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In accordance with the wishes of Alfred Nobel, the laureates for the Nobel Peace Prize are chosen by an independent committee composed of five people elected by the Norwegian Parliament and have been since 1901. These vague directions, however, have been controversial and sparked some degree of change.

The challenge for the Norwegian Nobel Committee is to be impartial in their decisions; many claim that this was far from true in the early years, when most members selected by Parliament were influential politicians. Over the decades this committee has also achieved a certain status, since it does not work in the favor of public opinion or political authorities.

In contrast to the other categories, the Nobel Peace Prize can be attributed to institutions and organizations as well as individuals. The Norwegian Nobel Committee does not receive outside orders of any nature and, in accordance with the statutes of the Nobel Foundation, should not reveal anything that takes place within the meetings that lead to the selection of the laureates. To such ends, the members do not take part in the debates that follow the announcement of the decision.

The Norwegian Nobel Institute was created in 1904 and, in 1905, it moved into a classic mansion in the centre of Oslo. At the time the site was completely renovated, and the Nobel Foundation was criticized for spending too much money on the work. The main obligation of the Norwegian Nobel Institute is to support to the Norwegian Nobel Committee during the selection process of laureates, as well as to organize events in Oslo dedicated to the Nobel Peace Prize.

As a way of showing its status as the center of knowledge related to peace and world questions in general, the institute has created a library with approximately 175,000 volumes. The works available in the library are principally concerned with peace, international relations, law, economics and political history. The library is open to the public and has a pleasant reading room. The institute also organizes seminars, meetings and conferences with specialists from around the world.

They laugh at me, the man of dynamite as a man of peace. But, since men don’t listen to reason, it is necessary to invent an instrument of death which, through fear, will make Humanity move to peace. — Alfred Nobel