Three Nobel Peace Laureates Appear at Norwegian Forum on Conflict
Associated Press
September 8, 2006
Wangari Maathai meets the crowd in Oslo, Norway, at the 2004 Nobel Peace Prize ceremonies, December 2004. Photo by Ricardo Medina (www.mifotografia.com).
Three Nobel peace laureates appeared at a conflict resolution seminar Thursday in the Oslo City Hall, where each once accepted the coveted prize for sharply differing efforts.
Guatemalan Indian Rigoberta Menchu won the 1992 prize campaigning for the rights of the world’s indigenous peoples. Jose Ramos-Horta, now East Timor’s prime minister, shared the 1996 prize for his peaceful effort to end Indonesia’s occupation of his homeland.
Kenyan Wangari Maathai won in 2004 for linking environmental protection and peace.
“For the three of us, it is extraordinary to be here again,” Maathai told a Norwegian Peace Corps Forum in the city hall. “For us, it marked the start of our new lives.”
The Nobel Peace Prize instantly propels sometimes obscure winners into the global spotlight.
The prize, first awarded in 1901, once went mainly to peace mediators or those organizing peace conferences. But the five-member Norwegian awards committee steadily expands its visions of the keys to peace.
Maathai founded Green Belt Movement, through which poor women have planted 30 million trees in barren areas of Africa.
“When the Nobel peace committee gave this tree-planting lady the prize a lot people asked ‘What does planting trees have to do with peace?’ ” she said.
Maathai said environmental protection and natural resource management are pillars of peace, along with peace itself and good governance.
Good governance is what Ramos-Horta and East Timor’s people are still striving for after Indonesia allowed East Timor to become the world’s newest nation in 1999.
The former independence activist became his country’s prime minister in July, after an outbreak of violence in May that marred years of efforts in nation-building and forced out his predecessor.
“After four years as a success story run by the U.N, our country was shocked by violence,” he said. Battles in the capital, Dili in May, left 30 dead and at least 100 wounded.
Ramos-Horta said the young nation had been rushed into governing itself, partly because the United Nations needed resources elsewhere.
“The rush led to some of the conditions that led to the explosion in May,” said Ramos-Horta, adding that government was not equipped to deal with the problems.
“You must not look at short term measures,” he said. “Build institutions and democracy.”
Menchu said finding the roots and truth of a conflict were important, but not enough alone.
“I don’t think there is one model for peace,” said Menchu. “We have to work for it every day.”
This year’s Nobel Peace Prize winner, which will be picked from 191 nominations, will be announced on Oct. 13 in Oslo.
Guatemalan Indian Rigoberta Menchu won the 1992 prize campaigning for the rights of the world’s indigenous peoples. Jose Ramos-Horta, now East Timor’s prime minister, shared the 1996 prize for his peaceful effort to end Indonesia’s occupation of his homeland.
Kenyan Wangari Maathai won in 2004 for linking environmental protection and peace.
“For the three of us, it is extraordinary to be here again,” Maathai told a Norwegian Peace Corps Forum in the city hall. “For us, it marked the start of our new lives.”
The Nobel Peace Prize instantly propels sometimes obscure winners into the global spotlight.
The prize, first awarded in 1901, once went mainly to peace mediators or those organizing peace conferences. But the five-member Norwegian awards committee steadily expands its visions of the keys to peace.
Maathai founded Green Belt Movement, through which poor women have planted 30 million trees in barren areas of Africa.
“When the Nobel peace committee gave this tree-planting lady the prize a lot people asked ‘What does planting trees have to do with peace?’ ” she said.
Maathai said environmental protection and natural resource management are pillars of peace, along with peace itself and good governance.
Good governance is what Ramos-Horta and East Timor’s people are still striving for after Indonesia allowed East Timor to become the world’s newest nation in 1999.
The former independence activist became his country’s prime minister in July, after an outbreak of violence in May that marred years of efforts in nation-building and forced out his predecessor.
“After four years as a success story run by the U.N, our country was shocked by violence,” he said. Battles in the capital, Dili in May, left 30 dead and at least 100 wounded.
Ramos-Horta said the young nation had been rushed into governing itself, partly because the United Nations needed resources elsewhere.
“The rush led to some of the conditions that led to the explosion in May,” said Ramos-Horta, adding that government was not equipped to deal with the problems.
“You must not look at short term measures,” he said. “Build institutions and democracy.”
Menchu said finding the roots and truth of a conflict were important, but not enough alone.
“I don’t think there is one model for peace,” said Menchu. “We have to work for it every day.”
This year’s Nobel Peace Prize winner, which will be picked from 191 nominations, will be announced on Oct. 13 in Oslo.