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Human Rights Speaker Leymah Gbowee

Leymah Gbowee

2011 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate | Peace Activist & Women's Rights Advocate | Exec. Director, CUNY Institute on Gender, Law & Peace

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Co-recipient of the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize, Leymah Gbowee led the women's peace movement that helped end Liberia's civil war. As Executive Director of CUNY's Institute on Gender, Law, and Transformative Peace and founder of the Gbowee Peace Foundation Africa, she brings decades of frontline activism to the stage, inspiring leaders to harness collective action for lasting change.

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    Leymah Gbowee biography

    Keynote speaker Leymah Gbowee is the co-recipient of the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize, honored alongside Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and Tawakkul Karman for their nonviolent struggle for the safety of women and for women’s rights to full participation in peacebuilding. A Liberian peace activist and trained social worker, Leymah organized the Women of Liberia Mass Action for Peace, a movement that united Muslim and Christian women in a campaign of nonviolent protest that contributed directly to ending the Second Liberian Civil War.

    Leymah currently serves as Executive Director of the Institute on Gender, Law, and Transformative Peace at the City University of New York (CUNY) School of Law, where she works to reimagine policymaking from the perspective of social movements and those most affected by conflict. She is also the founder and president of the Gbowee Peace Foundation Africa, which provides educational and leadership opportunities to girls, women, and youth in West Africa, including the recently launched Sisters Place—a safe, self-sustaining space for adolescent girls in Liberia.

    Building Peace Through Women’s Leadership

    A prolific author, Leymah wrote the memoir Mighty Be Our Powers, chronicling the women’s peace movement that transformed Liberia. She co-authored Rise, Girl, Rise: Our Sister-Friend Journey with Gloria Steinem, a children’s book celebrating the parallel paths of two iconic activists. The documentary Pray the Devil Back to Hell further brought the story of Liberian women’s courage to global audiences.

    Leymah holds an M.A. in Conflict Transformation from Eastern Mennonite University and has received numerous honors, including the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award, Georgetown University’s honorary degree, and recognition as one of Fortune’s World’s 50 Greatest Leaders. She serves on the United Nations Secretary-General’s High Level Advisory Board on Mediation and as a trustee of the Carnegie Corporation of New York. As a speaker, Leymah Gbowee electrifies audiences with her firsthand account of how ordinary women achieved the extraordinary, making her one of the most sought-after human rights speakers in the world.

    Leymah Gbowee Speaking Videos

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    Leymah Gbowee Speaking Topics

    Nobel Peace Prize laureate Leymah Gbowee shares the remarkable story of how she organized Christian and Muslim women across Liberia to wage a nonviolent campaign that helped end a brutal civil war. Drawing on her experience leading the Women of Liberia Mass Action for Peace, Leymah offers a powerful framework for grassroots mobilization, demonstrating how courage, solidarity, and strategic action can overcome seemingly insurmountable obstacles. This keynote is a call to action for anyone seeking to drive transformative change in their organization or community.

    In a world increasingly defined by division, Leymah Gbowee's experience uniting Muslim and Christian women in Liberia offers a blueprint for bridging divides. In this keynote, she explores the principles of interfaith dialogue and community building that made the Liberian peace movement possible, and applies them to today's challenges. Audiences gain practical strategies for fostering collaboration across cultural, religious, and ideological boundaries—essential skills for leaders navigating complex global environments.

    Through her work with the Gbowee Peace Foundation Africa and the Institute on Gender, Law, and Transformative Peace at CUNY, Leymah Gbowee has dedicated her post-Nobel career to creating pathways for girls and women to lead. In this keynote, she shares evidence from her global advocacy and on-the-ground programs in West Africa, making the case that investing in women's education and leadership is the most effective strategy for building peaceful, prosperous societies. Leaders leave with actionable frameworks for advancing gender equity within their organizations.

