Flavia Agnes: A legal activist, academician and feminist scholar, Flavia Agnes has spent decades reshaping the legal landscape for Indian women. Born in 1947, her journey from a survivor of domestic violence to a leading women’s rights lawyer exemplifies resilience and transformation. As co-founder of MAJLIS, a legal and cultural resource centre in Maharashtra, she has helped over 50,000 women navigate the justice system with dignity. Agnes has been instrumental in bringing issues of domestic violence, gender inequality, and minority rights into legal and public discourse long before they were part of mainstream conversation. Through public interest litigation and advocacy, she has challenged patriarchal legal norms and defended the rights of women across religious and caste groups. Her deeply personal autobiography, My Story, Our Story of Rebuilding Broken Lives, continues to inspire survivors and activists alike. In 2024, a tree was dedicated in her name in the Garden of the Righteous in Milan, honouring her life-long fight against gender-based violence.

Kirthi Jayakumar: Feminist researcher, peacebuilder, and lawyer from Chennai, Kirthi Jayakumar has pioneered digital activism to advance gender equality and peace. She is the founder of The Gender Security Project, one of the few Women, Peace and Security (WPS) initiatives based in the Global South, dedicated to research and advocacy at the intersection of gender, conflict, and security. A self-taught coder, Kirthi created Saahas, a multilingual mobile and web app that supports survivors of gender-based violence in 196 countries. She formerly founded The Red Elephant Foundation, using storytelling and digital tools to promote gender equality and non violence. A Commonwealth Scholar and Royal Society of Arts fellow, Kirthi represents a new generation of peace activists.

Nandita Das: Acclaimed actor, filmmaker, and activist, Nandita Das has used cinema as a tool for social change. With over 40 films in 10 languages, she is known for taking on powerful and socially relevant roles, including her groundbreaking performance in Fire, one of India’s earliest portrayals of queer relationships on screen. As a filmmaker, her works tackle complex themes, such as the short film Listen to Her, which highlighted the surge in domestic violence in India during the pandemic, and the music video India’s Got Colour, which confronted the deep-rooted issue of colourism. In 2012, she wrote, directed, and acted in Between the Lines, a play that explored the subtle gender inequalities that exist among India’s affluent and educated urban elite. Beyond the screen, Nandita has championed numerous causes, from HIV/AIDS awareness to Dark Is Beautiful, a campaign that challenges beauty standards. She served on the Cannes Film Festival jury twice and was the first Indian inducted into the International Hall of Fame of the International Women’s Forum in Washington, D.C.

Sarojini Naidu: Poet, orator, and freedom fighter, Sarojini Naidu is famously known as the Nightingale of India. Her poetry, including works like In Salutation to Eternal Peace, envisioned peace as a state of harmony, unity, and spiritual connection, not just between individuals but also with nature and the divine. Born in Hyderabad on February 13, 1879, Naidu was not only a gifted writer but also a fearless political leader. A key figure in India’s independence movement and a close associate of Mahatma Gandhi and other national leaders, she endured repeated arrests by British authorities and spent over 21 months in prison. In 1925, she became the first woman to preside over the Indian National Congress. After independence, she was appointed Governor of the United Provinces (now Uttar Pradesh) in 1947, becoming the first woman to hold the office of Governor in the Dominion of India.

Dr. B. R. Ambedkar: Jurist, social reformer, and chief architect of the Indian Constitution, Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar, born in 1891, was also one of India’s earliest and most radical feminist thinkers. Born into a Dalit family, he understood the deep intersections of caste, class, and gender oppression. He championed the principles of dignity, education, and self-respect for all. Ambedkar’s vision of justice included full gender equality. He urged women to organise independently and lead change. At the All India Depressed Classes Women’s Conference in Nagpur on July 20, 1942, he expressed admiration for the women’s strong turnout and encouraged them to abandon oppressive rituals and customs, instill ambition in their children, and shape the nation's future. As India’s first Law Minister, he drafted the groundbreaking Hindu Code Bill that advocated for equal inheritance rights, divorce, and guardianship, giving daughters and widows the same legal standing as sons.

Irom Sharmila Chanu: A civil rights activist and poet from India’s northeastern state of Manipur, Irom Sharmila Chanu is known as the state’s Iron Lady. In protest against the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA), she undertook one of the world’s longest hunger strikes, lasting nearly 16 years, from 2000 to 2016. Her protest began after the killing of 10 civilians by security forces in Malom village, igniting her resolve to demand justice and the repeal of AFSPA, a law granting sweeping powers to the military in “disturbed” areas. She was awarded the Rabindranath Tagore Peace Prize in 2010 in recognition of her unwavering commitment to non violent resistance. Despite being force-fed through a nasal tube and held under arrest for most of her protest, she remained calm, determined, and focused. In August 2016, she ended her fast, declaring her intent to enter politics and pursue justice through electoral democracy.

