[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 155 (Monday, October 17, 2011)]
[Senate]
[Page S6597]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  TRIBUTE TO NOBEL PEACE PRIZE WINNERS

 Mr. KERRY. Mr. President, on Friday, October 7, the Nobel 
Peace Prize for 2011 was awarded to three distinguished women for their 
courageous efforts to promote peace and democracy. President Ellen 
Johnson Sirleaf of Liberia, her compatriot and peace activist Leymah 
Gbowee, and prodemocracy campaigner Tawakkol Karman of Yemen join the 
ranks of the chosen few whose dedication to peace is acknowledged by 
the international community.
  President Johnson Sirleaf, Africa's first democratically elected 
female head of state, has helped Liberia recover from 14 brutal years 
of civil war. Taking office in 2006 after a lengthy exile, she led her 
nation to greater peace and security, while transforming Liberia in the 
eyes of the world.
  Ms. Gbowee, a founding member of the Women in Peacebuilding Network, 
mobilized over 3,000 Muslim and Christian women to hold nonviolent 
protests that helped bring an end to Liberia's civil war. Her efforts 
demonstrate that the desire for peace and the power to effect change 
transcend ethnic, religious, and gender divides.
  Ms. Karman has for years been a vocal champion of human rights in 
Yemen. In 2005, she founded a group called Women Journalists Without 
Chains. Since then, she has braved physical threats and harassment to 
advance the cause of freedom in her country. And this year, she has 
emerged as one of the leaders of Yemen's nonviolent democratic 
uprising. As the first Arab woman to receive a Nobel prize, her 
selection honors all of the mothers, daughters, and sisters across the 
Middle East who have been standing for their rights alongside their 
fathers, sons and brothers.
  In the history of the Nobel Peace Prize, very few women have received 
this high honor. The choice of the selection committee this year is 
more than a recognition of the strength and courage of these women; it 
is a clear and resounding testament to the idea that women's rights are 
important, that it is smart policy to promote gender equality, and that 
societies are better off when all of their members--women included--can 
safely exercise their fundamental rights and become drivers of economic 
security and political opportunity.
  Let's take this moment to remember another Nobel Peace Prize winner, 
Dr. Wangari Maathai, who passed away just days before this year's 
announcement. Dr. Maathai led the Green Belt Movement with tenacity and 
vision, transforming Kenya's landscape and women's lives. She and the 
women who are honored this year leave an indelible mark on our social 
consciousness. I want to congratulate President Johnson Sirleaf, Ms. 
Gbowee, and Ms. Karman on their selection and to thank them for their 
service to their communities and commitment to uphold global standards 
of human rights.

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