Betty Williams (born 22 May 1943, Belfast, Northern Ireland) is a co-recipient with Mairead Corrigan of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1976 for her work as a cofounder of Community of Peace People, an organization dedicated to promoting a peaceful resolution to the Troubles in Northern Ireland.
Williams heads the Global Children's Foundation and is the President of the World Centre of Compassion for Children International.
She is also the Chair of Institute for Asian Democracy in Washington D.C.
and a Distinguished Visiting Professor at Nova Southeastern University.
She lectures widely on topics of peace, education, inter-cultural and inter-faith understanding, anti-extremism, and children's rights.
Williams is a founding member of the Nobel Laureate Summit, which has taken place annually since 2000.In 2006, Williams became a founder of the Nobel Women's Initiative along with Nobel Peace Laureates Mairead Corrigan Maguire, Shirin Ebadi, Wangari Maathai, Jody Williams and Rigoberta Menchú Tum.
These six women representing North and South America, the Middle East, Europe and Africa, bring together their experiences in a united effort for peace with justice and equality.
It is the goal of the Nobel Women's Initiative to help strengthen work being done in support of women's rights around the world.