Minister Knut Arild Hareid congratulates Wangari Maathai with the Nobel Peace Price Award

Wangari Maathai
Green Belt Movement
Nairobi
Kenya

Dear Wangari Maathai,

Please let me convey my warmest congratulations to you on being awarded this year's Nobel Peace Prize. Your holistic approach to sustainable development and environment has proven to be groundbreaking in establishing environment as an integrated element of peace and development. Your work to protect the environment in Kenya, to ensure human rights, social justice, human dignity and the promotion of democratic governance is truly an excellent example of the close interrelationship between environment, peace and development.

Through your work over more than 20 years, you have translated the term sustainable development into action, and shown that local initiatives and the empowerment of women play an important part in the development of increased awareness of social and democratic rights. The Green Belt Movement and yourself, in particular, are important political forces to be reckoned with within Kenya.

I would very much like to congratulate you in person, and hope that it would be possible for us to meet in Oslo in December. Several Norwegian environmental organisations have already expressed their interest in meeting you during your stay in Norway, and I would be more than happy to host such a meeting.

Yours sincerely,

Knut Arild Hareide

08.10.04