Manasi Pradhan: A women’s rights activist and author, Manasi Pradhan is the founder of the Honour for Women National Campaign, a nationwide movement aimed at ending violence against women in India. Born in a remote village in Odisha in 1962, she defied deep-rooted gender taboos, walking 15 km each day through rugged terrain to become the first girl in her village to complete school and later, the first woman law graduate in her region. Over the years, she has founded multiple initiatives, including Nirbhaya Vahini, Nirbhaya Samaroh, and OYSS Women, which work to empower women at the grassroots level. Manasi Pradhan’s contributions have received widespread national and international recognition. She was awarded the Rani Lakshmibai Stree Shakti Puraskar by the President of India in 2014 and named one of the world’s most inspiring feminist authors and activists by Bustle and Welker Media. In 2018, she addressed the prestigious Oxford Union at the University of Oxford.

Sampat Pal Devi: Grassroots leader, women’s rights activist, and founder of the Gulabi Gang– a movement of women in pink saris fighting injustice across rural India, Sampat Pal Devi, who was born in 1960 in Bundelkhand, Uttar Pradesh, witnessed gender and caste discrimination from a young age. Denied formal education and forced into child marriage at twelve, she defied expectations by secretly attending school and becoming her class’s top student. In 2006, Devi established the Gulabi Gang, a group originally all women and later joined by men, to take on abusive husbands, corrupt officials, and a system that often fails to protect its most vulnerable. They support survivors of gender violence, run shelters for widows, teach self-defence, and demand action from authorities in cases of rape and social injustice.

Savitribai Phule: Educator, social reformer, and India’s first female teacher, born in 1831 in Naigaon, Maharashtra, Savitribai Phule broke caste and gender barriers by advocating for education as a tool for emancipation. With the support of her husband Jyotirao Phule, she learned to read and write, defying social norms. Together, they founded India’s first school for girls run by Indians at Bhide Wada in Pune, which became a catalyst for educational reform. Between 1848 and 1852, they established 18 such schools and introduced innovative teaching practices, including stipends and parent-teacher meetings. Her work extended beyond education as she co-founded the Satya Shodhak Samaj to promote social equality, encouraged widow remarriage, and opposed dowry and caste discrimination. She set up Balyata Pratibandak Gruha to support pregnant widows and rape victims, and ran adoption and shelter initiatives. Through her organization, Mahila Seva Mandali, she fought against child marriage, female foeticide, and the sati system.

Sudha Murty: Engineer, educator, philanthropist, and storyteller, Sudha Murty has long defied social expectations. Born in 1951 in Shiggaon, Karnataka, she became the first female engineering student at B.V.B. College of Engineering & Technology in 1968. At a time when engineering was seen as unsuitable for women, she studied without basic facilities like a women's restroom and graduated at the top of her class. As a key figure in social development initiatives, Murthy has led the construction of over 16,000 women’s toilets across India, working to restore dignity and hygiene to marginalized communities. For nearly two decades, she has also supported the rescue and rehabilitation of over 3,000 survivors of sex trafficking, offering them education, legal aid, and a path to reclaim their lives. Through her writing, which is rich in Indian mythology and folklore, Murty raises powerful questions about gender norms, child marriage, and the tension between tradition and progress. Her stories speak to the everyday courage of women across India and invite readers to imagine a more compassionate and equitable society.

Autumn Peltier : She is an environmental and indigenous rights activist who highlights the issues of water access and conservation. Autumn Peltier advocates for access to clean water for Indigenous peoples in Canada and denounces the treatment they receive compared to other people who are never denied water. Her work consists of working with organisations to provide access to water for indigenous people and raising awareness of the issue on social media. Her work with the Dreamcatcher Charitable Foundation has brought water to over 500 homes in indigenous communities.

Chico Mendes : Chico Alves Mendes Filho was a Brazilian rubber tapper and environmentalist who dedicated his life to preserving the Amazon rainforest and defending the human rights of Brazilian peasants and indigenous people. He was secretary of the Rubber Tappers' Union and later founded the National Council of Rubber Tappers with other union members to protect rubber tappers, rural workers and indigenous people from land invasions.

Fatou Jeng : Fatou Jeng is a Gambian youth climate activist and founder of Clean Earth Gambia. The organisation aims to raise awareness on environmental and climate change issues. Through her organisation, she has been instrumental in educating the younger generation about the problem of climate change. They have also managed to plant over 30,000 trees.

