The Nobel Peace Prize 2011 The Nobel Peace Prize 2011 Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Leymah Gbowee, Tawakkol Karman Share this: The Nobel Peace Prize 2011 Photo: K. Opprann Tawakkol Karman Prize share: 1/3 The Nobel Peace Prize 2011 was awarded jointly to Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Leymah Gbowee and Tawakkol Karman "for their non-violent struggle for the safety of women and for women's rights to full participation in peace-building work". Photos: Copyright © The Nobel Foundation Share this: To cite this page MLA style: "The Nobel Peace Prize 2011". Nobelprize.org. Nobel Media AB 2014. Web. 18 Jan 2017.

< Sirleaf, Gbowee and Karman Accept Nobel Peace Prize - The New York Times The New York Times World |3 Women’s Rights Leaders Accept Nobel Peace Prize Search 3 Women’s Rights Leaders Accept Nobel Peace Prize By SCOTT SAYARE Continue reading the main story Photo Tawakkol Karman of Yemen, one of three joint winners of the Nobel Peace Prize, gave her speech to the audience during the award ceremony in Oslo. Credit Nigel Waldron/Getty Images PARIS — In a ceremony in Oslo that repeatedly invoked gender equality and the democratic strivings of the Arab Spring, the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize was presented to three female activists and political leaders on Saturday for “their nonviolent struggle for the safety of women and for women’s rights” as peacemakers. To spirited applause and at least one ululating cry, diplomas and gold medals were presented to President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf of Liberia , 73; her compatriot Leymah Gbowee , 39, a social worker and a peace activist; and Tawakkol Karman , a Yemeni journalist and a political activist who, at 32, is the youngest Peace Prize laureate and the first Arab woman to receive the award.

“The promising Arab Spring will become a new winter if women are again left out,” said Thorbjorn Jagland, the chairman of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, who presided over the ceremony . In her address , Mrs. Sirleaf said: “In its selection this year, the Nobel Committee has brought here three women linked by their commitment to change, and by their efforts to promote the rule of law and democracy in societies torn apart by conflict.” Mrs. Sirleaf, in 2005, became the first woman in modern African history to be elected head of state, and she is widely credited with ushering her country into a stable peace after a brutal 14-year civil war. She was re-elected president in November, though that contest was marred by violence and a boycott by the opposition. Advertisement Continue reading the main story Commentators and Mrs. Sirleaf’s political opponents had criticized the Nobel Committee’s decision to award the prize to the Liberian president just days before the election. Ms. Karman, who for months has lived out of a blue tent in a protest camp in Sana, Yemen , has been deemed “Mother of the Revolution” in her country.

In 2005, she founded the advocacy group Women Journalists Without Chains . Please verify you're not a robot by clicking the box. Invalid email address. Please re-enter. You must select a newsletter to subscribe to. Sign Up Privacy Policy She was by turns tearful and fervent in her address , which cited the commandments of the Torah, the Bible and the Koran and called upon Western nations to lend further support to the uprisings in the region. “The democratic world, which has told us a lot about the virtues of democracy and good governance, should not be indifferent to what is happening in Yemen and Syria, and happened before that in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya, and happens in every Arab and non-Arab country aspiring for freedom,” Ms. Karman said. “All of that is just hard labor during the birth of democracy, which requires support and assistance, not fear and caution.” Ms. Gbowee is the founder of the Ghana-based Women, Peace and Security Network Africa . She is best known for organizing a “sex strike” in Liberia in 2002, when women withheld sex from their husbands until hostilities ended, and for championing a women’s protest movement the next year.

In a statement announcing the award winners on Oct. 7, the Nobel committee said it hoped the prize would “help to bring an end to the suppression of women that still occurs in many countries.” Mr. Jagland concluded his remarks on Saturday by citing the American writer James Baldwin, saying: “The people that once walked in darkness are no longer prepared to do so.” A version of this article appears in print on December 11, 2011, on Page A8 of the New York edition with the headline: 3 Women’s Rights Leaders Accept Nobel Peace Prize. Order Reprints | Today's Paper | Subscribe Nobel Peace Prize 2011 - Photo 23 - Pictures - CBS News Nobel Peace Prize 2011 Next From left, Sweden's Queen Silvia, King Carl XVI Gustaf and Crown Princess Victoria attend the Nobel Prize ceremony at the Concert Hall in Stockholm, Sweden, on Dec. 10, 2011. This year's Nobel Peace Prize winners include Liberian peace activist Leymah Gbowee, Tawakkol Karman of Yemen and Liberian President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf. The women were honored on Dec. 10 in two ceremonies in the Swedish and Norwegian capitals.

The next day, a tribute concert was held in Oslo, featuring performances by David Gray, Sugarland, Jill Scott and others. Credit: AP Photo/Scanpix Sweden, Anders Wiklund From left, the 2011 Nobel Prize Laureates for Physics Professor Adam G. Riess from the U.S., Swedish Crown Princess Victoria and Dr. Brian P. Schmidt from Australia speak during the 2011 Nobel Prize Banquet at the Town Hall in Stockholm, Sweden, on Dec. 10, 2011. Credit: AP Photo/Matt Dunham From left, Queen Sonja of Norway, Princess Mette-Marit of Norway and Prince Haakon of Norway attend the Nobel Peace Prize Award Ceremony at Oslo City Hall on Dec. 10, 2011, in Oslo, Norway. Credit: Nigel Waldron/Getty Images The Norwegian royal family, from left, King Harald V, Queen Sonja, Crown Princess Mette-Marit and Crown Prince Haakon attend the Nobel Peace Prize award ceremony at City Hall in Oslo, on Dec. 10, 2011.

