Friday Buzz: Peace Prize Goes to Democracy Groups in Tunisia
The Nobel Committee recognizes four organizations that worked together to help stabilize post-revolution Tunisia. Plus: Watch out millennials---a surprising new age group is taking over Facebook.
An alliance of organizations in North Africa—an industry group, professional society, union, and human rights advocacy group—were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize today.
Friday morning, the committee announced it had chosen the National Dialogue Quartet as the recipient of the presitigious prize. The quartet, an alliance of organizations that fought for democracy in Tunisia, will join the ranks of celebrated recipients, including Malala Yousafzai and Nelson Mandela.
Tunisia has been entrenched in political turmoil since high unemployment rates and corruption sparked a wave of protests known as the Jasmine Revolution in 2011, which helped inspire the Arab Spring.
As chaos spread, the North African nation was subjected to intense power struggles, often involving bloodshed, between political groups. Amid the violence, the Tunisian General Labor Union; the Tunisian Confederation of Industry, Trade, and Handicrafts; the Tunisian Human Rights League; and the Tunisian Order of Lawyers formed the National Dialogue Quartet to put an end to the turmoil through discussion.
The coalition received this year’s prize in honor of their “decisive contribution to the building of a pluralistic democracy in Tunisia in the wake of the Jasmine Revolution of 2011,” according to the committee’s announcement.
While the group helped establish talks that led to an election last year, they said that receiving the Nobel Prize does not mean their work is over.
“It has reminded us of our accomplishments, and places great responsibility on us to maintain peace and our democracy through dialogue,” said Ali Zeddini, vice president of the Tunisian Human Rights League.
Tweet of the day
NEW for associations! @kyleecoffman's #contentstrategy whitepaper. Free to download: http://t.co/hXNnU740wN #assnchat pic.twitter.com/cj6qIT3uGc
— DelCor (@delcor) October 8, 2015
It’s easy to get lost in the torrent of new information about social media and digital content. DelCor, a technology consulting firm serving organizations, has a new guide to help your organization understand what plugged-in millennials are looking for.
Other Good Reads
A new nonprofit hopes to build on education. The MacArthur Foundation, known for its grant and loan programs, announced it has invested $225 million toward the launch of a new nonprofit focused on digital learning.
When it comes to Facebook, you might be able to teach an old dog new tricks. Quentin Fottrell from Marketwatch explains how the number of Americans on social media who are 65 or older has tripled since 2010 and is expected to keep growing.
Comments