Three Women Winners of the Nobel Peace Prize 2011

The Palestinian Working Woman Society for Development was pleased to receive news that three female activists were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize 2011. We believe that this international acknowledgment of women’s efforts in the political and social life will eventually lead to greater recognition of women’s positive participation in all aspects of life.

The Liberian president Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, activist Leymah Gbowee, and Yemeni activist Tawakol Karman shared the Nobel Peace Prize "for their non-violent struggle for the safety of women and for women's rights to full participation in peace-building work and in appreciation of their immense roles in securing peace in their counties; the peace negotiations in Liberia that closed the curtains on years of a bloody civil war,  and the peaceful protests in Yemen that have called for President Ali Abdullah Saleh to step down after 33 years in power in Sanaa.

This achievement will undoubtedly set examples for other women activists working on human - and women’s rights as it opens a new era of justice where both women’s and men’s efforts are perceived equally.

Not only is the moral aspect of rewarding these three women essential, it also its effects on the ongoing political reformations in the world in general. Moreover, the fact that Tawakol Karman is the first Arab woman to be granted an international prize of such value is considered a great accomplishment for the Arab women’s movement, as it urges the decision makers and the Arab governments to integrate more women into their political systems and grant them the equal space to express themselves and practice their legitimate rights as humans.

We, as the Palestinian Working Woman Society for Development applaud these successful nominations and hope for greater recognition of women’s efforts on the international, Arab and Palestinian level.