NOBEL WOMEN'S INITIATIVE
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.
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