Nobel Women's Initiative

Heavy monsoon rains have caused untold destruction in Pakistan. With their homes and villages washed away, millions now face the possibility of disease, food shortages, loss of privacy and security. Women and children in flooded areas are in need of special care and protection, as well as immediate relief. 

You can help.

As the world marks the 65th anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Nobel Laureate Mairead Maguire repeated calls this week for global nuclear disarmament and the creation of a nuclear free Middle East. 

The Middle East continues to be one of the world's most politically volatile regions. In his 2010 Nobel acceptance speech, President Obama warned of the dangers of an arms race in the region, saying that "those who seek peace cannot stand idly by as nations arm themselves for nuclear war."

The Nobel Women’s Initiative is calling upon Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper to ensure that Canadian companies uphold the rights of the indigenous communities in which they operate.

The letter, sent last week, draws attention to the human rights violations and environmental contamination that are occurring in relation to the Canadian-owned Marlin gold mine in Guatemala. 

UPDATE: Narges Mohammadi was released from Evin prison on July 1 after three weeks in detention. She fell ill while in prison and was hospitalized on July 3. Read more.

Iranian authorities arrested human rights defender Narges Mohammadi in her home on June 10 in an attempt to stop the work of the Defenders of Human Rights Centre. Mohammadi is the Vice President of the independent organization founded by Nobel laureate Shirin Ebadi.

The arrest came on the eve of the one-year anniversary of the disputed June 12 election. Since returning to power, Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has continued to suppress political opposition with extreme violence and repression.

Meet Jila Baniyaghoub. She is a veteran journalist, editor-in-chief of the website Women in Iran and a member of the One Million Signatures Campaign.

Iranian authorities have imprisoned Baniyaghoub numerous times for her reporting on peaceful demonstrations and human rights. This week, the Iranian government sentenced her to a one-year prison term and a thirty-year ban from journalistic activities.

She is not alone. Since last year's elections, Iran has arrested at least 170 journalists and bloggers--including 32 women. On the anniversary of last years election this Saturday, June 12, join the voices in Iran and around the world calling for the release of Jila Baniyaghoub. She--and the 2,500 political prisoners in Iran--should be free.

Meet Bahareh Hedayat. She is one of the over 2,500 prisoners of conscience currently being detained by the Iranian government.

This Saturday, June 12 marks the one-year anniversary of the fraudulent elections in Iran that returned President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to power. Since that day, the Iranian regime has taken drastic measures to silence every act of political opposition with violent crackdowns and gross human rights violations.

Nobel Laureate Mairead Maguire returned safely to Dublin on Monday after being held at a detention centre outside of Tel Aviv. Maguire was detained after Israeli naval commandos intercepted and illegally boarded the Irish cargo ship MV Rachel Corrie in international waters on Saturday. The ship, whose passengers included Maguire, former UN assistant secretary-general Denis Halliday and other Irish and Malaysian activists, was attempting to bring humanitarian supplies to blockaded Gaza.  

Though their attempts were stymied, they remain determined to step up their efforts to end the illegal blockade imposed by the Israeli government. Another aid flotilla will be making its way to Gaza within weeks.

Iran has dropped its bid for a seat on the UN Human Rights Council amidst strong global criticism. This opposition has been driven by Iranian and global human rights activists, including Nobel Peace Laureate Shirin Ebadi. In an open letter to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon and Members of the UN General Assembly, Ebadi outlined the Islamic Republic of Iran's egregious and constant breaches of international law and international covenants that it has signed onto.

The Change for Equality website has been awarded Reporters Without  Borders first-ever "Netizen Prize". Change for Equality is run by Iranian women's rights activists and promotes the One Million Signatures Campaign. The award was presented to one of the founders of the website, Parvin Ardalan, on March 11 by Reporters Without Borders and Google in Paris.

Iranian authorities blocked the website the next day, March 12, which happens to be World Day Against Cyber-Censorship. This is the 23rd time that Change for Equality has been shut down since it was launched in 2006.

The Nobel Women's Initiative is supporting women's groups who are urging the African Union to make good on their promise to put women front and centre in peace plans. African heads of state officially launched the "Year for Peace and Security" at the 14th African Union Summit, coming to an end today in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.