Credit: ODD ANDERSEN/AFP/Getty Images Norwegian King Harald V and Queen Sonja attend the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize award ceremony on Dec. 10, 2011, at City Hall, in Oslo, Norway. Credit: ODD ANDERSEN/AFP/Getty Images The 2011 Nobel Prize Laureate for Physics Professor Saul Perlmutter of the U.S. and Sweden's Queen Silvia smile for photographers at the start of the 2011 Nobel Prize Banquet at the Town Hall in Stockholm, Dec. 10, 2011. Credit: AP Photo/Matt Dunham Sweden's Queen Silvia listens to speeches during the 2011 Nobel Prize Banquet at the Town Hall in Stockholm, Dec. 10, 2011. Credit: AP Photo/Matt Dunham Victoria, Crown Princess of Sweden, bottom left, the 2011 Nobel Prize Laureate for Physics Dr. Brian P. Schmidt from Australia, bottom right, the 2011 Nobel Prize Laureate for Physics Professor Saul Perlmutter from the U.S., top right, and Dr.

Nadia Sherline arrive for the start of the 2011 Nobel Prize Banquet at the Town Hall in Stockholm, Dec. 10, 2011. Credit: AP Photo/Matt Dunham Rosario Dawson attends the press conference ahead of the Nobel Peace Prize Concert at Oslo Spektrum on Dec. 11, 2011, in Oslo, Norway. Credit: Ragnar Singsaas/Getty Images Members of country music duo Sugarland, Jennifer Nettles and Kristian Bush speak during a press conference for the Nobel Peace Concert on Dec. 11, 2011, in Oslo, Norway. Credit: AP Photo/John McConnico Rosario Dawson and Helen Mirren attend the press conference ahead of the Nobel Peace Prize Concert at Oslo Spektrum on Dec. 11, 2011, in Oslo, Norway. Credit: Ragnar Singsaas/Getty Images Helen Mirren and Jill Scott attend the press conference ahead of the Nobel Peace Prize Concert at the Oslo Spektrum on Dec. 11, 2011, in Oslo, Norway.

Credit: Ragnar Singsaas/Getty Images British singer David Gray performs at the Nobel Peace Prize concert in Oslo on Dec. 11, 2011. Artists from all over the world gathered at the Oslo Spektrum to help spread the message of peace and celebrate this year's Nobel Peace Prize laureates. Credit: ODD ANDERSEN/AFP/Getty Images Rock band Evanescence performs at the Nobel Peace Prize concert in Oslo on Dec. 11, 2011. Artists from all over the world gathered at the Oslo Spektrum to help spread the message of peace and celebrate this year's Nobel Peace Prize laureates, Liberain President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, her compatriot Leymah Gbowee and Yemini "Arab Spring" activist Tawakkol Karman. Credit: ODD ANDERSEN/AFP/Getty Images Actresses Helen Mirren and Rosario Dawson co-host the Nobel Peace Prize concert in Oslo, on Dec. 11, 2011. Artists from all over the world gathered at the Oslo Spektrum to help spread the message of peace and celebrate this year's Nobel Peace Prize laureates.

Credit: ODD ANDERSEN/AFP/Getty Images Jennifer Nettles and Kristian Bush of Sugarland perform at the Nobel Peace Prize Concert at Oslo Spektrum on Dec. 11, 2011, in Oslo, Norway. Credit: Ragnar Singsaas/Getty Images Janelle Monae performs at the Nobel Peace Prize Concert at the Oslo Spektrum on Dec. 11, 2011, in Oslo, Norway. Credit: Ragnar Singsaas/Getty Images Jill Scott performs at the Nobel Peace Prize Concert at the Oslo Spektrum on Dec. 11, 2011, in Oslo, Norway. Credit: Ragnar Singsaas/Getty Images Musician Janelle Monae and host Rosario Dawson speak during the Nobel Peace Prize Concert at Oslo Spektrum on Dec. 11, 2011, in Oslo, Norway. Credit: Ragnar Singsaas/Getty Images Miatta Fahnbulleh performs at the Nobel Peace Prize Concert on Dec. 11, 2011, in Oslo, Norway. Credit: Ragnar Singsaas/Getty Images David Gray performs at the Nobel Peace Prize Concert at the Oslo Spektrum on Dec.

11, 2011, in Oslo, Norway. Credit: Ragnar Singsaas/Getty Images The Nobel Peace Prize winners sing with Norwegian singer Bernhoft, Janelle Monae and Beninoise singer Angelique Kidjo during the Nobel Peace Prize concert in Oslo on Dec. 11, 2011. Credit: ODD ANDERSEN/AFP/Getty Images From left, Nobel Peace Prize winners, Liberian peace activist Leymah Gbowee, Tawakkol Karman of Yemen and Liberian president Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf hold hands in solidarity from the balcony of the Grand Hotel during a torchlight procession in their honor in Oslo, Norway, Dec. 10, 2011. The peace prize committee awarded the prize to Karman, Johnson-Sirleaf and Gbowee for championing women's rights in regions where oppression is common and helping women participate in peace building. Credit: AP Photo/John McConnico From left, Nobel Peace Prize laureates Liberian peace activist Leymah Gbowee, human rights activist Tawakul Karman from Yemen and Liberian President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf Nobel attend a press conference at Nobel institute on Dec. 9, 2011.