    Leymah Gbowee's journey from a young woman caught in the chaos of civil war to a Nobel Peace Prize laureate is one of the most extraordinary stories of resilience in modern history. As a trained social worker and peace activist, she draws on both personal experience and professional expertise to explore how individuals and communities can transform trauma into purpose. This keynote offers insights for leaders navigating organizational upheaval, societal disruption, or personal adversity, providing a roadmap for turning crisis into catalytic change.

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    FAQs on Booking Leymah Gbowee

    Leymah Gbowee is a Nobel Peace Prize laureate whose personal story of organizing women to end a civil war is one of the most powerful narratives of grassroots leadership in the world. Her keynotes combine the emotional force of lived experience with practical frameworks for peacebuilding, women's empowerment, and collective action. As the Executive Director of CUNY's Institute on Gender, Law, and Transformative Peace and founder of the Gbowee Peace Foundation Africa, she brings ongoing, frontline credibility to every engagement. Audiences leave profoundly inspired and equipped with strategies for creating change. Book Leymah Gbowee through Aurum Speakers Bureau to bring a Nobel laureate and one of the world's most compelling voices for peace and women's rights to your stage.

    The Women of Liberia Mass Action for Peace was a nonviolent movement organized by Leymah Gbowee that brought together thousands of Christian and Muslim women in Liberia to demand an end to the Second Liberian Civil War. Through sustained protest, prayer vigils, and strategic pressure on warring factions, the movement contributed directly to the peace agreement that ended the conflict. The story is documented in the award-winning documentary Pray the Devil Back to Hell and in Gbowee's memoir, Mighty Be Our Powers.

    The Gbowee Peace Foundation Africa (GPFA) was founded by Leymah Gbowee and is based in Monrovia, Liberia. It provides educational scholarships, leadership training, and safe spaces for girls, women, and youth in West Africa. Recent initiatives include Sisters Place, a self-sustaining center in Bong County, Liberia, where adolescent girls can develop their potential in a supportive environment. Contact Aurum Speakers Bureau to learn more about Leymah Gbowee's work and availability for speaking engagements.

    Leymah Gbowee is the author of Mighty Be Our Powers, a memoir that chronicles her journey from the devastation of civil war to leading the women's peace movement that helped bring peace to Liberia. She also co-authored Rise, Girl, Rise: Our Sister-Friend Journey with renowned feminist activist Gloria Steinem, a children's book celebrating their parallel paths as activists and the power of women's solidarity across generations.

    Aurum Speakers Bureau can help you book Leymah Gbowee as a speaker for your next event, conference, or board meeting. Simply fill out our contact form to inquire about Leymah Gbowee's availability for a speaking engagement. One of our booking agents will respond to your request immediately and contact the speaker to let them know you want to hire them. We will assist you with obtaining speaking fees, booking information, and confirming availability for Leymah Gbowee or any other top keynote speaker or celebrity of your choice.

    Leymah Gbowee speaking fees are determined by several factors, including the event's date, whether it's a virtual or in-person event, the duration, format, preparation required for their speech, and more. The same applies to the cost to hire any other top expert speakers and celebrities. The Speaker Fee Range listed on our website is simply a guideline and is subject to change without notice. If you would like to hire Leymah Gbowee to deliver a keynote speech for your event, please fill out the contact form or email us at info@aurumbureau.com with as much detail as possible. One of our experienced agents will get in touch with you and let you know exactly how much it will cost to book Leymah Gbowee.

    We only work with Leymah Gbowee on paid speaking engagements. Aurum Speakers Bureau can assist you in booking Leymah Gbowee and will handle all negotiations, contracts, and logistics associated with having Leymah Gbowee speak at your event. We will be your sole point of contact throughout the process. Get in touch with Aurum Speakers Bureau today, and we will reach out to any motivational speaker or celebrity you want to enquire about speaking at your event. If you wish to contact Leymah Gbowee for any other reason, we will be unable to assist you as we are not authorized to provide personal contact information.

    Yes, Leymah Gbowee is available for virtual keynotes and webinars. To book Leymah Gbowee for a virtual event, please complete the contact form or send us an email to inquire about the special fees for virtual engagements.