Norwegian Nobel Committee Henrik Ibsen Gate 51, N-o255 Oslo Norway March 31, 2022
Distinguished Members of the Nobel Committee,
In light of historically unprecedented events we respectfully call upon the Nobel Peace Prize Committee to re-open and reconsider the 2022 nomination procedure for the Nobel Peace Prize.
The world is shocked by the images of war coming from Ukraine. Millions of families are now living in fear, their homes and livelihoods threatened by bombardments and an invasive army. We are witness to the courage of the people of Ukraine withstanding this war waged upon them by the Russian Federation.
Brave Ukrainian men and women are fighting to preserve democracy and self-government. From the defiance democratically elected Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to the man with tears in his eyes saying goodbye to his family to fight for his country, people all over Ukraine are rising up to resist the forces of authoritarianism. Our words of sympathy and support can hardly do justice to the sacrifices they make for the principles of human rights and peace.
Right now and around the world fellow democratic citizens are all asking the same question: what can we do to support the people of Ukraine?
We believe that now is the time to show the people of Ukraine that the world is on their side. We therefore humbly call upon you, the Committee, to consider:
Extending and thereby re-opening the nomination procedure for the Nobel Peace Prize until March 31, 2022 to allow for a Nobel Peace Prize nomination for President Zelensky and the people of Ukraine.
Although we are aware that this is a break with procedure, we do believe that this break is justified by the current unprecedented situation. It is our democratic duty to stand up to authoritarianism and to support a people fighting for democracy and their right to self-government.
The veneer of civilization is paper-thin, we are its guardians and we can never rest.
With highest esteem,
Ms. Atidzhe Alieva-Veli Member of the European Parliament (Movement for Rights and Freedoms, Renew Europe) Bulgaria
Mr. Stanislav Anastasov Member of Parliament (Movement for Rights and Freedoms) Bulgaria
Mr. Andrus Ansip Former Prime Minister, former European Commissioner, Member of the European Parliament Estonia
Mr. Armando Armas Member of the National Assembly Venezuela
Mr. Petras Auštrevičius Member of the European Parliament (Renew Europe), Former Member of Parliament Lithuania
Mr. Malik Azmani Member of European Parliament (VVD), Delegation Leader and first vice-president Renew Europe Netherlands
Mr. Henrik Bach MortensenVice-President ALDE
Ms. Eleni Bakopanos Former Member of the House of Commons Liberal Party of Canada) Canada
Mr. Bert Bakker Former Member of Parliament (D66), chair Srebrenica Commission Netherlands
Mrs. Ank Bijleveld Former Minister of Defence Netherlands
Mr. Robert Biedro Member of the European Parliament (Nowa Lewica) Poland
Mr. Franc Bogoviĉ Member of the European Parliament (Slovenska ljudska stranka, EPP) Slovenia
Mr. Harry van Bommel Former Member of Parliament (SP) Netherlands
Mr. Bernard Bot Former Minister of Foreign Affairs Netherlands
Mr. Vlad-Marius Botoş Member of the European Parliament (Uniunea Salvați România), Romania
Mr. Han ten Broeke Director Political Affairs The Hague Centre for Strategic Studies and former Member of Parliament (VVD) Netherlands
Ms. Sylvie BrunetMember of the European Parliament (Mouvement Démocrate) France
Mr. Dacian Cioloş Former Prime Minister of Romania, Former Eurocommissioner, Member of the European Parliament Romania
Ms. Dita Charanzová Vice-President of the European Parliament, Member of the European Parliament (Renew Europe) Czechia
Mr. Olivier Chastel Former State Secretary for European Affairs, Former Minister for Budget and Administrative Simplification, Member of the European Parliament (MR) Belgium
Mr. Peter van Dalen Member of the European Parliament (ChristenUnie, EPP) Netherlands
Mr. Laurens Dassen Member of Parliament (Volt) and delegation leader Netherlands
Sir Edward DaveyFormer Secretary of State for Energy & Climate Change, Member of Parliament and Leader of the Liberal Democrats in the United Kingdom United Kingdom