Five Nobel Peace Prize winners have launched a campaign to free last year's laureate, jailed Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo, saying they feared the world will forget that he is still imprisoned. Credit: CORNELIUS POPPE/AFP/Getty Images Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Leymah Gbowee and Tawakkul Karman win Nobel prize | World news | The Guardian Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Leymah Gbowee and Tawakkul Karman win Nobel prize Three women – two Liberian, one Yemeni – are awarded peace prize for their work campaigning for women's rights Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Leymah Gbowee and Tawakkul Karman. Photograph: Alex Wong/Getty, Frederick M Brown/Getty, Khaled Abdullah/Reuters Friday 7 October 2011 09.45 EDT First published on Friday 7 October 2011 09.45 EDT Close This article is 5 years old Three women who have campaigned for peace and democracy in Liberia and Yemen have been jointly awarded this year's Nobel peace prize .

The Liberian president, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf , and Leymah Gbowee, a social worker turned peace campaigner from the same country, will share the 10m kronor (£950,000) prize with Tawakkul Karman, a journalist and pro-democracy activist in Yemen who has been a leading figure in the protests against President Ali Abdullah Saleh since January. The Nobel committee said the three had been chosen "for their non-violent struggle for the safety of women and for women's rights to full participation in peace-building work". "We cannot achieve democracy and lasting peace in the world unless women obtain the same opportunities as men to influence developments at all levels of society," the committee said in a statement. They are the first women to be awarded the prize since 2004 when the committee honoured Wangari Muta Maathai, the Kenyan environmentalist who died last month, and bring the tally of female winners to 15, compared with 85 men. Sirleaf, 72, is a Harvard-trained economist who became Africa's first democratically elected female president in 2005 , two years after the country achieved a fragile peace after decades of civil war.

The committee said she had "contributed to securing peace in Liberia, to promoting economic and social development, and to strengthening the position of women". Seen as a reformer and peacemaker in Liberia when she first took office, Sirleaf declared a zero-tolerance policy against corruption and has made education compulsory and free for all primary-age children. She is currently running for re-election, with a vote to be held on Tuesday. Gbowee, 39, was instrumental in helping bring Liberia to peace in the early 2000s, leading a movement of women who dressed in white to protest against the use of rape and child soldiers in the war. During the 2003 peace talks, she and hundreds of women surrounded the hall where the discussions were being held, refusing to let delegates leave until they had signed the treaty. The committee said she had "mobilised and organised women across ethnic and religious dividing lines to bring an end to the long war in Liberia, and to ensure women's participation in elections".

Since 2004, Gbowee has served as a commissioner on Liberia's truth and reconciliation commission, and she is now executive director of the Women in Peace and Security Network , an organisation that works with women in Liberia, Ivory Coast, Nigeria and Sierra Leone to promote peace, literacy and political involvement. "In the most trying circumstances, both before and during the Arab spring, Tawakkul Karman has played a leading part in the struggle for women's rights and for democracy and peace in Yemen," the Nobel committee said of the third winner. Karman, 32, is a mother of three who in 2005 founded the group Women Journalists Without Chains . She has been a key figure among youth activists in Yemen since they began occupying a square in central Sana'a in February demanding the end of the Saleh regime , and has often been the voice of activists on Arabic television, giving on-the-ground reports of the situation in the square outside Sana'a University, where dozens of activists have been shot dead by government forces. She called her award "a victory for the Yemeni people, for the Yemeni revolution and all the Arab revolutions". "This is a message that the era of Arab dictatorships is over.

This is a message to this regime and all the despotic regimes that no voice can drown out the voice of freedom and dignity. This is a victory for the Arab spring in Tunis, Egypt, Libya, Syria and Yemen . Our peaceful revolution will continue until we topple Saleh and establish a civilian state." The chairman of the Norwegian Nobel committee, Thorbjorn Jagland, told the Associated Press that Karman's award should be seen as a signal that both women and Islam had played an important part in this year's Arab uprisings. "The Arab spring cannot be successful without including the women in it," he said. He said Karman belonged to a Muslim movement with links to the Muslim Brotherhood, an Islamist group "which in the west is perceived as a threat to democracy". He added: "I don't believe that. There are many signals that that kind of movement can be an important part of the solution." Jagland told AP it was difficult to find a leader of the Arab spring revolts, especially among the many bloggers who played a role in energising the protests, and noted that Karman's work started before the Arab uprisings.

"It was not easy for us to pick one from Egypt or pick one from Tunisia, because there were so many, and we did not want to say that one was more important than the others." He noted that Karman had "started her activism long before the revolution took place in Tunisia and Egypt. She has been a very courageous woman in Yemen for quite a long time." Sirleaf said the award "gives me a stronger commitment to work for reconciliation. Liberians should be proud". Asked about the potential sensitivity of awarding an international prize days before the winner seeks re-election, Jagland said: "We cannot look to that domestic consideration.

We have to look at Alfred Nobel's will, which says that the prize should go to the person that has done the most for peace in the world." Liberian president, Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, and her compatriot Leymah Gbowee, who mobilised women against their country's civil war, won the Nobel peace prize on Friday, along with Yemeni women's rights and democracy activist Tawakkul Karman Published: 7 Oct 2011 Editorial: The award recognises the concept that women's rights and social and political harmony, in all societies but particularly in those damaged by war, are intimately connected Published: 7 Oct 2011 The human rights activist, joint winner of the Nobel peace prize, has emerged as a figurehead of the opposition in Yemen Published: 7 Oct 2011 The peace campaigner, a joint winner of this year's Nobel peace prize, led the women's movement to help end war in Liberia Published: 7 Oct 2011 The Nobel Peace Prize for 2011 to Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Leymah Gbowee and Tawakkul Karman - Press Release Press Release The Nobel Peace Prize 2011 Ellen Johnson Sirleaf

, Leymah Gbowee, Tawakkol Karman Share this: Norwegian The Nobel Peace Prize for 2011 The Norwegian Nobel Committee has decided that the Nobel Peace Prize for 2011 is to be divided in three equal parts between Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Leymah Gbowee and Tawakkul Karman for their non-violent struggle for the safety of women and for women’s rights to full participation in peace-building work.

