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.
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:
ReplyDelete