Theories "Just Peacemaking" much more than non-violence There is a compassionate rebel in everyone Healing the wounds Peacemakers Children can learn to be Peacemakers Local Peacemaker Makes a Difference The landmine issue Banning landmines: why the US won't sign the treaty Kids on the edge of a minefield |
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Jody Williams talks about why the US won't sign the treaty |
About Jody WilliamsJody Williams is the founding coordinator of the International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL), which was formally launched by six non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in October of 1992. Williams has overseen the growth of the ICBL to more than 1,000 NGOs in more than sixty countries. She has served as the chief strategist and spokesperson for the campaign. Working in an unprecedented cooperative effort with governments, UN bodies and the International Committee of the Red Cross, the ICBL achieved its goal of an international treaty banning antipersonnel landmines during the diplomatic conference held in Oslo in September 1997. In her capacity as ICBL coordinator, she has written and spoken extensively on the problem of landmines and the movement to ban them. In recognition of her expertise on the issue, Williams was invited to serve as a technical adviser to the UN's Study on the Impact of Armed Conflict on Children, led by Ms. Graca Machel, former first lady of Mozambique. Prior to beginning the ICBL, Williams worked for eleven years to build public awareness about U.S. policy toward Central America. From 1986 to 1992, she developed and directed humanitarian relief projects as the deputy director of the Los Angeles-based Medical Aid for El Salvador. From 1984 to 1986, she was co-coordinator of the Nicaragua-Honduras Education Project, leading fact-finding delegations to the region. Previously, she taught English as a Second Language (ESL) in Mexico, the United Kingdom, and Washington, D.C. Williams has a Master's Degree in International Relations from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (Washington, D.C., 1984), a Master's Degree in Teaching Spanish and ESL from the School for International Training (Brattleboro, Vermont, 1976) and a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Vermont (Burlington, Vermont, 1972). In addition to the honor of being named co-recipient of the 1997 Nobel Peace Prize, Williams has been honored for her work by the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation by receiving its 1998 Distinguished Peace Leadership Award and by Clark University with its Fiat Lux Award. She has been named as one of Ms. magazine's 1997 Women of the Year, Glamour magazine's Ten Women of the Year, as the 1997 Vermonter of the Year, and to Vanity Fair's 1997 Hall of Fame. Williams has been awarded an honorary doctorate from Briar Cliff College in Iowa, from Marlboro College and the University of Vermont, and from Williams College. |
