Three women were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for their similar contributions to the equal rights of women, Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Liberian activist Leymah Gbowee and Yemeni rights activist Tawakkul Karman. The Nobel committee acknowledged their influence, adding, “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 Liberia, Sirleaf and Gbowee were nominated for their role in the peaceful resolution of 14 years of civil war under former President Charles Taylor. The women of Liberia confronted Taylor with a demand for peace. In Yemen, Karman is the president of Women Journalists Without Chains, a group campaigning for freedom of the press.