Mr. Dinesh Dhamija Former Member of the European Parliament (Liberal Democrats) United Kingdom
Mr. Aron Emilsson Member of Parliament (Swedish Democratic Party) Sweden
Mr. Engin ErogluMember of the European Parliament (Freie Wähler) Germany
Ms. Agnès Evren Member of the European Parliament (Les Républicans, EPP) France
Mrs. Kathleen Ferrier Former Member of Parliament (CDA) Netherlands
Mr. Michael Gahler Member of the European Parliament (EPP) Germany
Mr. Vlad Gheorghe Member of the European Parliament (Renew Europe) Romania
Mr. Raphaël GlucksmannMember of the European Parliament (Place publique, S&D) France
Mr. Bart Groothuis Member of the European Parliament (Renew Europe) Netherlands
Mr. Hamid Hamid Member of Parliament (Movement for Rights and Freedoms) Bulgaria
Mr. Martijn van Helvert Former Member of Parliament (CDA) Netherlands
Mrs. Myrthe Hilkens Former Member of Parliament (PvdA) Netherlands
Mrs. Ayaan Hirsi Ali Former Member of Parliament (VVD) Netherlands
Mr. Pete Hoekstra Former Ambassador of the United Stated of America in the Netherlands United States
Mr. Martin Hojsík Member of the European Parliament (Renew Europe) Slovakia
Ms. Monika HohlmeierMember of the European Parliament (CSU, EPP) Germany>
Ms. Danuta Huebner Former European Commissioner, Former State Secretary for Foreign Affairs, Member of the European Parliament Poland
Mrs. Jackie Jones Former Member of the European Parliament (Labour Party) United Kingdom
Ms. Rasa Juknevičienė Former Minister of Defence, Former President NATO Parliamentary Assembly, former Member of Parliament, Member of the European Parliament Lithuania
Mr. Jean-Claude Juncker Former President of the European Commission, Former Prime Minister Luxembourg
Ms. Sandra KalnieteFormer European Commissioner, Former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Former Ambassador to the United Nations, France and UNESCO, Former Member of Parliament, Member of the European Parliament Latvia
Mr. Mustafa Karadayi Member of Parliament and chair Movement for Rights and Freedoms Bulgaria
Mrs. Karin Karlsbro Member of the European Parliament (Liberalerna) Sweden
Mr. Ueda KiyoshiMember of Parliament, Former Governor of Saitama Prefecture Japan
Mrs. Marieke Koekkoek Member of Parliament (Volt) Netherlands
Mr. Bert Koenders Former Minister of Foreign Affairs Netherlands
Ms. Ewa Kopacz Former Prime Minister, Former Minister of Health, Former chair of Parliament, Member of the European Parliament Poland
Mr. Andrey Kovatchev Member of the European Parliament (Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria) Bulgaria
Mrs. Neelie Kroes Former European Commissioner Netherlands
Mr. Andrius Kubilius Former Prime Minister, Member of European Parliament Lithuania
Ms. Miapetra Kumpula-NatriMember of the European Parliament (S&D) Finland
Mr. Ilhan Kyuchyuk Member of the European Parliament (Movement for Rights and Freedoms) Bulgaria
Mrs. Lousewies van der Laan Former Member of Parliament (D66), delegation leader, former Member of the European Parliament, delegation leader Netherlands
Mrs. Esther de Lange Member of European Parliament (CDA), delegation Leader, vicepresidentEVP Netherlands
Mrs. Katrin Langensiepen Member of the European Parliament (Bündnis 90/Die Grünen) Germany
Olivier van LooIndependent political advisor, initiator nobelprizeforukraine.org Netherlands
Benoit LutgenMember of the European Parliament (Les Engagés, EPP) Belgium
Ms. Tanaka MakikoFormer Minister of Foreign Affairs, Former Minister of Education, Culture, Science, Sports, and Technology, Former Member of Parliament Japan
Ms. Aušra Maldeikienė Member of the European Parliament (Independent, EPP) Former Member of Parliament Lithuania
Mr. Marian Jean Marinescu Member of the European Parliament (Partidul National Liberal, EPP) Romania
Mr. Liudas MazylisMember of the European Parliament (Homeland Union, EPP) Lithuania
Ms. Iskra Mihaylova Member of the European Parliament (Renew Europe) Bulgaria
Mr. Sven MikserFormer Minister of Foreign Affairs, Former Minister of Defence, Member of the European ParliamentEstonia
Mr. Tanaka NaokiFormer Minister of Defence, Former Member of Parliament Japan
Mr. Javier Nart Member of the European Parliament (Renew Europe) Spain