We cannot achieve democracy and lasting peace in the world unless women obtain the same opportunities as men to influence developments at all levels of society. In October 2000, the UN Security Council adopted Resolution 1325. The resolution for the first time made violence against women in armed conflict an international security issue. It underlined the need for women to become participants on an equal footing with men in peace processes and in peace work in general. Ellen Johnson Sirleaf is Africa’s first democratically elected female president. Since her inauguration in 2006, she has contributed to securing peace in Liberia, to promoting economic and social development, and to strengthening the position of women. Leymah Gbowee mobilized and organized women across ethnic and religious dividing lines to bring an end to the long war in Liberia, and to ensure women’s participation in elections. She has since worked to enhance the influence of women in West Africa during and after war. In the most trying circumstances, both before and during the “Arab spring”, Tawakkul Karman has played a leading part in the struggle for women’s rights and for democracy and peace in Yemen.

It is the Norwegian Nobel Committee’s hope that the prize to Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Leymah Gbowee and Tawakkul Karman will help to bring an end to the suppression of women that still occurs in many countries, and to realise the great potential for democracy and peace that women can represent. Oslo, October 7, 2011 Share this: To cite this page MLA style: "The Nobel Peace Prize for 2011 to Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Leymah Gbowee and Tawakkul Karman - Press Release". Nobelprize.org. Nobel Media AB 2014. Web. 18 Jan 2017. < Liberia: A Noble Moment - allAfrica.com Liberia: A Noble Moment Nobel Laureates Leymah Gbowee, Tawakkol Karman and President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf Blog By K.

Riva Levinson When the Nobel Committee announced that the Nobel Peace Prize for 2011 was to be awarded jointly to President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Leymah Gbowee of Liberia and Tawakkul Karman of Yemen, "for their non-violent struggle for the safety of women and for women's rights to full participation in peace-building work," my heart skipped a beat. Who could have imagined a decade earlier that Liberia, a country thought to be irreparably broken, would emerge as a model for post-conflict transformation? Who would have thought it would be the women of Liberia who would become inspirations for a new generation of young girls around the world looking for their voice? Who could have foreseen that the first woman democratically elected in Africa could one day represent a role model for a young woman from Yemen seeking to become the first woman president democratically elected to emerge from the awakening of the Arab spring? I was in Monrovia on 16 January, 2006, when President Sirleaf was inaugurated as the President of the Republic of Liberia. She captured the imagination of the world sketching out the promise of a Liberia at peace with itself and its neighbors.

A new Liberia, she promised, would be committed to governing by rule of law, with transparency and accountability and to investing in the country's most valuable resource, its people. I remember how President Sirleaf closed her inaugural address that day promising to "make the children smile again." City Hall, Oslo, Norway, 10 December, 2011 In Oslo, it was extremely cold that week, averaging minus eleven degrees Celsius. The security screening area was a wind tunnel as it proved impossible to keep the outside doors shut, moving a couple thousand people through the one entrance way. Oslo City Hall is a simple, austere and unremarkable building on a hill, across from the Nobel Institute which constitutes the heart of the government district of the small downtown area. The outside façade however is in total contrast to the space it holds. The hall itself is magnificent in size and depth -- the ceilings so high, the walls so wide and long, that you feel its space is infinite. The room was set for the Royal affair it was; a 113-year tradition as dictated by the will of Alfred P.

Nobel; the front row reserved for the Norwegian Royal Family, King Harald, Queen Sonja, Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit. With teeth chattering, I tried to think back to the inauguration six years ago-- what felt different? Both were celebrations historic in nature, where I was in the company of President Sirleaf's family, her close friends and VIPs from around the world. So what else? The difference I sensed was that this prize, with all of its rewards, with all of its global recognition, and with its $1.5 million dollar purse, also carried with it an awesome burden for the few in the world who are privileged to carry it. How do you live every day in the spirit of Alfred P. Nobel and measure your life against those heroic men and women who came before? Moments later, President Sirleaf expressed exactly this sentiment, "History will judge us not by what we say in this moment in time, but by what we do next to lift the lives of our countrymen and women.

It will judge us by the legacy we leave behind for generations to come." Four Trumpeters from His Majesty's Band opened the procession of the Nobel Laureates led by President Sirleaf and the Nobel Committee. The blaring of the horns was such a powerful moment, my emotions ranging from joy, to pride, to a deep sense of gratitude for being allowed to play a small part in Liberia's historic journey. As I watched the Nobel Laureates pace with deliberation down the red carpet, I noticed how what they chose wear that day spoke to who they were, and gave me a reference point to tie what I saw, felt and understood on that day. President Sirleaf wore a rich deep purple African dress with a matching headdress, accompanied by a contrasting crème colored sash, and her signature pearl jewelry. She looked, as always, regal, confident, proper, and most appropriate for a grandmother of six.

