Oakland, CA: One-thousand women from more than 150 countries have been jointly nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize 2005. The number 1,000 is symbolic, as the 1,000 nominated women represent innumerable women worldwide who are engaged in the cause of peace and human dignity. There are 91 nominees from India, 29 from Pakistan, 16 from Bangladesh, 12 from Sri Lanka and 9 from Nepal.

The nominated women commit themselves daily to the cause of peace and justice, often under the most difficult circumstances. They call for reconciliation and organize peace negotiations, 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 publicly condemn torture. They silently protest in public places and seek solutions to all forms of aggression.

They work in their own villages and regions, in organizations and universities. They are members of their governments or are active on the international scene. To be nominated they had to fulfill stringent criteria, such as: sustainability of their work, integrity, the inclusion of all parties to a conflict, or being part of a wide network. The 1,000 women are leaders, they are beacons of hope for their people, they are demanding and do not give up.

The project began in 2003 as a Swiss initiative. Convinced that the commitment of women working for peace should be acknowledged and publicly acknowledged worldwide the idea soon became a project. Organized as an Association 1,000 Women for the Nobel Peace Prize the project has been supported globally by the untiring work of coordinators and many volunteers in 20 different regions of the world. They were responsible for the identification and documentation of the women nominated in their regions. In January of this year the collective nomination of 1,000 Women for the Nobel Peace Prize 2005 was sent to the Peace Prize Committee in recognition of the women's daily commitment to improving the lives of present and future generations. And today their names are made public.

The project has the support of the Swiss Minister for Foreign Affairs, Micheline Calmy Rey, the support of UNIFEM and UNDP, and is under the patronage of UNESCO Switzerland. Several donor organizations have assisted the Association.

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 1,000 women's names by the Association 1,000 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.

Further information can be found at www.1000peacewomen.org.

Top