Question
Consider the following UN organisations/agencies. How many of the above has/have been awarded the Nobel Prize twice?
1World Food Programme (WFP)
2United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF)
3 United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)
4International Labour Organisation (ILO)
A1 ✓ — Only UNHCR has won twice
B2
C3
D4
Each Organisation — Nobel Prize Record
Once only
World Food Programme (WFP)
Nobel Peace Prize: 2020 — for its efforts to combat hunger, contribution to bettering conditions for peace in conflict-affected areas, and acting as a driving force in efforts to prevent the use of hunger as a weapon of war. The 2020 award came during COVID-19, when food insecurity sharpened across Yemen, South Sudan, and other conflict zones.
2020 only
Once only
UNICEF
Nobel Peace Prize: 1965 — for “fulfilling the condition of Nobel’s will, the promotion of brotherhood among nations.” The committee said: “Everyone has understood the language of UNICEF… compassion knows no national boundaries.” Awarded 19 years after UNICEF’s founding in 1946.
1965 only
✓ TWICE — Only one in this list
UNHCR — United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
Nobel Peace Prize: 1954 and again 1981 — the only organisation among the four to have won twice. The 1954 prize recognised its early work resettling post-WWII European refugees. The 1981 prize recognised its broader work with refugees worldwide, including those from Vietnam, Cambodia, and various African conflicts.UNHCR is the only UN agency in this list awarded the Nobel twice. Among all organisations globally, only the ICRC has won more times (3 times: 1917, 1944, 1963). 1954 + 1981 ✓
Once only
International Labour Organisation (ILO)
Nobel Peace Prize: 1969 — on its 50th anniversary. The Nobel Committee said the ILO “has done most to promote fraternity among nations by ensuring social justice.” The committee cited the inscription at ILO’s Geneva office: “Si vis pacem, cole justitiam — If you desire peace, cultivate justice.”
1969 only
Nobel Prizes to UN System — Chronological Timeline
🏆 UN Nobel Peace Prize Timeline (Relevant Years)
1954UNHCR — 1st prize — post-WWII European refugee resettlement work ← TWICE ✓
1961Dag Hammarskjöld (UN Secretary-General) — individual, not organisation
1965UNICEF — once — “promotion of brotherhood among nations”
1969ILO — once — 50th anniversary; social justice and labour standards
1981UNHCR — 2nd prize — global refugee work including Indochina and Africa ← TWICE ✓
1988UN Peacekeeping Forces — once — for peacekeeping contributions worldwide
2001UN + Kofi Annan — for better-organised and more peaceful world
2005IAEA + Mohamed ElBaradei — nuclear non-proliferation
2020WFP — once — combating hunger; hunger as weapon of war prevention
Complete Nobel Prize Record — All Four Organisations
| Organisation | Nobel Prize Year(s) | Times won | Citation / Reason |
| WFP | 2020 | Once | Combat hunger; peace in conflict zones; prevent hunger as weapon of war |
| UNICEF | 1965 | Once | Promotion of brotherhood among nations; compassion knows no boundaries |
| UNHCR ✓ | 1954 and 1981 | TWICE ✓ | 1954: post-WWII European refugees · 1981: global refugee work (Indochina, Africa) |
| ILO | 1969 | Once | Promoting fraternity through social justice; 50 years of international labour law |
| ICRC (context) | 1917, 1944, 1963 | Three times (record) | Most Nobel Peace Prizes for any organisation — WWI, WWII, and 1963 joint with IFRCS |
Memory Trick
🧠 UNHCR = The Twice-Crowned UN Agency
UNHCR = 1954 + 1981: Remember the gap — 27 years between prizes. First for post-WWII European resettlement; second for helping millions of Indochinese boat people (Vietnam War aftermath) and African refugees. “Twice in a lifetime” — two generations of refugee crises, two prizes.
WFP = 2020 (most recent): Awarded during COVID-19 year. WFP feeds over 100 million people annually. Nobel Committee explicitly mentioned preventing hunger being used as a “weapon of war” — relevant to Yemen, Syria, South Sudan at the time.
UNICEF = 1965, ILO = 1969: Both in the 1960s — UNICEF for children (1965), ILO for workers (1969). Four years apart. ILO’s 1969 prize was its 50th anniversary. “Children in ’65, Labour in ’69.”
The record holders — ICRC (3) then UNHCR (2): Among all organisations, ICRC holds the record (1917, 1944, 1963). Among UN agencies specifically, UNHCR is the only one awarded twice. ICRC is not a UN agency — it is the International Committee of the Red Cross (Swiss-based independent body).