Even as the world celebrated the Liberian President's achievements, which such tradition and majesty, I imagined President Sirleaf thinking to herself, "/I have so much work to do!"/ President Sirleaf was in the middle of a business meeting on Friday morning, 7 October, when she received the phone call from the Nobel Committee informing her that she would share the Nobel Peace Prize for 2011. What did President Sirleaf do? She accepted the obligatory hugs and congratulations, placed a couple of calls to her close family, and then reconvened the meeting and went back to her schedule! In her lecture, President Sirleaf spoke to the women of the world. She appealed to them to "find their voice" and "let yours be the voice of freedom." She also spoke to her own young people, many of whom did not vote for her in the recent elections. "We heard the cry of our young population that they are impatient for their lives to improve. They want to make up for the time and opportunities lost during years of conflict and deprivation. They have found their voices, and we have heard them," said President Sirleaf.

And so, I thought, President Sirleaf was anxious to return home, to vest the young people in the institutions of democracy she is struggling to build. Leymah Gybowee dressed in a gold blouse with a subtle shimmer and sparkle. Her long skirt and head adornment were of a more traditional African cloth of white, gold and blue. Her head wrap had sat high on her head with flair. I thought that Leymah's outfit, particularly her stunning blouse, sitting slightly on her shoulders, reflected her openness and her power. She made a striking complement following behind President Sirleaf. Leymah's speech was so impassioned. She seemed to almost relive her struggle in sharing her words with the world. "We were the conscience of the ones who had lost their consciences in their quest for power and political positions. We represented the soul of the nation," said Leymah.

"When confronting warlords we did so because we felt it was our moral duty to stand as mothers and gird our waist, to fight the demons of war in order to protect the lives of our children, their land, and their future." As President Sirleaf said of Leymah, "You redefined the front line of a brutal civil conflict -- women dressed in white, demonstrating in the streets -- a barrier no warlord was brave enough to cross." Leymah announced prior to going to Oslo that she would return to Liberia from Ghana to spearhead an effort to encourage national reconciliation. I suspect that Liberia will need to share Leymah with the women of the world. And then there was Tawakkul Karman whose youthful energy and passion electrified Oslo and the world-wide media. Tawakkul's wore a traditional long black abaya covering; her neck, arms and even feet hidden. She too covers her head, revealing only the outline of her face. Her petite frame seemed to almost disappear in her coverings. But her scarves were works of art, bursting with color and vibrant patterns and I felt Tawakkul's personality.

I found myself looking forward to her simple change of scarf that day- she wore three: one for the ceremony, one to the CNN live interview and then a third to the Nobel Banquet. At the banquet, her scarf, deep burgundy, green and gold had a touch of sequins which I found as magnificent as any of the long gowns at the black tie affair. Tawakkul's words poured from her like rushing water released from a damn. She had so much to say and she went almost 15 minutes over her allotted lecture time. But no one seemed to pay notice. She was the conscience of the world at the ceremonies. Said Tawakkul, "The Arab people have, for so many decades . . . been oppressed and suppressed by regimes of authoritarian tyrants who have indulged themselves deeply in corruption and in looting the wealth of their people." "They have gone too far in depriving their people of freedom and of the natural right to a dignified life," she yelled out.

"The democratic world, which has told us a lot about the virtues of democracy and good governance, should not be indifferent to what is happening in Yemen and Syria, and happened before that in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya, and happens in every Arab and non-Arab countries aspiring for freedom," Tawakkul Later on CNN, Tawakkul announced that if she would run for President, she would win. The live audience exploded with approval. She appealed to the international community to help create that political space for her to be a candidate in next February's Presidential elections. So I think it was not just President Sirleaf that was impatient to take the next step, but Leymah and Tawakkul as well; three very different women, at different stages in their lives and their struggles -- one an Activist for Peace, the other a Peace Maker, and Madame President, the Peace Keeper -- all anxious to get on with it.

It is often said that "history is not kind to those who push it." But in the spirit of Eleanor Roosevelt, these women, "would rather light one candle than curse the darkness." The entirety of the two hour ceremony; including the speeches, the musical tributes, and the moments of interactions with the audience; can be viewed, along with the lectures in English, Norwegian and Arabic at K. Riva Levinson is Managing Director of KRL International LLC, a consultancy dedicated to work in the world's emerging markets. She has been an advisor to President Sirleaf since 1996 and was part of the official Liberian delegation to the Nobel Ceremonies. Copyright © 2011 KRL International LLC. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media ( allAfrica.com ). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here. AllAfrica publishes around 700 reports a day from more than 140 news organizations and over 500 other institutions and individuals , representing a diversity of positions on every topic. We publish news and views ranging from vigorous opponents of governments to government publications and spokespersons.

Publishers named above each report are responsible for their own content, which AllAfrica does not have the legal right to edit or correct. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica . To address comments or complaints, please Contact us . Three Women Activists Awarded Nobel Peace Prize | IIP Digital Three Women Activists Awarded Nobel Peace Prize By Merle David Kellerhals, Jr. | Staff Writer | 07 October 2011 The 2011 Nobel Peace Prize was jointly awarded to President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf (right), women’s activist Leymah Gbowee of Liberia (center) and Tawakkul Karman of Yemen. Washington — The 2011 Nobel Peace Prize was jointly awarded to three women for their struggle for women’s safety and women’s full participation in peace-building work, the Norwegian Nobel Prize Committee said. Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, women’s activist Leymah Gbowee of Liberia and Tawakkul Karman of Yemen each share in the prize. The three women will be given an equal share of the $1.5 million that accompanies the peace prize, the committee said.

