Alfred Nobel was interested in social issues.Perhaps his interest in peace was also due to the use of his inventions in warfare and assassination attempts? He developed a special engagement in the peace movement. An important factor in Nobel’s interest in peace was his acquaintance with Bertha von Suttner. Peace was the fifth and final prize area that Nobel mentioned in his will.
The Norwegian Nobel Committee has decided that the Nobel Peace Prize for 2009 is to be awarded to President Barack Obama for his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples. The Committee has attached special importance to Obama's vision of and work for a world without nuclear weapons.
As seen in the above picture, Gambia Post in year 2010 issued the souvenir sheet stamp features Obama on the accepted prize ceremony in Oslo. The sheet consist of 4 uniform value of stamp depicted different poses of Obama.
Obama has as President created a new climate in international politics. By the Obama's initiative, the USA is now playing a more constructive role in meeting the great climatic challenges the world is confronting. Democracy and human rights are to be strengthened. Dialogue and negotiations are preferred as instruments for resolving even the most difficult international conflicts.
There were 205 nominations for the 2009 award, which included civil rights activists in China and Afghanistan and African politicians. Colombian Senator Piedad Córdoba, Afghanistan's Sima Samar, Chinese dissident Hu Jia and Prime Minister of Zimbabwe Morgan Tsvangirai had been speculated to be favorites for the award.The Committee endorses Obama's appeal that "Now is the time for all of us to take our share of responsibility for a global response to global challenges."
Obama is the first U.S. president to receive the award during his first year in office.Obama is the fourth U.S. President to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, after Theodore Roosevelt (1906) and Woodrow Wilson (1919)—both of whom received the award during their terms—and Jimmy Carter (2002), who received the award 21 years after leaving office. In addition, then-sitting Vice President Charles Dawes was a co-winner with Austen Chamberlain (1925), and former Vice President Al Gore was a co-winner with the U.N.'s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (2007)
On December 10, 2009, Obama accepted the prize in Oslo. As shown in the souvenir sheet stamp which issued by Antigua & Barbuda on May 10, 2010, Obama stand in a 36-minute speech, he discussed the tensions between war and peace and the idea of a "just war".
Obama announced early that he would donate the full 10 million Swedish kronor (about US$1.4 million) monetary award to charity.The largest donations were given to the housing charity Fisher House Foundation who received $250,000, and the Clinton Bush Haiti Fund which received $200,000. Eight organizations which support education also received a donation. $125,000 were donated to the College Summit, the Posse Foundation, the United Negro College Fund, the Hispanic Scholarship Fund, the Appalachian Leadership and Education Foundation, and the American Indian College Fund. $100,000 was donated to Africare, and the Central Asia Institute.
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