Nominee Basinet, while best known as an actress and recording artist - aka "c. basinet" with hits like "Santa Baby", (also in the soundtrack of the film, "Party Monster") and "Tea for Two" from the CD, "For You With Love" has also been involved in drawing attention to the plight of some 200,000 refugees living in the western Sahara desert. In May 2001, she traveled to the Algerian camps, performed for the people there and met with various government agencies.

Noting that only 12 women have ever won since the peace prize was first awarded in 1901, the Swiss-based project -- simply called 1,000 Women for the Nobel Peace Prize 2005 -- is using three proxies to represent the thousand nominees -- themselves representing the "millions of women (who) work day in day out to promote peace."

The 1,000-woman project takes a broad view of peace based on human security, which includes nutrition, health, the environment and human rights. In selecting the nominees, special emphasis was placed on unknown grassroots activists who do not exercise any coordination function, but do direct and active peace work within their own immediate regions.

The 1,000-women project was launched in 2003. And last year the winner of the Nobel Peace Prize was a woman: Iranian human rights activist Shirin Ebadi.

For more on Cynthia visit: www.cynthiabasinet.com