UN Leader for Women on Nobel Peace Prize Winners

Anchor Marco Werman gets reaction to Friday’s Nobel Peace Prize winners from Michelle Bachelet.

Bachelet was president of Chile from 2006 to 2010.

She was the first woman president of her country and she is now head of the new UN organization devoted to women.

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Marco Werman: Michelle Bachelet was president of Chile from 2006 to 2010. She was the first woman president of her country. She’s now head of the new UN organization devoted to women. I wanted to ask you, Ms. Bachelet, what you think of these three women being awarded the Nobel Peace Prize today. What was your reaction?

Michelle Bachelet: Well, I was so happy and so thrilled with the news, first of all because from the three of them I know personally two of them and I think all three women are exemplary in their work and their lives and it’s also this year’s Nobel Peace Prize is an important acknowledgement of what women have been demanding for years and that is the equal involvement of women in world peace, security, and democracy decisions. Because we really know that women involvement is instrumental, essential, for achieving lasting peace and stability but yet to often they are still excluded from the negotiating tables and I think the decision is indicative of greater progress to come.

Werman: And the Nobel committee said it sends a very important signal to women all over the world. Do you think that is the message then?

Bachelet: That is centrally the message. Women models, women can made a difference, and we need to ensure as soon as possible women should be fully incorporated at all official levels in decision making processes.

Werman: I can’t help but wonder though why the award went to three women working not on one project together to promote women’s rights but taking three distinct tracts to further that goal. Does it, in your opinion, dilute the impact of this?

Bachelet: No, I think it’s a great combination because on one hand you have extraordinary president like President Johnson Sirleaf that she has had the possibility of fighting for peace and security and women’s rights at the top of the top of the decision but on the other hand you have another Liberian women from different societies so it gives women in different levels of a society doing the same thing and being able to be awarded for their work. But on the other hand it speaks also about women in another part of the world that is also struggling for peace and for human rights as the Gemini leader. So I think it’s a great combination because it speaks about the past but also speaks about the present and the future.

Werman: For women who are not in war zones like many of our listeners here in the United States, what would you hope is the message from the Peace Prize today?

Bachelet: Well I think the message is that women can. Women can be relevant in all levels of the society but also it means for a country like the US or other developed countries that even the women in better shape in other parts of the world, there’s still a lot of areas we need to improve because there’s still a big gap on salaries for example between men and women. There’s still violence against women and so on and so I believe that no country can afford to lose the potential that women can bring to a country.

Werman: Your new UN organization, UN Women, has suffered from poor funding. I’m wondering whether you think this Nobel Peace Prize, these three awards, will make increases in funding for UN Women a priority.

Bachelet: Well, we have had issues on funding because of the current situation, not because of lack of politics of support and I hope this will help because it’s all we say that women are essential in terms of achieving different goals of humanity. We need to be sure that this is not also lip service. We need to ensure that this kind of activities receive the support they need.

Werman: Michelle Bachelet was the first woman president of Chile. She now runs the organization UN Women. Thank you very much for your time indeed.

Bachelet: Thank you, Marco, very much.

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