In Alfred Nobel’s will, signed in November 1895, he said his estate should be used to establish prizes that reward people who “have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind”. But can the Nobel Prize help humanity overcome the existential threats of the 21st century? The Local asked two distinguished thinkers with connections to Stockholm University, including the leader of a Nobel Peace Prize-winning coalition.
Credit: Photo: Bernhard Folz
A new study published in
PNAS finds that aid provided by the United Nations (UN) in the aftermath of climate-related disasters is driven by humanitarian need rather than by strategic donor interests. The results underline the importance of climate-related hazards for understanding aid disbursements.
The study Humanitarian need drives multilateral disaster aid provides the first estimation of UN climate-related disaster aid worldwide. Although it cannot be entirely ruled out that powerful donor states interests shape UN aid flows, the UN seems able to fend off donor states strategic interest and allocate more aid after disasters where hazard severity is greatest and need is most pressing.