Last week, three extraordinary women were awarded with the Nobel
Peace Prize for their promotion of peace, democracy and gender equity.
Fundly applauds these outstanding leaders for their inspiring
promotion of peace and the Nobel committee for their decision to
recognize them. President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf of Liberia, Leymah Gbowee, and Tawakkul Karman are certainly deserving of this high honor.
As written in his will, Alfred Nobel established that the peace prize
would god to “the person who shall have done the most or the best work
for fraternity between nations, for the abolition or reduction of
standing armies and for the holding and promotion of peace congresses.”
Their important work certainly fits Nobel’s bill.
Johnson Sirleaf is modern Africa’s first democratically elected
president. Since her election, she has greatly contributed to securing
peace in Liberia. Like the president, Gbowee has worked to end war in
Liberia. During her country’s elections, she worked to ensure that women
participated and continues to raise the status of women in West Africa.
Karman has been a leading women’s rights, democracy and peace activist
in Yemen.
According to the official Nobel Prize website, 101 individuals have been awarded a peace prize since 1901. Fifteen of them are women.
This peace prize sends a strong message about the positive impact of
strong female leadership globally. In the words of the committee
chairman, their choice is “a signal that the Arab Spring cannot be
successful without including the women in it.”
In a phone interview with a Nobel representative, Gbowee was asked what her award says to the world.
“It says that the women of the world – their skills and intelligence
should be utilized. … Truly women have a place. Truly women have a
face.”
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