Congratulations to our former board member, President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf of Liberia, who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize together with Leymah Gbowee and Tawakkul Karman.
The first woman elected head of state in Africa, Mrs. Johnson Sirleaf has served her country as a democracy activist and as Minister of Finance. During time in exile from Liberia she held a variety of positions in banking and international development, including at the World Bank, at Citibank and as Director of the United Nations Development Programme's Regional Bureau for Africa.
While Mrs. Johnson Sirleaf was at UNDP we worked with her and her colleagues to gain a better understanding of how to create partnerships between government and civil society groups for development in Africa.
In 2006 we recognized her with the David Rockefeller Bridging Leadership Award.