OSLO, NORWAY (BNO NEWS) -- The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), which is overseeing the destruction of Syria's chemical weapons arsenal, was awarded the 2013 Nobel Peace Prize on Friday for its "extensive efforts" to eliminate chemical weapons.

The announcement was made by Nobel Committee Chair Thorbjørn Jagland at The Norwegian Nobel Institute in Oslo, where dozens of journalists had been waiting for the announcement of arguably the world's most honorable prize. It is the second year in a row that the prize has not been awarded to one person in specific, as last year's prize went to the European Union.

"Disarmament figures prominently in Alfred Nobel's will. The Norwegian Nobel Committee has through numerous prizes underlined the need to do away with nuclear weapons," the Committee said in a press statement. "By means of the present award to the OPCW, the Committee is seeking to contribute to the elimination of chemical weapons."

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