By Tenzin Monlam
DHARAMSHALA, October 10: His Holiness the Dalai Lama on Saturday congratulated the quartet organization of Tunisian unionists, employers, lawyers and human rights activists who have been declared winner of this year’s Nobel Peace Prize for their contribution to democracy in Tunisia after the 2011 Arab Spring revolution.
Tunisia’s National Dialogue Quartet is made up of four organisations: the Tunisian General Labour Union, the Tunisian Confederation of Industry, Trade and Handicrafts, the Tunisian Human Rights League, and the Tunisian Order of Lawyers.
“The Quartet’s persistent efforts to bring divergent parties back to the process of dialogue and reconciliation in the face of enormous challenges has been exemplary. What they have achieved is an inspiration to all of us who seek to promote freedom and democracy through peaceful dialogue and non-violence,” wrote the Tibetan leader in a letter.
“Despite the many ongoing conflicts and violent challenges we confront today, I remain convinced that if we recall that we are all brothers and sisters, that we all belong to one human family, we will be able to bring about a more peaceful world.”
He also hoped that this year’s Nobel Peace Prize will serve to encourage many other individuals and organizations committed to resolving conflict through dialogue and peaceful means.
The Nobel committee in their press statement said that the group had made a decisive contribution to the building of a pluralistic democracy in Tunisia in the wake of the Jasmine Revolution of 2011.
“It established an alternative, peaceful political process at a time when the country was on the brink of civil war. It was thus instrumental in enabling Tunisia, in the space of a few years, to establish a constitutional system of government guaranteeing fundamental rights for the entire population,” said the Nobel Committee.
The Quartet has beaten a group of well-known nominees including Angela Merkel, German Chancellor, the Pope, John Kerry, the US Secretary of State, and his Iranian counterpart, Mohammad Javad Zarif.
