25 Women

Meet 25 women and girl change-makers from across Europe and Central Asia who are sharing inspiring strategies and leading creative campaigns to probe, reimagine and create a gender-equal world. This collection of profiles was originally compiled to mark the 25th anniversary of the landmark Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action.

Adalet Budak Akbaş: Changing the rules so that women and girls in Turkey can thrive with an education

Aida Loshaj: A medical researcher from Kosovo hoping to discover cure for an evasive autoimmune disease

Alina Andronache: Vlogging for gender equality in the Republic of Moldova

Ana Lomidze: How a twenty-year-old in Georgia became the voice of a community affected by conflict

Ana Šaćipović: Building a bridge between two worlds

Anastasiia Yeva Domani: How a transgender woman in Ukraine fought for her rights and discovered the activist within her

Bahar Toksoy Guidetti: From a successful career in Turkish volleyball to empowering girls through sport

Edita Velic: A young politician urges women in Bosnia and Herzegovina to make their voices heard

Ekaterina Yakovleva: How a Serbian blogger fights for conscious consumption, bag by bag

Elena Crasmari: How a Moldovan woman with disabilities fought for her rights and won an election

Elena Georgievska: A mother determined that her son enjoys every opportunity in his education and life

Gulbahor Majidova: Overcoming loss with a determination to help others in Tajikistan

Gupse Özay: A woman comedian fights stereotypes in Turkish films

Helena Dalli: A lifelong mission to achieve equality for all

Jonada Shukarasi: An Albanian teen declares war on violence against women using technology

Lyubov Vorontsova: Fighting the stigma surrounding people living with HIV in Kazakhstan

Malina Stanojevic: The “Dragon Lady” breathes new life into rural Serbia

Maria Kolesnikova: An activist from Kyrgyzstan leading the eco-movement and spreading green values

Mrika Nikҫi: The world’s youngest woman to climb the seven highest peaks in seven continents

Nona Noniashvili: A young entrepreneur in Georgia who is planting seeds to help a conflict-affected community grow

Roza Mojsovska: The only artist in North Macedonia who paints with her mouth

Uguloy Abdullaeva: Want water in Tajikistan? Let women lead!

Veronica Fonova: Becoming a feminist and leading Kazakhstan’s first feminist rally

 

Yaroslava Kravchenko: A Ukrainian theatre director using the power of performance to take on gender-based violence

Zilka Spahić Šiljak: A leading Muslim scholar from Bosnia and Herzegovina changing mindsets to empower women