Dharamsala, Oct 9 (IANS): Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama Sunday congratulated the three winners of the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize -- Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Leymah Gbowee, and Tawakkul Karman -- saying the time had come for women "to take up more active roles in all domains of human society".

"In this age in which education and the capacities of the mind, not physical strength, define leadership, the time has come for women to take up more active roles in all domains of human society as this will create a more equitable and compassionate world," the Dalai Lama wrote to the three women.

"In the 21st century, we have an obligation to promote a new vision of society, one in which war has no place in resolving disputes among states, communities or individuals, but in which non-violence is the pre-eminent value in all human relations," he said.

"For this the role of women is crucially important," said the elderly monk, who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989 for his non-violent campaign for democracy and freedom in his homeland.

The spiritual leader also wrote: "I am convinced that even if only a few individuals work to create peace and act responsibly and kind-heartedly towards others, they will have a positive influence in their community."

Sirleaf is the president of Liberia, and Gbowee is a Liberian peace activist responsible for organising a peace movement that brought an end to the second Liberian civil war in 2003, while Karman is a prominent activist in Yemen.