intersect, and the Center is internationally recognized for its emphasis on documentary photography and interactive technology. Changing exhibitions, engaging digital solutions, films, seminars and events make for a varied and exciting experience.
The Nobel Peace Center is an independent foundation, with the Norwegian Nobel Committee appointing the board. Olav Njølstad is the leader of the board, Bente Erichsen is the Executive Director. The Nobel Peace Center is financed by a combination of public and private funds. Main sponsors and collaborating partners are Hydro, Telenor Group, ABB and The Football Association of Norway (NFF).
