Women Nobel Peace Prize winners

According to the will of the founder, Alfred Nobel, the Peace Prize should be awarded to those who “shall have done the most or the best work for fraternity between nations, the abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the holding and promotion of peace congresses”

The Chairman of the Norwegian Nobel Committee presents the Nobel Peace Prize in the presence of the King of Norway on December 10 each year (the anniversary of Nobel’s death). The Peace Prize is the only Nobel Prize not presented n Stockholm. The Nobel laureate receives a diploma, medal, and document confirming the amount of the prize. The Nobel Peace Prize ceremony has been held at the Oslo City Hall since 1901.

Eighteen women have won the Nobel Prize. This list includes pacifists, human rights defenders, missionaries, diplomats, journalists, professional politicians and activists.

1905

Bertha von Suttner

is an Austrian-Bohamian novelist, radical pacifist, first female Nobel Peace Prize winner “for her efforts to promote peace in Europe.”

Laura Jane Addams

is an American sociologist, reformer and philosopher, leader of the suffragette movement in the United States, who has been called the “mother of social work”. She is the first American woman to receive the Nobel Prize for Peace as a “true delegate of all peace-loving women in the world.”

Emily Greene Balch

is an American economist, Professor of History and Sociology, forerunner of social reform and peace activist. Emily received the Nobel Peace Prize for “many years of tireless work for the cause of peace.”

Betty Williams and Mairead Corrigan

are the founders of the Northern Ireland’s Peace Movement (later renamed into the Community of Peace People) which contributed to the peaceful settlement of the bloody conflict in Northern Ireland. They were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize “for the courageous efforts in founding a movement to put an end to the violent conflict in Northern Ireland.”

Mother Teresa

is a Catholic nun, the founder of a network of charitable missions aimed to establish schools, shelters, and hospitals for the poor and seriously ill, regardless of their nationality or religion. She received the Nobel Peace Prize in “recognition of her work “in bringing help to suffering humanity.”

Alva Myrdal

is a Swedish diplomat, politician, sociologist and public activist. She devoted all her professional activity to disarmament and the establishment of peaceful relations between states. She was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize “for significant contribution to disarmament.”

Aung San Suu Kyi

is a Myanmar politician, writer, human rights defender, and leader of the National League for Democracy. She received the Nobel Peace Prize “for her non-violent struggle for democracy and human rights.”

Rigoberta Menchu

is a Guatemalan public and political figure of Indian descent, UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador. She advocated for the rights of Native Americans and the end to the Civil War. Rigoberta was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize “for her struggle for social justice and ethno-cultural reconciliation based on respect for the rights of indigenous peoples.”

Jody Williams

is an American civil activist, human rights defender, teacher, and founding coordinator of an international campaign that resulted in a global ban of landmines. She received the Nobel Peace Prize “for her work for the banning and clearing of antipersonnel mines.”

Shirin Ebadi

is an Iranian lawyer, judge and human rights defender, and founder of the Defenders of Human Rights Center. She was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize “for her efforts to promote democracy and human rights, especially those of women and children in Iran”. Shirin is the first Iranian Muslim woman to receive the award.

Wangari Maathai

is a Kenyan environmental feminist, activist and politician, founder of the Green Belt Movement, which planted trees, drew public attention to the environment and women’s rights. She became the first African woman to receive the Nobel Peace Prize “for her contribution to sustainable development, democracy and peace.”

Ellen
Johnson-Sirleaf

is the first African woman to be democratically elected president of Liberia. She has made a significant contribution to the peaceful development of the country and its economic growth, strengthening women’s rights.

Leymah Roberta Gbowee

is a public figure who has succeeded in mobilizing and organizing women of all nationalities and religions, ending the protracted civil war in Liberia and ensuring women’s participation in elections.

Tawakkol Karman

is a public figure who has played an important role in the struggle for women’s rights and democracy in Yemen, founder of Women Journalists Without Chains (WJWC). She was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize “for her non-violent struggle for the safety of women and for women’s rights to full participation in peace-building work.”

Malala Yousafzai

is a Pakistani civil society activist and defender of women’s and children’s rights, the youngest winner in the history of the Nobel Peace Prize. Malala received the Nobel Peace Prize “for her struggle against oppression of children and youth, and for all childrens’ right to education” at the age of 17.

Nadia Murad

is an Iraqi human rights defender and Goodwill Ambassador for the Dignity of Survivors of Human Trafficking, United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. She was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize “for her efforts to end the use of sexual violence as a weapon of war and armed conflict.”

Maria Angelita Ressa

is a Filipino-American journalist, co-founder and CEO of the online publication Rappler, known for her investigations of the growth of terrorist groups in Southeast Asia and stories exposing government corruption and human rights violations during the leadership of the Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte. Maria was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for using “freedom of expression to expose abuse of power, use of violence, and growing authoritarianism in her native country.”

Project Women in Defense of Peace and Security is implemented by the NGO Gender Culture Centre with the support of the PWAG International Network and the Kharkiv Regional Foundation Public Alternative.