9 June 2011 - The chair of the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission has accepted the 2010 Tipperary International Peace Award for her contribution to freedom and democracy in Afghanistan.

“I realized that Afghanistan is on the agenda and people are still concerned about bringing peace to Afghanistan,” Samar told UNAMA following her return from the awards ceremony on 2 June in Tipperary, Ireland.

“My second feeling is that, as a woman, receiving the award means that my work has been appreciated and the work of all women is being honoured.”

The Tipperary Peace Convention based in Ireland hailed Sima Samar as a “principled and outspoken proponent of human rights and the need for a true reconciliatory process” who as put her life in immense risk and overcame numerous obstacles for the welfare of oppressed women and children.

As a medical doctor - the first Hazara woman to obtain a degree in medicine from Kabul University - Samar has spoken out about the health hazards of the burqa worn by some woman.

She served as Deputy President in the interim government in 2002 in Afghanistan, and then as Minister for Women’s Affairs.

Between 1995 and 1999, Samar served as the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Sudan
Previous recipients of the Tipperary International Peace Award include Nelson Mandela, Mikhail Gorbachev and Bill Clinton.

By UNAMA Kabul