Peace on earth, good will to (wo)men

Last week I had the absolute honour of welcoming Tawakkul Karman, co-winner of the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize, to London (her first ever visit) in an event I chaired on behalf of the Council for the Advancement of Arab-British Understanding to celebrate her outstanding achievement.

Any winner of the Nobel Peace Prize is pretty special, but Tawakkul is quite exceptional - not only is she the first Arab woman to win the prize; she is also the youngest ever prize-winner at just 32.

Tawakkul, a Yemeni democracy activist, was awarded the prize earlier in December, alongside Liberians Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and Leymah Gbowee, for her "non-violent struggle for the safety of women and for women's rights to full participation in peace-building work."

If you take a brief glance at the situation in Yemen, you can begin to appreciate what a task she has on her hands.

Since the Arab uprisings began in January, the already-fragile country of Yemen has been hit by widespread state repression, arrests, shootings and bombings of civilian protesters. In the midst of the turmoil, Tawakkul quickly emerged as a leading opposition figure, working for an end to the violence.

Listening to her is inspiring. Her message is that, far from being victims, women in the Arab world, and all over the world, can be leaders and she is, of course, doing just that by leading the way to peace and democracy for Yemen.

Under Tawakkul's guidance, 2012 looks instantly brighter, not only for Yemen but for much of the Middle East.