Laureat 2023 - Women for Development, Armenia
On January 25, 2023, Leaders for Peace awarded the Smart Peace Prize, the Prize for Early Childhood
Peace Education, to the Armenian organization Women for Development, represented by its founder and
president,
Dr. Gohar Markosyan. This year, the Prize was bestowed under the exceptional patronage of
the President of Timor-Leste and Nobel Peace Prize laureate, José Ramos-Horta.
Women for Development has been active for over 20 years and was one of the first organizations in
Armenia to develop peace education programs starting from primary school level. Having impacted over
70,000 children, their teachers, and parents alike, across more than 850 schools, Women for
Development has achieved the remarkable feat of integrating its programs into the national education
curriculum in Armenia. In collaboration with the Ministry of Education, Women for Development has
published several textbooks for teachers and students to promote best practices in fostering a culture of
peace and non-violence among the youngest members of society.
The Prize awarded to Dr. Markosyan, recognizing her decades of work for peace, was conceived and
created by Iranian artist Mariam Agar. Indeed, it is also a founding mission of Leaders for Peace to
contribute to renewing attention on forgotten conflicts.
Here are some highlights from the ceremony: