Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf is one of three women who were jointly awarded this year’s Nobel Peace Prize. Mrs Sirleaf became Africa’s first female elected head of state in 2005, following the end of Liberia’s 14-year civil war which left …
Published on: 27/10/2011
President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf talking with journalist Rose George in April 2011. Photo: Shout-Africa
Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf is one of three women who were jointly awarded this year’s Nobel Peace Prize. Mrs Sirleaf became Africa’s first female elected head of state in 2005, following the end of Liberia’s 14-year civil war which left 250,000 people dead. She shares US$ 1.5 million prize money with Liberian Leymah Gbowee and Tawakul Karman of Yemen.
In 2009, Ms Johnson-Sirleaf was appointed as the first Goodwill Ambassador for Water, Sanitation and Hygiene in Africa at the 2nd Africa Water Week that took place in Midrand, South Africa.
National stakeholders in Liberia are currently developing the Liberia Compact, under the framework developed by the Sanitation and Water for All (SWA) initiative. President Johnson-Sirleaf received the draft compact at the end of a Joint Multi-donor Mission on sanitation and water that took place in Liberia from April 27-May 3, 2011. Ahead of the mission Mrs Johnson-Sirleaf reaffirmed her government’s support to the WASH sector in an interview with journalist Rose George (author of the Big Necessity).
Mrs Sirleaf (72) will be competing with Winston Tubman in a presidential runoff election scheduled to be held on 8 November 2011.
Related web site: Sanitation and Water for All
Source: BBC News, 07 Oct 2011 ; Shout-Africa, 20 Apr 2011 ; WaterAid America, 17 Nov 2009
