2020-06-24 Wed

Martti Ahtisaari was a Finnish politician and noted mediator who was president of Finland (1994–2000). In 2008 he was awarded the Nobel Prize for Peace for his efforts to resolve international conflicts.

Ahtisaari was born in Viborg on 23rd June 1937. In the Winter War in 1939-40, the town was annexed by the Soviet Union, and its inhabitants were driven out. Those childhood experiences motivated him in his adult commitment to peace.

Ahtisaari has played a prominent role in resolving serious and long-lasting conflicts, including ones in Namibia, Aceh (Indonesia), Kosovo, and Iraq. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in October 2008 "for his efforts on several continents and over more than three decades, to resolve international conflicts". In addition to his Nobel honor, Ahtisaari received the J. William Fulbright Prize for International Understanding in 2000 and the UNESCO Felix Houphouet-Boigny Peace Prize in 2008.

To honor him Finland Postal Department has issued a commemorative postage stamp of value 0.80 Euros. It depicts the portrait of Martti Ahtisaari in the foreground.

Image Source: colnect.com