Obama wins 2009 Nobel Peace Prize

US President Barack Obama has been awarded the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize. 

The Nobel Committee said he won it for "his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and co-operation between peoples".

The committee highlighted Mr Obama's efforts to support international bodies and promote nuclear disarmament.

Mr Obama's spokesman said the president was "humbled" to have won the prize. He said he woke Mr Obama up when he called with the news early on Friday.

There were a record 205 nominations for this year's peace prize. Zimbabwean Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai and Chinese dissident Hu Jia had been among the favourites.

The laureate – chosen by a five-member committee – wins a gold medal, a diploma and 10m Swedish kronor ($1.4m).

"Only very rarely has a person to the same extent as Obama captured the world's attention and given its people hope for a better future," the Norwegian committee said in a statement.

"His diplomacy is founded in the concept that those who are to lead the world must do so on the basis of values and attitudes that are shared by the majority of the world's population."

Asked why the prize had been awarded to Mr Obama less than a year after he took office, Nobel Committee head Thorbjoern Jagland said: "It was because we would like to support what he is trying to achieve".

"It is a clear signal that we want to advocate the same as he has done," he said.

He specifically mentioned Mr Obama's work to strengthen international institutions and work towards a world free of nuclear arms.

'New climate'

Since taking office in January, President Obama has pursued an ambitious international agenda including a push for peace in the Middle East and negotiations over Iran's nuclear programme.

But critics say he has failed to make breakthroughs. Domestically, Mr Obama has been working to tackle an economic crisis and win support for healthcare reform.

Some said they saw the prize as a way of encouraging the US leader early in his presidency.

"It is an award that speaks to the promise of President Obama's message of hope," said Archbishop Desmond Tutu of South Africa, a former winner.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy said the award confirmed "America's return to the hearts of the people of the world".

The statement from the Nobel Committee said Mr Obama had "created a new climate in international politics".

"Multilateral diplomacy has regained a central position, with emphasis on the role that the United Nations and other international institutions can play," it said.

The committee added that the US was now playing a more constructive role in meeting "the great climatic challenges" facing the world, and that democracy and human rights would be strengthened.

Mr Obama is the first US president to win the prize since former US President Jimmy Carter in 2002. Former vice-president Al Gore shared the prize in 2007.<!-S qboxflr-> HAVE YOUR SAY <!-S qbox->

Among earlier US leaders, Theodore Roosevelt won the prize in 1906 and Woodrow Wilson won it in 1919.

The Nobel prize was invented by the Swedish industrialist and inventor of dynamite Alfred Nobel, and was first awarded in 1901.

He designated the parliament in Norway, which at the time was united with Sweden, to elect the peace prize committee. Swedish academies are responsible for other prizes.

The prize-giving ceremony for the peace award is due to take place on 10 December in the Norwegian capital, Oslo.

whilw he is support ing Israil he dont deserve it att all

it's a joke!

i 'd say the committee which decided to give this to obama , are full of retard or they just dont want to give this to ppl who actually did sth for the world peace , wtf obama did ?, if obama were really a honest man he would give it up coz he himself knows that he doesnt deserve it  at all.

what about a leader who stamped out world most dangerous terrorist org  early this year ending 3 decades continuous war ????

I don't think Obama is the right person for this award. Well, he's just been elected as the president of the United States of America for like 1 year, and I haven't seen anything he's done that has something to do with peace or ending the war stuff. And I don't think it is an appreciation to give him the award for the judges. He's too new in the politic circles to get that title! There're lots of other people who deserve that more than him. But all I have said is just personal, and no offense to anyone including him, maybe I barely know him, or maybe he's been doing something that can be taken as peace that I have no idea about, or even before he's become the president of the U.S.

i want to aske u why obama wins 2009 nobel peace prize!! wat is he doing to peace in the worlds

Mr Obama definitely worth the reward.He is a great president and only time could tell the world the answer.We hope the good will could come!

ok i think Barak Obama best than Bush and in my thinking he want to stop wars and decrease problems in th world

His name is Barak Hussain Obama so his father,s religius is islam and this is blessed thing  THANKS

I think HU Jintao, President of PRC should deserve the Nobel peace Prize