Martti Ahtisaari Wins 2008 Nobel Peace Prize
Former President of Finland Recognized for Peace-Making Efforts
Dec 14, 2008
Recipient of the 2008 Nobel Peace Prize: Martti Ahtisaari
Martti Ahtisaari, former President of the Scandinavian country of Finland, is winner of the 2008 Nobel Peace Prize. Born June 23, 1937, in Viipuri, Finland, Ahtisaari was raised in the city of Kuopio. As is tradition for Nobel Prize announcements, the selection committee released a statement briefly outlining their reasons for choosing a specific candidate. In respect to Martti Ahtisaari, the committee said that the Peace Prize went to the Finnish diplomat "for his important efforts, on several continents and over more than three decades, to resolve international conflicts."
Ahtisaari's early career did not allude to the soaring heights that it would eventually reach. Initially trained as a primary school teacher, the future Nobel Laureate soon began work as head of a YMCA physical education program in Karachi, Pakistan. At the young age of 26, after serving in the Finnish Army, Martti Ahtisaari made the critical decision to further his education. He returned to Finland, where he attended Helsinki University of Technology.
The Young Diplomat
After completing his studies, Martti Ahtisaari quickly gained his first diplomatic post--assistant head of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs in Finland, working specifically on the development of international aid. After his 1968 marriage to Eeva Irmeli Hyvärinen, Ahtisaari served as United Nations Commissioner for the African country of Namibia.
For his work in securing political independence from South Africa for Namibia, Martti Ahtisaary was granted honorary citizenship by the country in 1989.
President Ahtisaari
In spite of his suspected involvement in two well-publicized financial scandals during his diplomatic career, Ahtisaary successfully ran for President of Finland in 1993. The charismatic Social Democratic Party nominee served as President until 2000, when he declined to run for re-election.
Still intent on maintaining a significant role in international politics after his presidency, Martti Ahtisaari held several posts in the diplomatic arena, including Special Envoy for Kosovo and founder of the Crisis Management Initiative (CMI), an organization centered on the goal of maintaining peace between countries with a high risk of violence.
The Greatest Prize on Earth
Nobel Peace Prize recipients are guaranteed a special status in world history, and one that often extends honor long beyond the winner's death. Past recipients include Martin Luther King, Jr., Linus Pauling, Albert Schweitzer, and Mother Theresa. Among the still-living laureates are Kofi Annan, Nelson Mandela, Jimmy Carter, and Al Gore, the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize winner.
Winners of the Nobel Peace Prize are also recipients of a cash prize, currently approaching $1.5 million.
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