The prize committee said in a prepared statement that it “decided that the Nobel Peace Prize for 2011 is to be divided in three equal parts between Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Leymah Gbowee and Tawakkul Karman for their non-violent struggle for the safety of women and for women’s rights to full participation in peace-building work.” “We cannot achieve democracy and lasting peace in the world unless women obtain the same opportunities as men to influence developments at all levels of society,” the committee said. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton praised the Nobel Committee for recognizing “the powerful role women are playing in building peace and ending conflict.” “I am delighted to send heartfelt congratulations to Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Yemeni activist Tawakkul Karman and Liberian peace activist Leymah Roberta Gbowee for the prestigious honor of sharing this year’s Nobel Peace Prize,” Clinton said in a prepared statement .

“They are shining examples of the difference that women can make and the progress they can help achieve when given the opportunity to make decisions about the future of their societies and countries.” “The unflinching courage, strength and leadership of these women to build peace, advance reconciliation, and defend the rights of fellow citizens in their own countries provide inspiration for women’s rights and human progress everywhere. This recognition of their extraordinary accomplishments reflects the efforts of many other women who are promoting peace and security in their countries and communities,” Clinton said. In October 2000, the U.N. Security Council adopted Resolution 1325 that for the first time made violence against women in armed conflict an international security issue, according to the prize committee. It underlined the need for women to become participants on equal status with men in peace processes and in peace work in general. “Ellen Johnson Sirleaf is Africa’s first democratically elected female president. Since her inauguration in 2006, she has contributed to securing peace in Liberia, to promoting economic and social development, and to strengthening the position of women,” the committee said.

The prize committee said that Leymah Gbowee, who is also from Liberia, mobilized and organized women across ethnic and religious dividing lines to bring an end to the long war in Liberia, and to ensure women’s participation in elections. “She has since worked to enhance the influence of women in West Africa during and after war,” the committee said. “In the most trying circumstances, both before and during the ‘Arab spring,’” Tawakkul Karman has played a leading part in the struggle for women’s rights and for democracy and peace in Yemen, the Norwegian Committee said. The peace prize is awarded by a five-person committee that is selected by the Norwegian Parliament; the other Nobel prizes are awarded in Sweden by a Swedish committee. The peace prize is one of the five Nobel prizes bequeathed by Alfred Nobel, a Swedish industrialist and inventor. The Nobel Peace Prize has been awarded 91 times to 121 Nobel Laureates between 1901 and 2010 — 98 individuals and 23 organizations. President Obama was awarded the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize for his work in expanding global arms control and nuclear nonproliferation, and for forging an agenda aimed at achieving a nuclear-free world.

(This is a product of the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: Keywords: Nobel Peace Prize 2011 winners: Leymah Gbowee, Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, Tawakkul Karman | Daily Mail Online comments Three inspirational women who have campaigned for equal rights and an end to violence in Liberia and Yemen were jointly awarded the Nobel Peace Prize today. Liberian, Leymah Gbowee, who mobilised fellow women against the country’s civil war by organising a 'sex strike' was named along with her nation's president Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf. The third recipient who will share the prize worth more than $1.5 million was Tawakkul Karman, who has campaigned tirelessly for women's rights in Yemen.

Girl power: Left to right, Yemeni activist Tawakkul Karman, Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and Liberian 'peace warrior' Leymah Gbowee have jointly won the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize Prior to the announcement bizarre rumours had circulated that the award would go to Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, reflecting the role of social networking sites in the Arab Spring uprisings Announcing the award committee chairman Thorbjoern Jagland said: 'We cannot achieve democracy and lasting peace in the world unless women obtain the same opportunities as men to influence developments at all levels of society. RELATED ARTICLES Share this article Share 'The Nobel Peace Prize for 2011 is to be divided in three equal parts between Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, Leymah Gbowee and Tawakkul Karman for their non-violent struggle for the safety of women and for women’s rights to full participation in peace-building work.' Johnson-Sirleaf, 72, is Africa’s first freely elected female president and the 24th President of Liberia.

Joy: Yemeni activist Tawakkul Karman laughs as she speaks on the telephone after the announcement of the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize in Sanaa, Yemen, today Business as usual: Nobel Prize winnerTawakul Karman demonstrating in the Yemeni capital Sana'a today. She has received numerous threats for her work campaigning for women's rights She served as Minister of Finance under President William Tolbert from 1979 until the 1980 coup d'état and faces re-election for a second term as president on Tuesday. Her fellow Liberian Gbowee mobilized and organized women across ethnic and religious dividing lines to bring an end to the civil war in Liberia, and to ensure women’s participation in elections. 'I believe we (Gbowee and I) both accept this on behalf of the Liberian people, and the credit goes to the Liberian people,' Johnson-Sirleaf told reporters outside her private residence in Liberia's capital. Gbowee was on a book tour in the United States, her Accra, Ghana-based office said.

Tawakul Karman is a Yemeni politician and human rights activist who created the group Women Journalists Without Chains (WJWC) in 2005. Cheers: Liberia's President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, who jointly won the Nobel Peace Prize 2011 today, waves to supporters at her house in Monrovia The group aims to promote human rights 'In particular particularly freedom of opinion and expression, and democratic rights'. Karman has regularly led demonstrations and sit-ins in the Freedom Square in the capital Sana'a. FEMALE PEACE PRIZE WINNERS 1905 - Bertha Sophie Felicita von Suttner, an Austrian baroness who wrote an anti-war book 'Lay down your Arms' 1931 - Jane Addams, the U.S. philanthropist who organised social work among the poor in Chicago 1946 - Emily Greene Balch, a U.S. pacifist and honorary international President of the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom 1976 - Betty Williams and Mairead Corrigan, co-leaders of the 'Community of Peace People', a movement to end sectarian violence in Northern Ireland.