Hindou Oumarou Ibrahim : An environmental activist and geographer from the Republic of Chad, Hindou Oumarou Ibrahim campaigns for the rights and protection of the Mbororo people of Chad. She also works for the climate movement, contributing to the 3D mapping of Mbororo territories for better sustainable environmental management and advocating for the inclusion of indigenous knowledge and wisdom in the global climate change movement.

Julia Butterfly Hill : She is an American environmental activist and advocate for tax redirection. She fought for the preservation of trees and protested against a logging company by living at the top of an ancient redwood tree in Northern California to prevent it from being cut down. Her action led to an agreement with the company to preserve the trees in the area.

Leah Thomas : Leah Thomas is an American feminist and environmental activist who uses social media platforms such as Instagram to educate people about the close connection between social justice and environmentalism. She believes that protecting the environment goes hand in hand with protecting people who are victims of social injustice, and that every group of people should have a presence and a voice in the environmental movement.

Liz Chicaje Churay : Peruvian environmentalist and indigenous leader, Liz Chicaje Churay is an environmentalist who fights for the conservation of forests and the rights of indigenous people in the Loreto region of Peru, protecting them from illegal logging and mining. Her activism led to the creation of the Yaguas National Park and the protection of the Yagua people in the area.

Rachel Carson : Rachel Carson was an American marine biologist and environmentalist. She is considered one of the most important figures in the modern environmental movement. She raised awareness of environmental issues and the importance of conservation. Her most important work is Silent Spring, a book on environmental science.

Sunderlal Bahuguna : He was an Indian environmentalist and a leader of the Chipko movement, a peaceful movement to protect forests in India. True to the movement he was a part of, he protected the forests of the Himalayas and fought for their preservation.  Bahuguna also led protests against the construction of large dams that could damage the environment, notably the Tehri dam protest.

Vanessa Nakate :  A Ugandan climate justice activist raising awareness of the problems some communities face due to climate change and the dangers of fossil fuels. Vanessa Nakate founded the Youth For Future and Rise Up movements to give a voice to African climate activists. She has spoken at many international forums and summits to urge world leaders to take action and contribute to the cause. She also launched the Green School Project to encourage schools in Uganda to move towards a more eco-friendly environment, such as using solar energy, with 30 schools already taking part in the initiative.

Berta Cáceres : Honduran feminist, defender of LGBT and indigenous rights. She founded the Council of Popular and Indigenous Organizations of Honduras to defend the rights of indigenous people in Honduras, and has led many protests and campaigns on behalf of indigenous people to defend their lands against illegal logging and occupation. Berta Cáceres is best known for her protests against the construction of hydroelectric dams on the Rio Gualcarque at the request of the Lenca indigenous people of Honduras.

Elizabeth Wanjiru Wathuti : She is an environmentalist from Kenya and has helped to plant over 30,000 tree seedlings in Kenya through the Green Generation Initiative, of which she is the founder. She encourages the younger generation to take care of the environment. She received the Africa Green Person of the Year Award in 2019.

Hilda Flavia Nakabuye : She is a climate and environmental rights activist who also advocates for a more inclusive climate change movement. Nakabuye is the founder of the Fridays for Future movement in Uganda and encourages everyone, especially women, to join the fight against climate change. Uganda's Fridays for Future is dedicated to mobilising youth to demand swift action on the climate crisis.

Jadav Molai Payeng : Known as the Forest Man of India, Jadav Molai Payeng is not only a forestry worker but also an activist dedicated to preserving India's natural landscape by planting trees. His efforts paid off when he managed to turn a sandbar of the Brahmaputra River into a forest reserve covering around 1,360 acres. It was named 'Molai Forest' in honour of his hard work.

Leah Namugerwa : Leah Namugerwa is a climate activist from Uganda, Africa. Her activism takes the form of tree planting campaigns, marches and petitions to enforce the plastic bag ban in Uganda. She aims to raise awareness of climate change and its impact on the people of Uganda.

Lesein Mutunkei : An environmental activist from Kenya, Lesein Mutunkei is a footballer who uses the power of football to protect nature. For every goal he scores, he plants 11 trees to help with reforestation. His organisation, Trees4goals, has planted more than 5,500 indigenous trees in Kenya and he and his 22 team-mates have planted 700 trees in Nairobi's Karura Forest. He also encourages young people to join the initiative.

