Luisa Morgantini

Luisa Morgantini MEP
In office 1999–2009
Personal details
Born	(1940-11-05) 5 November 1940
Nationality	Italian
Political party	GUE/NGL
Website	http://luisamorgantini.net/

Luisa Morgantini (born 5 November 1940 in Villadossola) is an Italian Member of the European Parliament. She was elected as independent with the Communist Refoundation Party ticket and sits with the European United Left - Nordic Green Left group.

She is a leading member of the Italian peace movement and was one of the founders of the Italian branch of the Women in Black anti-war organisation.

Career

• 1954 to 1958 she worked as clerical worker
• 1958 to 1964 she worked as an INCA social worker.
• 1965-1966 she lived in Bologna.
• 1967 to 1968 she studied at Ruskin College, Oxford - industrial sociology and economics.
• 1969 to 1970: Adult education at the Humanitarian Society.
• 1971 to 1974: Training officer for FLM trade union.
• 1974 to 1985:Milan FLM (FIOM-FIM-UILM) secretariat - press and telecommunications sector.
• 1985 to 1988: International relations officer for FLM (FIOM-FIM-UILM)trade union.
• FEM European trade union executive committee (1987-1988).
• Electoral observer for the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe. Italy-Nicaragua coordinator (1979-1991).

• Since 1979 she was involved with many solidarity and NGOs projects concerning lots of Countries, such as Nicaragua, Brazil, South Africa, Mozambique, Eritrea, Afghanistan, Palestine, Algeria, Peru.

• Since 1982 she has been dealing with Middle East issues and mainly the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

• Since 1988 she has been cooperating for the reconstruction of network and links between Israeli and Palestinian Peace movements. She has supported especially women associations in Israel and Palestine and in other Mediterranean Countries (ex Yugoslavia, Albania, Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia).

• National spokesperson for the Italian Association for Peace (a non-violent movement for peace and social justice); from 1994 to 1999 responsible for the 'Palestine' group. One of the founders of the 'Women in Black' anti-war movement and the international network 'Women for peace in conflict zones'.

In 1995 she received the 'Women in Black' Peace Prize from the eponymous Israeli left-wing anti-war organisation.

On 4 October 2008 she has been awarded with the 2008 Peacemaker Award by the Rebuilding Alliance, an US-based non-profit organization, committed to the respect of human rights and international law and in rebuilding homes and communities in regions of war and occupation. <http://www.rebuildingalliance.org/>

European Parliament

Luisa Morgantini is Member of the European Parliament in the European United Left–Nordic Green Left - elected the first time in 1999 and again in 2004.

During the last term, she was chairman of the Delegation for relations with the Palestinian Legislative Council, member of the Committee on Development and Cooperation, of the Delegation for relations with the countries of South Asia and the South Asia Association for Regional Cooperation; substitute member of the Committee on Industry, Research and Energy, the Committee on International Trade and of the Committee on Women's Rights and Gender Equality.

From the period July 2004 to December 2006 she was Chair of the Committee on Development.

Currently (2007 - 2009) she is Vice President of the European Parliament, member of the Committee on Development, co-chair of the election coordination group, member of the Subcommittee on Human Rights, of the Delegation for relations with the Palestinian Legislative Council, of the Euro-Mediterranean Parliamentary Assembly, and substitute member of the Committee on Women's Rights and Gender Equality, of the Committee on Constitutional Affairs and of the Delegation to the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly.

As a Member of the European Parliament she keeps on working for the solution of the Middle East conflict, for a just peace, for the right of the two peoples to live in peace and safety, within recognized borders. As part of this activism, she was nominated for the 2005 Nobel Peace Prize, as part of the project “1000 peace women for Nobel prize for peace 2005.”

In June, 2008 she was injured when Israeli soldiers attacked a group of non-violent activists in the Palestinian village of Bil'in.

On 4 October 2008 she has been awarded with the 2008 Peacemaker Award by the Rebuilding Alliance, an US non-profit organization -progressive American Jews are a part of it- committed for the respect of human rights and international law and in rebuilding homes and communities in regions of war and occupation.

Bibliography

• Oltre la danza macabra. No alla guerra, no al terrorismo, Nutrimenti, Roma, 2004. ISBN 978-88-88389-22-6
• Nawal al-Sa‘dawi, L'amore ai tempi del petrolio, translated by Marika Macco, introduction by Luisa Morgantini, il Sirente, Fagnano Alto, 2009. ISBN 978-88-87847-16-1

External links

• http://www.luisamorgantini.net
• Luisa Morgantini's Profile at the European Parliament