BBC reveals the 2024 100 Women list. Here are the most inspiring and influential women for 2024 from around the world selected by the BBC.
Twenty-two-year-old Plestia Alaqad had recently graduated from university when the war in Gaza began. In the earliest days of the war, she posted a video of herself in her apartment during intense Israeli airstrikes.
In the last year, the educational platform has provided more than 8,500 videos in Dari and Pashto, covering school curricula for grades seven to 12. Anokhina herself decided to leave Russia in 2021, after Chechen and Dagestani security forces raided her women’s shelter. The experience led her to campaign for journalists’ safety, and she dedicated her participation in the 2024 Olympic torch relay in Paris to all the journalists who have died in the line of duty.Sister Eugenia Bonetti has helped manage more than 100 shelters and establish a network with nuns in Africa to support migrant women victims of human trafficking and exploitation.
She was put on trial this year in military-ruled Myanmar, accused of violating counter-terrorism laws. At a closed court, she was denied legal representation and sentenced to life imprisonment.She has directed a dozen short documentaries, many of which have attracted international attention, including her film about the 2007 pro-democracy protests, where thousands of Buddhist monks joined the demonstrations against the junta.
Rivera Garza is also the founder and chair of the PhD programme in creative writing in Spanish at the University of Houston. Gunnarsdóttir says that 20 years ago, 64% of women who stayed at the shelter eventually went back to their abusers, but that figure is now down to 11% as a result of improved support and services.Working in a landscape of dried rivers and decimated crops, Ethiopian photographer Maheder Haileselassie documents how severe drought has pushed families in her country to give their daughters up to child marriage, a subject which won her the 2023 Contemporary African Photography Prize.
Working with other organisations such as the UN's cultural agency, Unesco, she has restored dozens of residential and heritage buildings in Old Sana’a and across the country. Unesco has surveyed damage at more than 16,000 sites. Hoffman also served for 20 years as the executive director of the Israel Religious Action Center, the legal and advocacy arm of the Reform Movement that works to promote equality and social justice.
The foundation is reported to have reached more than 150,000 people and 132 detention centres across the country. She oversaw an expansion of the congregation’s membership to include trans and non-binary people, and it is now believed to be the largest LGBTQ+ friendly synagogue in the US. The Ghanaian-Scottish academic also became the first woman of African descent to curate the Venice Biennale of Architecture, where she focused on the themes of decarbonisation and decolonisation.
Resilience is the crown that we women wear. We are forever able to adapt, transform and learn to thrive in our surroundings, no matter the circumstances.At the age of 56 and escaping an abusive marriage, Su Min set off on a solo road trip around China, with just her car, a tent and her pension.
Mjalli has used her garments to tell stories about Palestinians. She has also addressed the street harassment experienced by women globally, painting the phrase"not your habibti" on denim jackets and T-shirts.A keen writer from a young age, Hinda Abdi Mohamoud kept a diary with stories about people fleeing violence in her hometown of Hargeisa in Somalia.
The group have so far put up four – the first was Wales’ first black headteacher Betty Campbell in Cardiff, followed by writer Elaine Morgan in Mountain Ash, poet Cranogwen in Llangrannog, and suffragette Lady Rhondda in Newport.One of Iran’s most prominent novelists, Shahrnush Parsipur has addressed taboo issues in her work, such as female sexual oppression and rebellion in a patriarchal society.
The company was born when President Raúl Castro relaxed regulations for independent businesses and trade. Sharma faced resistance from priests and her wider community, because this role is traditionally held by men in the Hindu religion. Murray’s activism uses her background in fashion, helping people transition to mobility aids with style and promoting visibility for people with disabilities from minorities and ethnically diverse groups.
Having graduated as a doctor, she has been head of a clinic, a war correspondent and a film director for Vietnam Television, witnessing historic moments such as the fall of Saigon. One version of the Unesco-listed monumental poem consists of about 500,000 lines of verse and is arguably the longest epic in the world . Turganbaeva’s work creates opportunities and resources for"manaschis", entertainers who recite this Kyrgyz classic.Two years ago, Dilorom Yuldosheva lost both legs in a harvesting accident. But that did not stop her from dreaming big.
One of eight children, until the age of 10 Andrade walked to practice sessions from her favela outside Sao Paulo, while her single mother cleaned houses to pay for her training. The retired athlete was instrumental in the creation of the first ever Olympic Village nursery, at the Paris 2024 games. She was initially denied the opportunity to compete at her first Paralympics in Tokyo following the Taliban’s return to power in 2021.
In response to the devastating 2022 floods in Pakistan, Kiani launched her Vaseela-e-Raah project, dedicated to aiding victims in the regions of Balochistan and South Punjab. But the band have come a long way since they started 10 years ago at their village school in Garut, West Java. This year they performed at Glastonbury, the first Indonesian band in the music festival’s 54-year history.Celebrated for her achievements in long-distance running, Kenyan-born Romanian Olympian Joan Chelimo Melly won silver at the European Championships half marathon this year.
