UNICEF: Nobel Prize 'Is Like A Gift To Children

UNICEF Says Nobel Prize 'Is Like A Gift To Children'

In Her Fight for Human Rights, Shirin Ebadi Has Always Put Children First

NEW YORK, 10 October 2003 ? UNICEF today trumpeted the award of the Nobel Peace Prize to Iranian lawyer Shirin Ebadi, saying the selection "is like a gift to children everywhere."

UNICEF Executive Director Carol Bellamy said Ms. Ebadi's decades-long fight for human rights, especially for children and women, "has been an inspiration to all of us who care about children. We are indebted to her for her convictions as well as for her courage."

Ms. Ebadi has been outspoken about violations of children's and women's rights and has authored numerous works on the well-being of children. In 1994 she authored "The Rights of the Child - A Study on Legal Aspects of Children's Rights in Iran," which was published by UNICEF. That same year she founded a child-focused NGO called the Association for the Protection of Child Rights, which UNICEF supported right from the start.

Through the years Ms. Ebadi has convened and led conferences in Iran on child abuse, street children, children with disabilities, and many other important but difficult topics.

"UNICEF is proud to count itself among the friends of Shirin Ebadi," Bellamy said. "The entire UNICEF family warmly congratulates her for her extraordinary achievement today.

"The recognition of Ms. Ebadi by the Nobel Committee is like a gift to children everywhere. Her commitment to human dignity and peace is a fight worth honouring and taking part in."

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