A Nobel House

The Nobel Prize is awarded annually in recognition of achievements in the fields of medicine, physics, literature, and chemistry, as well as for peace. Since 1901, the best and brightest minds across the globe—776 of them, in fact— have had the distinct privilege of being honoured by the Swedish Nobel Committee for their work and efforts in these fields.

The International Atomic Energy Agency and its Director General, Mohamed ElBaradei, were awarded the 2005 Nobel Peace Prize. Although this is a tremendous achievement for the Agency, it is by no means an isolated one within the UN family. The IAEA award is the eighth time the United Nations or partner international organization has won the Peace Prize. UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan and the UN shared the 2001 prize; the UN Peacekeeping Forces were honored in 1988; the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) in 1965; the UN High Commissioner for Refugees in 1981 and 1954; and the International Labor Organization in 1969. The late UN Secretary General Dag Hammarskjold won the prize posthumously in 1961.

Several other Nobel Laureates have also had strong ties and close relationships with the IAEA, demonstrating the value of the Agency's work.