I believe that real change begins when we decide that our pain is not the end of our story, but the beginning of something greater.Climate justice advocate, musician and film-maker Inna Modja is a woman taking on many challenges – from campaigning against female genital mutilation to championing sustainability.
Composed in two languages and taking influences from Americana, soul and Latin folk, her music and her emotive voice reflect her rich cultural heritage. Many of her lyrics shed light on the exploitation of African women. Wiyaala has worked closely with UN agencies and the Ghanaian authorities to combat child marriage.
Nearly five years on, Otto also uses her experience as an advocate for survivors of domestic violence.A three-time Olympian, Vinesh Phogat is one of India's most decorated wrestlers and a vocal critic of sexist attitudes towards women in sports. She has won medals in World Championships, Commonwealth and Asian Games.
She presented her debut studio album My 21st Century Blues as an independent artist in 2023, to critical and commercial success. Soroor, who is from the Hazara ethnic minority, was discovered on the popular talent show Afghan Star in 2009. But she faced a violent backlash for pursuing a career in music and left the country in 2010.Hollywood star Sharon Stone has made a mark both on and off screen over the past three decades.
Resilience is a choice. You have to choose your flow. You either choose to get wound up or choose joy.Starring in the campaign Assume That I Can, Madison Tevlin’s viral video took the world by storm this year, by shattering prejudices about people with Down’s syndrome. Watanabe is also helping to change body stereotypes in Japan, spearheading a body-positive movement known as pochakawaii, which translates to"chubby and cute". She launched one of Japan's first brands to offer plus-size clothing.
Videos of her soon went viral on social media, praising not only her skills, but also her ice cool demeanour, unbreakable concentration and sci-fi-inspired look with bespoke glasses to help with precision. Born in Beijing, Zhao moved to the UK and the US. She describes herself as a nomad - a theme her award-winning film, Nomadland , celebrates.
She had spearheaded efforts to get the bill through parliament, serving as a legal review commissioner in both the House of Representatives and the Senate. An October 2024 UN report warned of the “staggering” scale of the problem, and accused the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces of"atrocious crimes", accusations the RSF dismissed.
Prior to her political career, she was an associate director of private bank Coutts and digital director of The Spectator magazine.Among hundreds of women across Pakistan taking part in demonstrations against alleged enforced disappearances in Balochistan province is Mahrang Baloch. Protesters from Balochistan province, scene of a long-running nationalist insurgency, say their loved ones have been taken and killed by Pakistani security forces, amid a counterinsurgency operation. The authorities in Islamabad deny these accusations.The leading force behind many campaigns, Lourdes Barreto has spent her life fighting for better rights for sex workers in Brazil.
She recently authored and photographed Spreads, an art book which uses food culture to examine the nuances of identity politics of communities in the region. A successful financier, prior to working for Navalny she did tax consultancy for international firms in Moscow. Arrested twice since the start of Iran’s Woman, Life, Freedom movement, Modares Gorji was initially sentenced to 21 years in prison on charges including “propaganda against the regime''. She is currently serving a reduced sentence of two years and four months.
At times their environmental campaign resulted in fierce clashes between the police and protesters standing guard to defend the woodland, but Işık and other villagers vowed to stand firm despite the challenges and threats they face, including being fined for entering the forest without permission . True resilience lies in embracing diversity. The more voices we include, the stronger we become - especially those once considered weak, women and LGBTQ+.Working at the intersection of politics and race in the US, Guerline M Jozef campaigns for immigrant rights.
United Kingdom Latest News, United Kingdom Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
How We Chose the 100 Most Influential Climate Leaders in Business for 2024The second annual TIME100 Climate 2024 list identifies 100 leaders driving measurable, successful, and equitable climate action.
Read more »
Saudi Arabia executes more than 100 foreigners in 2024 - triple the amount of previous yearsSaudi Arabia has executed more than 100 foreigners this year, according to an AFP tally indicating a sharp increase which one rights group said was unprecedented.
Read more »
Saudi Arabia's execution of 100 foreigners in 2024 branded an 'unprecedented crisis'Saudi Arabia has executed 101 foreigners so far this year, the oil-rich nation's highest number ever.
Read more »
Three Glasgow favourites making OpenTable’s Top 100 Restaurant list for 2024OpenTable has announced its annual Top 100 Restaurants in the UK list for 2024 for diners, by diners and its top 2025 dining trends and insights - and Glasgow makes the list.
Read more »
Belfast restaurant named in 'Top 100' in the in UK 2024'Even more exciting—we are the only restaurant in Northern Ireland to make this prestigious list'
Read more »
100 most in-demand restaurants of 2024 namedThe list is compiled from diner reviews, bookings and insights
Read more »