International: 1000 women for the Nobel Peace Prize 2005

They call for reconciliation and organize peace talks, they rebuild what has been destroyed in villages and cities, they fight against poverty and create new sources of income. They struggle for access to clean water, land and other resources. They care for those infected with HIV and give war orphans a home. They denounce violations of human rights and give public condemnation to all forms of torture. They utter silent protest in public places and seek solutions to all forms of aggression.

They work mainly in their own villages and regions, but many women are also in institutes and universities. Some of them are members of their local governments or are active on the international scene. The criteria for each nomination were, among others, sustainability and integrity, long-term engagement, the inclusion of all parties to a conflict, and a wide network.

The 1000 women are experts in their fields of work, they are beacons of hope for their local people, they are informed, demanding, and not accommodating!

You can find several short biographies at www.1000peacewomen.org

A crazy idea? A challenging project!

The project began in 2003, under the conviction that the commitment of women working for peace should finally be acknowledged and made publicly known. It began as a Swiss initiative, but has become a project supported globally, thanks to the untiring work of coordinators and many voluntary helpers from 20 different regions of the world. They were responsible for the identification and documentation of the women nominated in their regions, and they kept the communication lines open. The project has the support of the Swiss Minister for Foreign Affairs, Micheline Calmy Rey, the support of UNIFEM and UNDP, and the patronage of UNESCO Switzerland.

In January of this year the 1000 Women for the Nobel Peace Prize 2005 were nominated as recognition of their daily commitment to the improvement of the living conditions of present and future generations. And today we are publicizing the names of these 1000 women.

Giving a Profile to 1000 Women

In order to make 1000 inspiring biographies known to the public, a book on the 1000 women will appear the end of this year. It will present their work, their visions and their life stories. These biographies were written by hundreds of journalists all over the world. The book will be a clearly structured source of reference for NGOs, relief organizations, peace networks, women’s networks and official institutions.

A travelling exhibit is planned, with texts and pictures documenting the 1000 women. It will be able to be shown anywhere in the world. An interactive online platform will improve the women’s networking and make their biographies readily available.

Furthermore, academics will study the women’s work, and the results of this research will provide feedback to civil societies, international organizations, politics and further research into the store of experience and knowledge acquired by the peace women.

The Nobel Committee

The Norwegian Nobel Committee will probably announce on October 14, 2005 who will receive this year’s Nobel Peace Prize. Today’s publication of the 1000 women’s names by the Association 1000 Women for the Nobel Peace Prize 2005 is to serve the long-term public awareness of these women’s work and is not intended to influence in any way the decision of the Nobel Committee.