2023

Yuliia “Taira” Paievska has demonstrated extraordinary moral and physical courage in defending Ukraine against relentless Russian aggression.  She provided medical treatment to Ukraine’s Revolution of Dignity protestors in 2013, and as head of Taira’s Angels, a volunteer unit of paramedics, she provided tactical medical training on the Donbas front lines […]

Bianka Zalewska is a Polish humanitarian and journalist who has selflessly documented Russian aggression in Ukraine since 2014 and advocated for the people of Ukraine for more than a decade. She persevered through life-threatening injuries suffered when her press car came under fire from Russian proxy forces in Luhansk Oblast

In nearly 30 years of service to her country, Brigadier General Bolor Ganbold has achieved a series of firsts that have broken barriers and opened the door for other women to follow; from being the first female cadet admitted to the Military University of Mongolia to being Mongolia’s first female

Senator Datuk Ras Adiba Radzi has spent most of her professional life advancing and promoting human rights, selflessly advocating for vulnerable populations and using her platforms to shed light on injustices in Malaysian society.   She was first known as a famous broadcast journalist and news presenter, television presenter, and sports

Bakhytzhan Toregozhina is a civil society activist who has campaigned for the protection of fundamental human rights in Kazakhstan for nearly twenty-five years.  Since January 2022, she has been the head of “Qantar 2022” (January 2022) a coalition of civil society organizations working to assist victims and document human rights

Meaza Mohammed, a veteran Ethiopian journalist, is the founder of Roha TV, an independent YouTube-based news and information channel.  Such channels have become increasingly popular in Ethiopia, where broadcast media are almost entirely state-controlled, as a way to disseminate news and analysis that diverges from the official government line.  Her

Doris Ríos is a recognized Cabécarindigenous leader and well-respected member of the China Kichá indigenous community.  Ms. Ríos is involved in multiple influential initiatives to improve indigenous lives.  She is the Vice-president of the National Indigenous Board of Costa Rica, which implements programs for indigenous communities centered around agriculture, animal care, reforestation, and cultural training.  Ms.

Professor Danièle Darlan, the former President of the Central African Republic’s Constitutional Court, has earned the title of an International Woman of Courage for her defense of her nation’s constitution, her heroism in safeguarding judicial independence, and her refusal to be influenced by threats or political pressure.  Her final act

Alba Rueda, Argentina’s current Special Envoy for Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, International Trade and Worship, was the first Argentine Undersecretary for Diversity Policies in the newly created Ministry of Women, Gender, and Diversity.  Ms. Rueda was the driving force behind Argentina’s executive order

Born an internally displaced person in Ghazni Province, Afghanistan, Zakira Hekmat completed high school secretly under the Taliban’s first period of control.  After winning a scholarship to study in Türkiye, she eventually qualified as a medical doctor in 2018.  Throughout her medical studies, Dr. Hekmat volunteered with refugee assistance organizations