Address by the Swedish Deputy Prime Minister Margareta Winberg on Tuesday 14th October 2003.

Your Royal Highness,
Mayor Bloomberg,
Nobel Laureates,
Your Excellencies,
Commissioners,
Distinguished guests.

It is truly an honour for me to represent the Government of Sweden on this very special occasion.

It was Alfred Nobel's express wish that, and I quote, in awarding the prizes no consideration be given to the nationality of the candidates, but that the most worthy shall receive the prize, whether he be Scandinavian or not end of quote.

As Deputy Prime minister responsible for co-ordination of gender equality, I am sure that it must have been a lapse on Nobel's part when he wrote his will. What I believe he actually intended to write was "… the most worthy shall receive the prize, whether he OR SHE be Scandinavian or not".

Today, over a century after the prize was awarded for the first time, his wish has most certainly been recognised: no other country has been home to more Nobel recipients than the United States.

There are presently 271 names of Americans engraved on the monument, several who have honoured us by their presence here today. To this list we can now add the names of several others, as the Nobel Foundation just last week announced the names of this year's prizewinners.

The Nobel Prize is widely regarded as the most prestigious award in the world given for intellectual achievement. Nobel is also the most well known trademark associated with Sweden. But as we all know, it is not only a Swedish prize: it is a Swedish and Norwegian prize.

I cannot, however, deny the fact that my country greatly benefits, and receives an enormous amount of goodwill, from being associated with the Nobel prize.

Alfred Nobel is by far the most well known inventor in Swedish history. But he is far from the only one. In fact, Sweden, despite being a rather small country, has been home to many significant innovations and discoveries throughout time. Did you know that the zipper, the ball bearing, the basis for mobile telephone technology, the computer mouse, and the pacemaker are all Swedish inventions? They have laid the important high-tech foundation for modern and innovative industries and corporations, which are playing such an important role in Sweden’s successful economic development.

As we have heard the monument behind us is the result of the many dedicated people who have worked tirelessly for years on this project. I want to thank them all.

With the monument now in place here in New York, and more Americans to be added to the monument for years to come, we will have an opportunity, each time an American is added to the list, to once again recognise the bond between Sweden and the US.

And with these words I would like to end by saying: Today is a day for celebration of our nations' mutual goals, tied together by Nobel's vision:

A world of peace, a world enriched by literature, and a world where science and research are supported and promoted - to the benefit of all mankind.

Thank you!