1979 - Mother Teresa of Calcutta 1982 - Sweden's minister for disarmament Alva Myrdal 1991 - Detained Burmese opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi 1992 - Guatemalan human rights leader Rigoberta Menchu 1997 - Jody Williams, co-ordinator of the International Campaign to Ban Landmines 2003 - Iranian human rights lawyer Shirin Ebadi 2004 - Kenyan environmentalist Wangari Maathai 2011 - Liberian President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, Liberian human rights activist Leymah Gbowee and Yemeni women's rights and democracy activist Tawakul Karman. She said today the award was a victory for Yemen and all Arab Spring revolutions and a message that the era of Arab dictatorships was over. 'This is a victory for the Yemeni woman. Today the whole world can hear our joy. I am very very happy and I thank God for this award,' the 32-year-old mother of three said. 'This is a victory for the Yemeni people, for the Yemeni revolution and all the Arab revolutions.

This is a message that the era of Arab dictatorships is over. This is a message to this regime and all the despotic regimes that no voice can drown out the voice of freedom and dignity.' Mr Jagland added: 'In the most trying circumstances, both before and during the Arab Spring, Tawakkul Karman has played a leading part in the struggle for women’s rights and for democracy and peace in Yemen.' 'It is the Norwegian Nobel Committee’s hope that the prize to Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, Leymah Gbowee and Tawakkul Karman will help to bring an end to the suppression of women that still occurs in many countries, and to realise the great potential for democracy and peace that women can represent.' Committee chairman Jagland had fueled speculation that the award would go to Facebook CEO Zuckerberg after remarks he made during an interview with the Associated Press. He said: 'For me and the committee it is quite obvious if you look at the world today and see what is happening out there. 'What are the major forces pushing the world in the right direction?' He added that the winner would be 'obvious' and would reflect 'the most positive development' of the year.

Commentators were quick to link his words to the Arab Spring Uprisings and more specifically the role of social networking sites such as Facebook and its rival Twitter in spreading the dissent. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has welcomed the announcement that the women received the Nobel Peace Prize, saying it was 'a testament to the power of women.' 'Above all, it underscores the vital role that women play in the advancement of peace and security, development, and human rights,' he said. 'I really congratulate all three winners from the bottom of my heart.' Praise: 'We cannot achieve democracy and lasting peace in the world unless women obtain the same opportunities as men to influence developments at all levels of society,' committee chairman Thorbjoern Jagland said today Award: Thorbjoern Jagland, General Secretary of the Council of Europe and Norwegian chairman of the Nobel Peace Prize award (centre) announces the winners in Oslo WHO ARE THE INCREDIBLE WOMEN WHO SHARED THE NOBEL PEACE PRIZE? ELLEN JOHNSON SIRLEAF Politician Johnson-Sirleaf earned the nickname 'Iron Lady' by challenging warlord Charles Taylor for the presidency in 1997 during Liberia's brutal civil war.

She lost by a landslide, but that never shook her resolve. She won the 2005 presidential run-off against football icon George Weah, who alleged fraud although the polls received a clean bill of health from observers. She was sworn in as Africa's first elected female head of state in January 2006. Johnson-Sirleaf vowed to create a 'government of inclusion' to heal the wounds of war and toured the streets to win over Liberia's poor youth, many of them former child soldiers who believe Weah was cheated. In January 2010, she went back on her campaign promise to be president for only one term when she announced she would contest the 2011 presidential election, to be held on October 11. She has won widespread international praise for her work rebuilding Liberia, but is still struggling to convince many in the country that change is coming fast enough. LEYMAH GBOWEE Activist Leymah Gbowee, 39, mobilised and organised women across ethnic and religious divides to help bring an end to the war in Liberia and to ensure women's participation in elections.

Following the 2003 peace treaty, her network encouraged many more women to vote and was instrumental in the victory of Johnson-Sirleaf. Since 2004, Gbowee has served as a commissioner on Liberia's Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Since 2006, Gbowee has been executive director of Women in Peace and Security Network - Africa, an organization that works with women in Liberia, the Ivory Coast, Nigeria, and Sierra Leone to promote peace, literacy, and electoral politics. TAWAKUL KARMAN Both before and during the 'Arab Spring', protester and campaigner Tawakul Karman, 32, has played a leading part in the struggle for women's rights and for democracy and peace in Yemen. Founder in 2005 and chairwoman of Women Journalists without Chains, Tawakul Karman is a Yemeni journalist and activist who has devoted herself to the fight for media freedom. She is also a member of the Islamist party Islah Was. A thorn in the side of the government, she was briefly arrested early this year after leading protests against autocratic Arab rulers.

She vowed in February to galvanise a youth-led uprising against President Ali Abdullah Saleh, who has ruled Yemen for 33 years.'We started rallies before Tunisia's revolution and were demanding reforms and other rights. But after Tunisia, we realised the solution is for this regime to go,' she said. Tawakkol Karman, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Leymah Gbowee win Nobel Peace Prize - The Washington Post Tawakkol Karman, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Leymah Gbowee win Nobel Peace Prize The inside track on Washington politics. Be the first to know about new stories from PowerPost. Sign up to follow, and we’ll e-mail you free updates as they’re published. You’ll receive free e-mail news updates each time a new story is published. You’re all set!

By Sudarsan Raghavan and Michael Birnbaum By Sudarsan Raghavan and Michael Birnbaum October 7, 2011 Follow @raghavanWaPo Follow @michaelbirnbaum The Nobel Peace Prize for 2011 was awarded Friday to three influential women from Africa and the Middle East, a decision intended to draw attention to the suppression of women’s rights around the world and spur their fight for greater equality in male-dominated societies. The winners were Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, the first elected female president in post-colonial Africa, peace activist Leymah Gbowee, also from Liberia, and Tawakkol Karman, a leading figure in Yemen’s populist revolt this year who inspired thousands of women to rise up in a region where women are considered second-class citizens. This year’s award arrives as women in Africa and the Middle East find themselves at a crossroads of sorts, trying to break away from a history of restrictions fueled by culture and traditions. While women have become more visible in government and social activism, deep challenges remain in many areas, including education, employment and access to health care.

