International Relations lecturer from UGM, Drs. Muhadi Sugiono, M.A., has been invited by the Nobel Peace committee to the Nobel Peace awarding night that will be presented to the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) organisation on 10 December in Oslo, Norway. The invitation to Muhadi is a form of appreciation and recognition of his role in ICAN for the campaign since 2013 to abolish nuclear weapons across the world.
The Norwegian Nobel Committee will present the award to Director of ICAN, Beartice Fihn, who will be accompanied by Setsuko Thurow, a victim of atomic bomb in Hiroshima (hibakusha), who with ICAN have been actively campaigning for nuclear weapon disarmament.
In response to the invitation, Muhadi said he would attend the award presentation. He said the invitation was a form of appreciation from the Nobel Committee for his role in ICAN.
“Obviously, I feel happy to be able to go to an event as big as the Nobel Peace. But, it’s not because I can go there, but because I know I’m part of the effort to bring peace through nuclear weapon disarmament,” said Muhadi when contacted on campus, Wednesday (16/11).
For Muhadi, Nobel Peace is still a form of international recognition to world peace making efforts. While ICAN, according to Muhadi, is a very extensive network with volunteers coming from many countries in the world. “ICAN operates from the works of many people,” he said.
His participation in nuclear weapon disarmament in Southeast Asia and lobbying the Indonesian government to be active on this issue went successfully. The issue raised by ICAN has gained support from many countries that it is adopted by the UN, hence the Treaty on Nuclear Weapon Prohibition in July.
“In ICAN, my colleagues and I from Program on Humanitarian Studies UGM have the contribution to encourage the Indonesian government and Southeast Asian governments to support nuclear weapon ban,” he said.
Muhadi Sugiono was born in Kediri, East Java, 52 years ago. Apart from in ICAN, he is active as conflict resolution researcher at the Centre for Security and Peace Studies UGM. In the past three years, along with anthropologist from UGM, Dr. Lono Simatupang, both have initiated a cultural school program in six villages in Mollo Utara, Timor Tengah Selatan, East Nusa Tenggara.