Nobel Women's Initiative

Archbishop Tutu and the Dalai Lama call on President to build clean energy legacy

OTTAWA (September 7, 2011) -  Nine distinguished recipients of the Nobel Peace Prize have written to President Obama, urging him to reject the proposed Keystone XL tar sands oil pipeline, saying his decision offers "a critical moment" to make good on his pledge to create a clean energy economy.

"We urge you to say no" to the pipeline and "turn your attention back to supporting renewable sources of energy and clean transportation solutions," says the letter (Download PDF), sent today. "This will be your legacy to Americans and the global community: energy that sustains the lives and livelihoods of future generations."  Read the full text of the letter below.

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Amsterdam (September 6, 2011)

Jody Williams, Shirin Ebadi and Mairead Maguire of the Nobel Women's Initiative join with Sonke Gender Justice Network, Section 27, the Treatment Action Campaign and the Lesbian and Gay Equality project and other women's rights and social justice organisations in South Africa to call on President Zuma not to appoint Judge Mogoeng Mogoeng to serve as Chief Justice of South Africa's Constitutional Court.
 
South Africa's Constitution is recognised globally for its commitment to achieving equality and advancing human rights. It also recognises the right of women and men to live lives free of violence. Since it was enacted in 1996, South Africa's Constitution has inspired people across Africa and the world.

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---For immediate release---

For Spanish see below

(August 11, 2011)

On the eve of Prime Minister Harper’s trip to Honduras, the Nobel Women’s Initiative, together with Just Associates and the Center for Women’s Rights, urges Mr Harper to prioritize the erosion of civil and political rights when dealing with country leaders. Both Canada and Honduras must also address the devastating impacts that Canadian mining companies have had on communities in the region, particularly the resulting increased violence against women and women’s rights defenders. Prime Minister Stephen Harper is meeting with President Porfirio Lobo – the first visit by a foreign leader since the re-admission of Honduras to the Organization of American States (OAS) in June 2011.

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--For Immediate Release--

(Nairobi June 28, 2011) 

On the eve of the Africa Union (AU) Summit in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea, Nobel Peace Laureate Wangari Maathai is calling on African leaders to respond to the global climate change crisis—a crisis that disproportionately impacts Africans, particularly African women.

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--For Immediate Release--

(Ottawa) Sexual violence is widespread in armed conflicts around the world, according to a new report published by the Nobel Women's Initiative, and the perpetrators of these war crimes are benefitting from a "culture of impunity."
 
"War on Women: Time for Action to End Sexual Violence in Conflict" examines studies of sexual violence in five regions of the world, explores the leading causes of such heinous acts, and assesses actions taken by the international community.

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--Ottawa  (April 21st, 2011)

On the eve of the 25th anniversary of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster - and six weeks after the devastating nuclear disaster in Japan - nine Nobel Peace Laureates are calling upon world leaders to invest in safer forms of renewable energy. The six women Peace Laureates of the Nobel Women's Initiative, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Adolfo Perez Esquivel, and Jose Ramos Horta   have sent an open letter to 31 heads of state whose countries are currently heavily invested in nuclear power production, or are considering investing in nuclear power.

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For Immediate Release

"I MIGHT BE A FEMINIST, BUT..."
Celebrating 100 Years of International Women's Day
       
OTTAWA, March 8, 2011 - Organizations in Ottawa have joined forces to celebrate the 100th International Women's Day with the event "I might be a feminist, but..."  The third annual event is based on the successful "I'm not a feminist, but..." launched by the group in 2009.

"The event is a way to highlight issues of gender equality in a way that is engaging, funny and feminist," said Erin Williams, Executive Director of the Ottawa Coalition to End Violence Against Women and one of the organizers of the event. "This year is no exception; we have a great line up including a hilarious parody."

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--Ottawa (January 17, 2011)

Six Nobel Peace Laureates--Rigobert Menchu, Jody Williams, Shirin Ebadi, Mairead Maguire, Betty Williams and Wangari Maathai--today joined activists from around the world who are calling on the Mexican government to fully investigate the murder of Marisela Escobdedo Ortiz and her daughter Rubi Marisol Frayre.

Escobedo Ortiz was killed on December 16 while protesting on the steps of the governor's office in the state capital, Chihuahua, demanding progress on her daughter's case.  Rubi was killed in August 2008 by her boyfriend.  Escobedo investigated her daughter's case on her own, and though the killer confessed, he has walked free.

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--Media Release--

For immediate release:  December 20, 2010

Nobel Peace Laureates to Iran:  Free Lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh

The Nobel Women's Initiative--a group of six Nobel Peace Laureates, including Iranian Shirin Ebadi--is calling on the Iranian government to free Iranian lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh.

Ebadi and fellow Iranian activists are protesting today outside the United Nations offices in Geneva to call attention to the plight of Iranian lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh.  Iranian authorities arrested Sotoudeh on September 4 for her work in defending human rights activists in Iran.  Sotoudeh has been on a hunger strike since December 4 to protest the illegality of her arrest.
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—Media Advisory—

Burma's recently freed opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi today added her name to the list of Nobel Peace Laureates who have signed a letter to US President Obama, calling upon him to join the Mine Ban Treaty.    Fifteen other Nobel Peace Laureates, including Jody Williams and Archbishop Tutu, have also signed the letter-which was sent to Obama on November 30.

Suu Kyi spoke earlier today with Williams, who had called Suu Kyi on behalf of all her Nobel sisters.  Among other things, the two women spoke about the continued use of landmines in Burma.  Williams also congratulated Suu Kyi on her release from house arrest, and pledged her support and that of her sister Laureates to keep up the work to free Burma's other 2100 political prisoners. 

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