“We still have a long way to go,” said Nana Asantewa Afadzinu, executive director of the West Africa Civil Society Institute in Accra, Ghana, who has worked with Gbowee. “Women have a challenge in being part of the decision-making process in our countries.” And although women have played crucial roles in the protests still rocking the Arab world, a conservative backlash in places such as Egypt has prompted efforts in some instances to push them out of the spotlight. The Oslo-based committee described the award as an important siren call for women the world over. In its citation, read by its head, Thorbjorn Jagland, a former Norwegian prime minister, the committee said that “we cannot achieve democracy and lasting peace in the world unless women obtain the same opportunities as men to influence developments at all levels of society.” Men have overwhelmingly won the award in its 110-year history; only 12 other women have been honored, including Mother Teresa, American philanthropist Jane Addams and Kenyan environmental activist Wangari Maathai, the 2004 winner, who died last month .

Before Friday’s Nobel committee announcement, online speculation had centered on whether the peace prize would go to leaders of the protests that have toppled long-entrenched rulers in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya. The deadline for nominations was Feb. 1, when protests in Egypt and Libya were still in their early stages. “I very much appreciate the bloggers,” Jagland said when asked why Karman and not others involved in the protests had received the prize. But Karman’s “courage was long before the world media was there and reporting,” he said. Karman called the award “a victory for our revolution, for our methods, for our struggle, for all Yemeni youth, and all the youth in the Arab world — in Tunisia, in Egypt, everywhere.” “This will give the people more strength, and to recognize that peace is the only way, that making a new Yemen must come without violence,” she said, speaking by telephone in broken English from inside her tent in Change Square, the focal point of the uprising in the Yemeni capital, Sanaa.

Wearing her trademark pink floral head scarf and using text messages, Facebook and other social media, Karman was among the first activists to galvanize Yemeni youth when protests against President Ali Abdullah Saleh’s 33-year rule began in January. A vocal critic of Saleh’s government since 2007, when she ran a human rights group called Women Journalists Without Chains, Karman was detained briefly in January, but protests forced authorities to release her. She has also been attacked by a mob carrying knives and sticks; in recent weeks, she has been unable to move about freely because of concerns that she might be kidnapped. Her activism is all the more unusual because it is happening in patriarchal, deeply conservative Yemen, where women face restrictions and are often treated violently. Their courtroom testimonies, for example, are worth half those of men. Many young women on Friday said Karman had motivated them to leave their homes and take to the streets. “The head of every Yemeni woman is raised high in pride,” said Hajar al-Hizyazi, 18, who recently graduated from high school. Johnson Sirleaf has been involved in Liberian politics for more than 30 years.

A Harvard-trained economist, she was briefly the country’s finance minister in 1979. As president, she worked fervently to promote development in Liberia and the rights of women and girls. “We are now going into our ninth year of peace, and every Liberian has contributed to it,” Johnson Sirleaf told reporters at her home in the Liberian capital, Monrovia, on Friday. “We particularly give this credit to Liberian women, who have consistently led the struggle for peace, even under conditions of neglect.” The prize announcement dropped right into the last days of an intensely polarized presidential campaign in Liberia. Supporters of Johnson Sirleaf cheered the news, but the opposition condemned it. Asked by reporters after the announcement whether the Nobel committee was interfering in politics, Jagland said the committee’s decision had nothing to do with the upcoming election or Liberia’s domestic affairs. Although she persuaded creditors around the world to forgive $4 billion in debts last year and has attracted foreign investment to the country, Liberia remains mired in crippling poverty, with unemployment at around 50 percent.

“Many people are saying that the achievements that she has boasted of outside of the country have not transferred into people's everyday lives,” said Othello Garblah, editor of the New Dawn, a newspaper in Monrovia. “They don’t see it, they don’t feel it. But people have lived for six years and have not heard a gunshot.” Gbowee, the other Liberian laureate, organized Muslim and Christian women who, wearing white T-shirts, demonstrated together in large numbers. They were instrumental in bringing an end to Liberia’s civil war in 2003. Now living in Ghana, Gbowee heads the Women Peace and Security Network Africa. “I’m shocked, I’m numb, I’m still really feeling like it’s all a dream to me,” said Gbowee, speaking by telephone from New York, where she is on a book tour. “There is no way we can negotiate peace and security if we leave out the women of the world.” Campaigners for women’s political rights in West Africa say the role of women in Liberia sparked a continent-wide movement.

“Liberia created a kind of domino effect, where women saw that we can really do something,” said Thelma Ekiyor, who heads the T.Y. Danjuma Foundation, a Nigerian grantmaking organization, and has worked with Gbowee. Women in Ivory Coast and Zimbabwe, inspired in part by what happened in Liberia, have put pressure on their governments, she said. But Gbowee said many challenges remain in Liberia and around the world, including reproductive rights and rape. “But there’s acknowledgment now,” she said. “We can only succeed.” Special correspondent Ali Almujahed in Sanaa and staff writer Debbi Wilgoren in Washington contributed to this report. world

Question: Which 2011 Nobel Prize was jointly awarded to Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Leymah Gbowee and Tawakkol Karman?
Answer: Nobel Peace Prize