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| Nobel Peace Prize Given to National Dialogue Quartet in Tunisia | |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| LONDON — The National Dialogue Quartet in Tunisia won the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday “for its decisive contribution to the building of a pluralistic democracy in Tunisia in the wake of the Jasmine Revolution of 2011.” | LONDON — The National Dialogue Quartet in Tunisia won the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday “for its decisive contribution to the building of a pluralistic democracy in Tunisia in the wake of the Jasmine Revolution of 2011.” |
| The prize was awarded nearly five years since a desperate Tunisian street vendor set himself on fire, touching off a political earthquake that continues to reverberate throughout the Middle East and North Africa. Among the disappointments of what has become known as the Arab Spring — collapsed states in Libya, Syria and Yemen; the return of rule by a strongman in Egypt; and the rise of the Islamic State in the sectarian caldron of Syria and Iraq — the relative successes of Tunisia’s transition to democracy have been a glimmer of hope. | |
| The quartet comprises four organizations: the Tunisian General Labour Union; the Tunisian Confederation of Industry, Trade and Handicrafts; the Tunisian Human Rights League; and the Tunisian Order of Lawyers. But the Norwegian Nobel Committee emphasized that the prize “is awarded to this quartet, not to the four individual organizations as such.” | The quartet comprises four organizations: the Tunisian General Labour Union; the Tunisian Confederation of Industry, Trade and Handicrafts; the Tunisian Human Rights League; and the Tunisian Order of Lawyers. But the Norwegian Nobel Committee emphasized that the prize “is awarded to this quartet, not to the four individual organizations as such.” |
| The prize was announced in Oslo by Kaci Kullmann Five, chairwoman of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, whose five members are appointed by the Norwegian Parliament but who are formally politically independent and elect their own chairman and vice chairman. | The prize was announced in Oslo by Kaci Kullmann Five, chairwoman of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, whose five members are appointed by the Norwegian Parliament but who are formally politically independent and elect their own chairman and vice chairman. |
| “The Arab Spring originated in Tunisia in 2010 and 2011, but it quickly spread to other countries in North African and the Middle East,” Ms. Five said. “In many of these countries, the struggle for democracy and human rights has come to a standstill or suffered setbacks. Tunisia, however, has seen a democratic transition based on vibrant civil society, with demands for respect of basic human rights.” | “The Arab Spring originated in Tunisia in 2010 and 2011, but it quickly spread to other countries in North African and the Middle East,” Ms. Five said. “In many of these countries, the struggle for democracy and human rights has come to a standstill or suffered setbacks. Tunisia, however, has seen a democratic transition based on vibrant civil society, with demands for respect of basic human rights.” |
| She added: “An essential factor for the culmination of the revolution in Tunisia in peaceful democratic elections last autumn was the effort made by the quartet to support the work of the constituent assembly and to secure approval of the constitutional process among the Tunisian population at large. The quartet paved the way for a peaceful dialogue between the citizens, the political parties and the authorities, and helped to find consensus-based solutions to a wide range of the challenges across political and religious divides.” | She added: “An essential factor for the culmination of the revolution in Tunisia in peaceful democratic elections last autumn was the effort made by the quartet to support the work of the constituent assembly and to secure approval of the constitutional process among the Tunisian population at large. The quartet paved the way for a peaceful dialogue between the citizens, the political parties and the authorities, and helped to find consensus-based solutions to a wide range of the challenges across political and religious divides.” |
| Ms. Five said the prize was above all intended as “an encouragement to the Tunisian people, who despite major challenges, have led the groundwork for a national fraternity, which the committee hopes will serve as an example that will be followed by other countries.” | Ms. Five said the prize was above all intended as “an encouragement to the Tunisian people, who despite major challenges, have led the groundwork for a national fraternity, which the committee hopes will serve as an example that will be followed by other countries.” |
| The prize is 8 million Swedish kronor (around $975,000). | The prize is 8 million Swedish kronor (around $975,000). |
| The prize is the 96th to be awarded since 1901. The quartet joins 103 individuals and 22 organizations honored by the prize. (The International Committee of the Red Cross has won three times, and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees twice.) | The prize is the 96th to be awarded since 1901. The quartet joins 103 individuals and 22 organizations honored by the prize. (The International Committee of the Red Cross has won three times, and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees twice.) |
| Last year’s award went to two children’s rights campaigners, Malala Yousafzai, who is from Pakistan but now lives in Britain, and at 17 was the youngest Nobel laureate in history, and Kailash Satyarthi of India. This year’s winner was the subject of much speculation. The names that were floated the most included Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany; Pope Francis; Secretary of State John Kerry of the United States and Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif of Iran; and Denis Mukwege, a gynecologic surgeon from the Democratic Republic of Congo. | Last year’s award went to two children’s rights campaigners, Malala Yousafzai, who is from Pakistan but now lives in Britain, and at 17 was the youngest Nobel laureate in history, and Kailash Satyarthi of India. This year’s winner was the subject of much speculation. The names that were floated the most included Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany; Pope Francis; Secretary of State John Kerry of the United States and Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif of Iran; and Denis Mukwege, a gynecologic surgeon from the Democratic Republic of Congo. |