Congratulations to Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, women’s rights activist Leymah Gbowee from Liberia, and democracy activist Tawakkul Karman of Yemen for being awarded the Nobel Peace Prize today!

I’m thrilled to see their important work recognized through this prestigious award and I’m also glad to see the Nobel Committee recognize women right’s activism as peace-keeping work.

Via the New York Times:

“We cannot achieve democracy and lasting peace in the world unless women obtain the same opportunities as men to influence developments at all levels of society,” said the citation read by Thorbjorn Jagland, a former Norwegian prime minister who heads the Oslo-based Nobel committee that chooses the winner of the $1.5 million prize.

Absolutely! And sadly, today, the rates of gender-based violence including rape, sexual harassment and street harassment keep too many women from having those opportunities. Gender-based violence and harassment can make it unsafe for women to go in public places to pursue such opportunities, keep them out of certain professions or positions of leadership, and even make affected women too emotionally worn down and wary to be the amazing leaders they otherwise could be.

The work anti-violence groups do to promote women’s equality and to prevent gender-based violence is key, then, to peace and to an equitable society.

With all of the amazing work that women do around peace-keeping and peace-building, can you believe only 12 other women have ever won this prestigious award? Even though this is the 110th year it is being awarded? The last time it was awarded to a woman was seven years ago.

One of my heroes Irena Sendler, a Polish social worker, saved more than 2,000 Jewish children during the Holocaust, was nominated for the Peace Prize in 2007. Al Gore won that year instead because of his work to address Global Warming. I was disappointed that Sendler was not selected, especially after allegations about Gore sexually harassing a woman surfaced last year (his wife filed for divorce that same month).

I hope this year’s award will set a new trend for recognizing the many ways women promote peace in their homes, in their communities, in their countries, and across the globe, and honoring their importance.