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2006 Gruber Women's Rights Prize

The recipients are three outspoken supporters of equality for women who, collectively, articulate the political and economic rights to which all women should be entitled.

2006 Women's rights Prize Recipients

Laureate Profile

The Unión Nacional de Mujeres Guatemaltecas (UNAMG), under the leadership of Luz Méndez, resumed its work on behalf of women's rights in Guatemala in 1996, after returning from exile overseas. Despite fears for the safety of those involved in women's rights organizations in Guatemala, Méndez was coordinator of UNAMG and now serves as president of its Advisory Council. She participated in the Guatemalan peace negotiations following years of civil war and has advocated for the inclusion of women in peace processes around the world.

 

Citation

In recognition of their important contributions in the ongoing struggle for women's rights in the Americas – South, Central and North –the 2006 Women's Rights Prize of the Peter Gruber Foundation is proudly presented to Luz Méndez for the Unión Nacional de Mujeres Guatemaltecas; to Julie Su for Sweatshop Watch; and to the Honorable Cecilia Medina Quiroga. In awarding this prize, the Foundation celebrates:

Luz Méndez and the Unión Nacional de Mujeres Guatemaltecas, the organization of which she is a founder, for their tireless work in ensuring women's leadership in peace-building and equitable political participation in Guatemala;

Julie Su, a public interest lawyer, and Sweatshop Watch, the organization of which she is a founder, for giving visibility and voice to the economic and political rights of migrant and undocumented workers in the United States; and

The Honorable Cecilia Medina Quiroga of Chile, the only woman judge on the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, for advancing the rights of women through the framework of international law.

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