A Graduate College of Social Work professor has been awarded the Olof Palme Medal for “her work in support of human rights and in banning anti-personnel landmines,” according to the board of the Olof Palme International Foundation.
Jody Williams, who was awarded the 1997 Nobel Peace Prize for her work banning landmines, will be one of three people awarded by the foundation in Barcelona on April 25. Spanish politician Felipe Gonzalez and former European Commission President Jacques Delors will also be awarded.
“Jody is a great example of the impact an individual can make when they dedicate themselves to work for change,” said GCSW Dean Ira Colby in a UH press release.
“This award is well-deserved, as her work serves individuals and communities throughout the world. We are very fortunate to have her as a faculty member at the GCSW, where she provides vision and guidance to our students, who then go on to help advance the mission of social work in local, national and global communities.”
Williams is the GCSW’s Sam and Cele Keeper Endowed Professor in Peace and Social Justice and helped to establish the Nobel Women’s Initiative in 2006, a group that works to promote women who are working for global peace and social justice.