NOBEL PEACE PRIZE: 1997

Jody Williams and International Campaign to Ban Landmines

Today I’ll talk about Nobel Peace Prize, in particular about the person who won this prize in 1997. In ’97 this award was given to Jody Williams and to the campaign she worked for, the International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL). Jody Williams is an American teacher, that worked in Mexico, United Kingdom and Washington DC. She worked for the “Nicaragua-Honduras Education Project” until 1986, and became deputy director of “Medical Aid for El Salvador”. From 1992 she worked in a new project, the ICBL. This organization signed a treaty in Ottawa, in 1997. This was an important achievement for Williams and ICBL, although United States, Russian Federation and China refrained.

The main secret of Williams’ work is the use of people power. As she said, she coordinate the work of hundreds organization, each that work independent from others. She talked with each organization about campaign planning, programs, actions… she didn’t send any letter to them, but she sent faxes to everyone, and they fax back to her. Each organization wrote faxes to her about their work, their progress and their problems. Doing this, she could see the progress of the organization from the first day of work.

The Ottawa Treaty that member states signed commits to end the suffering caused by antipersonnel mines, and the states members are agree to follow some obligations; for example they will not use, develop, produce or acquire antipersonnel mines, they’ll destroy mines and clear their territory from mines, they’ll aid mine-affected countries. I think this is very important for civilian people, that could not be involved in any war, and above all this preclude the injure of children because of mines.

This is a step forward for the peace in the world, but I’d like to remember that world powers like USA, China and Russian Federation didn’t agree with this treaty: I think Supremacy sometimes don’t get on well with Human Rights…

M