NSP Research

Jody Williams, 1997 Nobel Peace Laureate
"I decided to become involved in the landmine issue because I believed it was a prism through which we could look at larger issues of war and peace and the means and methods of warfare."

An international activist, teacher and writer, Jody Williams, received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1997 for her work to eliminate antipersonnel landmines. She is an eloquent speaker on human rights and international law, the role of civil society in international diplomacy, and individual initiative in bringing about social change. Williams serves as an Ambassador for the International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL), which she helped create, speaking on its behalf all over the world. She is also a Distinguished Visiting Professor of Social Work and Global Justice at the University of Houston. Prior to beginning the ICBL in 1992, Williams worked for eleven years to build public awareness about U.S. policy toward Central America developing and directing humanitarian relief projects for the Los Angeles-based Medical Aid for El Salvador. From 1984 to 1986, she coordinated the Nicaragua-Honduras Education Project, leading fact-finding delegations to the region. Previously, she taught English as a Second Language (ESL) in Mexico, the United Kingdom, and Washington, DC.