WASHINGTON (AP) ? President Barack Obama says this year’s Nobel Peace Prize winners, all women, are wonderful examples of their own determination and spirit, and a reminder that everyone is better off when women around the world are empowered.
He says it’s also a reminder that countries and cultures that respect the contributions of women inevitably end up being more successful than those that don’t.
The winners announced Friday were Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Liberian peace activist Leymah Gbowee, and Tawakkul Karman of Yemen for their work on women’s rights.
Obama won the Nobel Peace Prize himself in 2009. He spoke Friday in the Oval Office after a meeting with the prime minister of Tunisia.