On Thursday, March 8, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton hosted the 2012 International Women of Courage Awards Ceremony with special guest First Lady Michelle Obama. Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women’s Issues Melanne Verveer and other U.S. and foreign dignitaries also participated. Special guests this year included Ms. Leymah Gbowee and Ms. Tawakkol Karman, 2011 Nobel Peace Prize Laureates.
The names of this year’s International Women of Courage honorees follow. Full biographies and photos are available.
•The Honorable Maryam Durani, Kandahar Provincial Council Member (Afghanistan);
•Major Pricilla de Oliveira Azevedo, police officer, Rio de Janeiro Military Police (Brazil);
•Zin Mar Aung, political activist and NGO co-founder (Burma);
•Jineth Bedoya Lima, investigative journalist (Colombia);
•Hana Elhebshi, architect and political activist (Libya);
•Aneesa Ahmed, gender-based violence (GBV) activist and former Deputy Minister of Women’s Affairs (Maldives);
•Shad Begum, human rights activist and founder/executive director of Anjuman Behbood-e-Khawateen Talah (the Union of Women’s Welfare) (Pakistan);
•Samar Badawi, political activist (Saudi Arabia);
•Hawa Abdallah Mohammed Salih, human rights activist (Sudan);
•The Honorable Safak Pavey, Member of Parliament (Turkey)
Fact Sheets:
National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security
Women in Public Service Program
Links:
Ambassador Verveer on International Women’s Day
Remarks at the International Women of Courage Awards Ceremony
Presidential Proclamation: Women’s History Month
Ambassador Rice at 56th session of the commission on the status of women
Secretary Clinton’s Speech on Women, Peace and Security
Zero Tolerance Of Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting (FGM/C)
International Day for Elimination of Violence Against Women (Office of Global Women’s Issues):
USAID’s 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence
Resources on Sexual and Gender-Based Violence
S/GWI Programs on Violence Against Women and Girls
