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The Nobel Women's Initiative was established in 2006 by sister Nobel Peace Prize laureates Shirin Ebadi, Wangari Maathai, Rigoberta Menchú Tum, Betty Williams, and Jody Williams. These women—representing North and South America, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa-bring together their extraordinary experiences in a united effort for peace with justice and equality. Their goal is to meaningfully contribute to building peace by working together with women around the world. Please visit them online to learn more about their work: www.nobelwomensinitiative.org.
Women Nobel Peace Laureates Congratulate Three New Women Laureates
(Ottawa)—The women Peace Laureates of the Nobel Women's Initiative—Jody Williams (USA), Shirin Ebadi (Iran), Mairead Maguire (Ireland) and Rigoberta Menchu Tum (Guatemala)—today sent letters of congratulations to the three women who today were jointly awarded the Nobel Peace Prize: Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Liberian activist Leymah Gbowee and Yemini opposition leader Tawakkul Karman.
"Your victory today is a victory for all women around the world struggling for peace, justice and equality," said Jody Williams, who won the Nobel Peace prize in 1997 for her work to ban landmines. "We are inspired by your example of nonviolent action in the face of brutal violence, discrimination and injustice. You remind us that with women's bold action, there is hope for a better world."
With today's announcement, there are now nine living women Nobel Peace Laureates in the world, and 15 since the creation of the prize. Wangari Maathai, winner of the Nobel Peace prize in 2004 for her work on environment and democracy, died late last month. Sirleaf and Gbowee are the second and third African women to have received the Nobel Peace prize.
In awarding the prize, the Nobel Committee recognized the contribution of Sirlief, Gbowee and Karman in the "non-violent struggle for the safety of women and for women's rights to full participation in peace-building work." Sirleaf and Gbowee won for their visionary contributions to women's equality and peace in Liberia, a country that was devastated by 14 years of civil war. Karman was honored for her brave campaign to challenge the repressive rule of the Yemini President Ali Abdullah Saleh.
Karman joins Shirin Ebadi, who won the Nobel Peace prize in 2003 for her work to bring equal rights to women in Iran, as the second Muslim woman to win the Nobel Peace prize.
"As a Muslim woman, I am well aware of the difficult and severe conditions of your work and struggle," said Ebadi in her letter today to Karman. Karman receives frequent death threats, and was thrown in jail last January. "I admire your tremendous work and courage. This victory will certainly inspire and reassure the million of Muslim women who suffer from discrimination and who fight for equality of rights between men and women—and also sends a message to countries going through the Arab Spring that true democracy will only be achieved if women also receive equal rights."
The Nobel Women's Initiative was created in 2006 by women Nobel Peace Laureates to support women working for peace, justice and equality around the globe. For more information, please contact Rachel Vincent, 613-276-9030; rvincent@nobelwomensinitiative.org.
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 The Nobel Women's Initiative was established in 2006 by sister Nobel Peace Laureates Jody Williams, Shirin Ebadi, Wangari Maathai, Rigoberta Menchú Tum, Betty Williams and Mairead Corrigan Maguire. We six women -- representing North and South America, Europe, the Middle East and Africa -- have decided to bring together our extraordinary experiences in a united effort for peace with justice and equality.
Only 12 women in its more than 100 year history have been recognized with the Nobel Peace Prize. The Nobel Peace Prize is a great honor, but it is also a great responsibility. It is this sense of responsibility that has compelled us to create the Nobel Women's Initiative to help strengthen work being done in support of women's rights around the world - work often carried out in the shadows with little recognition.
We believe that peace is much more than the absence of armed conflict. Peace is the commitment to equality and justice; a democratic world free of physical, economic, cultural, political, religious, sexual and environmental violence and the constant threat of these forms of violence against women – indeed against all of humanity.
It is the heartfelt mission of the Nobel Women's Initiative to address and work to prevent the root causes of violence by spotlighting and promoting the efforts of women's rights activists, researchers and organizations working to advance peace, justice and equality. By sharing a platform with these women, the NWI will spotlight their tireless work to prevent violence against women. By helping to advance the cause of women, we believe we advance all of humanity.
United by our desire to combat all forms of violence against women in all circumstances, we also recognize that specific issues for women vary around the world. One element of our work will be to sponsor international meetings of women every two years -- in a different region of the world -- to highlight issues of concern to women there. The objective of these meetings is to underscore our commonalities and differences by providing inclusive and energizing forums that ensure meaningful dialogue and networking by women's rights activists around the world -- but with a view to action.
It is our commitment to action that brings us together. Therefore, our meetings will be linked with concrete work in the target region leading up to the conference, along with post-conference plans of action to address the issues addressed at the conference. In this way, the Nobel Women's Initiative will support meaningful work on the ground.
We believe profoundly in the sharing of information and ideas. By networking and working together rather than in competition, we enhance the work of all. The Nobel Women's Initiative is committed to supplementing and enhancing existing work and is determined to avoid duplicating the work of others. We want to open new ground for discussion, debate and change.
We hope you share our excitement about the potential of the Nobel Women's Initiative to meaningfully contribute to building peace with justice and equality by working together with women around the world.
For more information, visit www.nobelwomensinitiative.org
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