Alva Myrdal

Overview

Alva Myrdal (née Reimer) born Uppsala, Sweden January 31, 1902 (d. 1986). Swedish diplomat. First woman to head UNESCO Social Sciences section, 1950-55. Delegate to UN Disarmament Conference, 1962; Swedish Cabinet Minister for Disarmament, 1966-73. Founded Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, 1964. Awarded first Einstein Peace Award, 1980; shared Nobel Peace Prize, 1982. Raised peacemaker daughter Sissela Bok.

Quotations

“War is murder. And the military preparations now being made for a potential major confrontation are aimed at collective murder.”

“The age in which we live can only be described as one of barbarism. . . Our civilization is in the process not only of being militarized, but also being brutalized.” (Nobel Address, Dec. 11, 1982; 1966 photo Wikipedia)