I learned with joy and pride this morning that Two Liberians were among the winners for the Nobel peace prize.
Liberia’s President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf won this year’s Nobel Peace Prize, sharing the award with fellow Liberian, Leymah Gbowee and Yemen’s Tawakkul Karman, for work to promote women’s rights and peace building.
Johnson-Sirleaf, 72, Gbowee and Karman were announced as winners of the 10 million-krona ($1.5 million) prize on Friday by the Norwegian Nobel Committee in Oslo. They were awarded the prize for “their non-violent struggle for the safety of women and for women’s rights to full participation in peace-building work,” the committee said.
Among those who welcomed this year's award was German Chancellor Angela Merkel, viewed as the most powerful woman in Europe, who said: "This will hopefully encourage many women, but also many men, around the world to campaign for freedom and democracy and against injustice."
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said: "Above all, it underscores the vital role that women play in the advancement of peace and security, development, and human rights."
Amnesty International secretary general Salil Shetty said: "This Nobel Peace Prize recognizes what human rights activists have known for decades - that the promotion of equality is essential to building just and peaceful societies worldwide.
We congratulate these women on their achievements, today is a day that all Liberians should be proud of.
The Nobel Peace Prize is awarded by a committee of five people chosen by Norway's parliament and is named for Alfred Nobel, a Swedish scientist and inventor of dynamite.
Nominations come from lawmakers around the world, university professors, previous Nobel laureates and members of the Nobel committee.
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Liberia has Soooo much to be proud of! Let's support our country as they compete in the 2012 London Olympics. Visit the site to leave a comment of support:
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