Nobel Peace laureate Jody Williams to host fourth annual PeaceJam Southeast conference
Human rights activist and Nobel Peace Prize recipient Jody Williams will visit Florida State University March 30-April 1 as part of the PeaceJam Southeast Public Talk and Conference, a program of the FSU Center for Leadership and Civic Education.
PeaceJam is an international education program that connects Nobel Peace laureates with young people to work together for global change. Peace prize winners, including the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu, work with youth to pass on the spirit, skills and wisdom they embody. Florida State is the headquarters for PeaceJam's Southeast regional affiliate.
Williams founded the International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL). In 1997, she and ICBL were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. Her talk, which is free and open to the public, will take place:
FRIDAY, MARCH 30
6 P.M.
AUGUSTUS B. TURNBULL III
FLORIDA STATE CONFERENCE CENTER
555 W. PENSACOLA ST.
TALLAHASSEE, FLA.
During a reception following the talk, Williams will be available to sign copies of "A Billion Simple Acts of Peace," which includes a chapter about her as well as the other Nobel Laureates who are a part of the PeaceJam movement.
Williams also will host a PeaceJam Conference for more than 600 participants, including eighth- through 12th-grade students from throughout the Southeast.
She will be available to meet with the news media on:
SATURDAY, MARCH 31
12:30 – 1:20 P.M.
MICCO ROOM
FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY
TALLAHASSEE, FLA.
In 1991, Bobby Muller, president of the Vietnam Veterans of America Foundation, asked Williams to help coordinate a new effort to ban landmines worldwide. In October 1992, the ICBL was formally launched. Working without an office or staff, Williams convinced more than 1,000 non-governmental organizations from 60-plus countries to support the campaign.
Their efforts got a boost in 1996 when Canadian government officials agreed to draw up an international treaty banning landmines. In December 1997, the treaty was signed, with the support of 122 countries. In recognition of their efforts, the Norwegian Nobel Committee named Williams and the ICBL as co-recipients of the 1997 Nobel Peace Prize. Williams was the 10th woman to ever win the Nobel Peace Prize.
Williams now serves as the ICBL international ambassador and also spearheads the Nobel Women's Initiative with fellow Nobel Peace laureates Shirin Ebadi, Wangari Maathai (emeritus), Rigoberta Menchu Tum, Betty Williams and Mairead Corrigan Maguire. Its mission is to spotlight and promote efforts of women's rights activists, researchers and organizations working to advance peace, justice and equality for women. By helping to advance the cause of women, the Nobel Women's Initiative advances all of humanity.
Williams continues to be recognized for her contributions to human rights and global security. She is the recipient of 15 honorary degrees and numerous awards. In 2004, Williams was named by Forbes magazine as one of the 100 most powerful women in the world.
Visit the Center for Leadership and Civic Education for more information about Williams' visit to Florida State University. Questions? Contact Rody Thompson at (850) 645-8782 or rhthompson@admin.fsu.edu.