Ms. Angelika Niebler Member of the European Parliament (CSU, EPP) Germany
Ms. Sofie Carsten NielsenFormer Minister of Higher Education and Science, Chair of the Danisch Social Liberal Party Denmark
Mr. Juozas OlekasFormer Minister of National Defense, Former Minister of Health, Member of the European Parliament Lithuania
Mr. Urmas Paet Former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Former Minister of Culture, Member of the European Parliament (Eesti Reformierakond) Estonia
Mr. Jan Paternotte Member of Parliament (D66), delegation leader Netherlands
Mr. Alexander Pechtold Former Minister of Government Reform, former Member of Parliament (D66) and party leader Netherlands
Ms. Tonino Picula Former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Former Member of Parliament, Member of the European Parliament Croatia
Mrs. Lilianne Ploumen Member of Parliament (PvdA) and party leader, former Minister forDevelopment Cooperation Netherlands
Mr. Andrija Popović Member of Parliament, President of the Liberal Party Montenegro
Mr. Tomasz Poręba Member of the European Parliament (Prawo i Sprawiedliwość , ECRG) Poland
Mr. Jan Pronk Former Minister for Development Cooperation Netherlands
Mr. Paulo Rangel Member of the European Parliament (Partido Social Democrata, EPP) Portugal
Mr. Thijs Reuten Member of the European Parliament (S&D, PvdA) Netherlands
Mr. Taavi RõivasFormer Prime Minister, Former Minister of Social Affairs Estonia
Mr Herman van Rompuy Former Prime Minister, former President of the European Council Belgium
Mrs. Yvonne van Rooy Former Member of Parliament (CDA), former Member of European Parliament, former deputy Minister Economic Affairs Netherlands
Mrs. Clémence Ross Former State Secretary of State for Health, Welfare and Sport, former Member of Parliament (CDA) Netherlands
Mr. André Rouvoet Former Deputy Prime Minister Netherlands
Mr. Taavi RõivasFormer Prime Minister, Former Minister of Social Affairs Estonia
Mr. Elio Di RupoFormer Prime Minister Belgium
Mr. Marjan ŠarecFormer Prime-Minister Slovenia
Ms. Christine Schneider Member of the European Parliament (Christlich Demokratische Union Deutschlands, EPP) Germany
Mr. Michal Šimečka Vice-President European Parliament, Member of the European Parliament (Renew Europe) Slovakia
Ms. Michaela Šojdrová Member of the European Parliament (EPP) Czechia
Mr. Ivan Štefanec Member of the European Parliament (Kresťanskodemokratické hnutie), Former Member of Parliament Slovakia
Mr. Riho Terras Former Commander of the Estonian Defence Forces, Member of the European Parliament (EPP) Estonia
Mr. Tobas Tobé Member of the European Parliament (Moderaterna, EPP) Former Member of Parliament Sweden
Ms. Romana Tomc Member of the European Parliament (Slovenska demokratska stranka, EPP) Slovenia
Mr. Koizumi ToshiakiFormer Vice Minister of Infrastructure, Former Member of Parliament, Japan
Mr. Dragos Tudorache Member of the European Parliament (Renew Europe) Romania
Ms. Inese Vaidere Former Minister of State of the Environment, Former Member of Parliament, Member of the European Parliament Latvia
Mr. Tomas Valasek Member of Parliament Slovakia
Mr. Giorgi VashadzeMember of Parliament, Former Deputy Minister of Justice, Party Leader New Georgia Georgia
Mr. Maxime Verhagen Former Minister of Foreign Affairs and former Deputy Prime Minister Netherlands
Mr. Guy Verhofstad Former Prime Minister, Member of European Parliament Belgium
Ms. Barbara VisserFormer State Secretary of Defence, Former Member of Parliament Netherlands
Mrs. Margo Vliegenthart Former State Secretary of Health, Welfare and Sport, former Member of Parliament (PvdA) Netherlands
Mr. Joel Voordewind Former Member of Parliament (CU) Netherlands
Mr. Joris Voorhoeve Former Minister of Defence Netherlands
Ms. Louisa Wall Member of Parliament (Labour Party) New Zealand
Ms. Isabel Wiseler-Lima Member of the European Parliament (Parti chrétien social luxembourgeois, EPP) Luxembourg
Mr. Claude Wiseler Former Minister of the Civil Service and Administrative Reform, Former Minister for Sustainable Development and Infrastructure, Member of Parliament Luxembourg
Ms. Salima Yenbou Member of the European Parliament (Renew Europe) France