Jody Williams is an American human rights activist who received the 1997 Nobel Peace Prize for her work leading the International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL). Beginning in 1992, as the sole staff member and with less than 10 non-governmental organizations as signatories to the campaign,Williams oversaw the growth of the ICBL to more than 1,300 organizations in 95 countries. By working with governments, United Nations departments, and the Red Cross, the ICBL achieved its goal of creating an international agreement banning landmines in 1997 with the signing of the Ottawa Treaty. Williams was one of the founders of the Nobel Women’s Initiative, which strives to attain a nonviolent world of security, equality, and well-being by spotlighting women’s rights issues.