Mike H. Pandey : Indian filmmaker born in Nairobi, Kenya, who is committed to the conservation of India's wildlife, which he promotes through his films. Mike H. Pandey has won over 300 awards for his work in sharing knowledge about wildlife and helping to protect and conserve species such as whale sharks, elephants, tigers, vultures and horseshoe crabs.

Sumaira Abdulali : Sumaira Abdulali is an Indian environmental activist from Mumbai whose main activities are fighting against noise pollution and illegal sand mining. She founded the Movement against Intimidation, Threat and Revenge against Activists (MITRA) to protect public interest activists. Her actions have led to changes in sand mining policy at state and national levels, and even brought the issue of illegal sand mining to the attention of the world. As mentioned above, she also works to reduce noise pollution in cities.

Sylvia Earle : She is an American marine biologist who campaigns for the conservation of marine life. Her Mission Blue aims to create protected areas for marine ecosystems called "Hope Spots". By 2022, around 140 Hope Spots will have been created around the world.

Xiye Bastida Patrick: She is a Mexican climate activist from the indigenous Otomi people of Mexico. She is one of the organisers of Fridays for Future New York City and co-founded the Re-Earth initiative to make the climate movement more inclusive and diverse for all. Her activism ranges from climate strikes to speaking at the United Nations about the importance of the climate movement and demanding that world leaders join it.

Raoni Metuktire (or Ropni) : He is an Indigenous Brazilian leader and chief belonging to the Kayapó (or caiapó) ethnic group from the Krajmopyjakare village in north-eastern Mato Grosso. He is an environmentalist known for his fight for the preservation of the Amazon rainforest and indigenous culture. His actions led to the creation of the Rainforest Foundation to protect Indigenous territory and they successfully paved the way for the demarcation of large indigenous lands in the country. Raoni was nominated in 2020 for the Nobel Peace Prize for his lifelong defence of the forest.

Sonia Guajajara : Activist and leader of the Guajajara people, Sonia Guajajara has been one of the most important figures in the indigenous struggle in recent years. A native of Maranhão in Brazil, she has made a career out of defending indigenous rights, particularly in the area of land demarcation and conservation of the Amazon. In 2023, she became Brazil’s first Minister for Indigenous Peoples.

Ailton Krenak : Indigenous leader, environmentalist and writer, belonging to the Krenak people. He founded the Núcleo de Cultura Indígena organisation to promote indigenous culture. Since 1980, he has dedicated himself to the protection of indigenous peoples and the environment. He is very important for his participation in the elaboration of the Brazilian Constitution of 1988 as a representative of Indigenous peoples. During one of the sessions, while speaking from the podium, he painted his face with black jenipappo paint, in keeping with traditional Brazilian indigenous custom, to protest what he saw as a step backwards in the fight for Brazilian Indigenous rights.

Célia Xakriabá : indigenous educator and activist from the Xakriabá of Brazil, campaigning for the rights and status of indigenous women, endangered Indigenous languages and for the demarcation of indigenous land. She has denounced the systemic racism that people like her face in society for being indigenous and talked about the importance of preserving her community’s territory.

Jacir de Souza Macuxi : belonging to the Macuxi people of Brazil, he is one of the main defenders of the recognition of the Raposa Serra do Sol indigenous territory in the state of Roraima. He united all the tuxauas (chiefs) in the region to help community leaders fight against the advancin mining operations on indigenous land. His actions succeeded and led to several indigenous communities joining the initiative which resulted in the creation of the Indigenous Council of Roraima to defend the rights of the indigenous peoples of Roraima.

Hamangaí Pataxó Hã-Hã-Hãe : indigenous woman of mixed heritage, descendant from both the Pataxó Hã-Hã-Hãe people and the Terena people. She is an activist that highlights the importance of preserving nature and aims to motivate young indigenous people like her to continue their duty of protecting it. She has participated in many conferences where she promoted her goal of continuing the work of her ancestors.

Davi Kopenawa : Shaman,eco-activist and spokesman for the indigenous Yanomami community of Brazil. He advocates for the conservation of nature and the environment on a global scale. He brought awareness to the suffering of the Yanomami in Brazil caused by illegal gold miners and fought for the recognition of the areas inhabited by the Yanomami, which were eventually recognized by the Brazilian government. He won many awards, notably the UN Global 500 award in 1989.

Joênia Wapichana ( Wapixana) : Brazil’s first indigenous lawyer, she is a member of the Wapixana tribe of   Brazil and the current president of the National Commission for the Defense of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. She worked on the demarcation of the Raposa do Sol indigenous reserve in Roraima, Brazil, as well as in the legal department of the Indigenous Council of Roraima, defending the rights of indigenous peoples to own their land in the Northern region of Brazil. She fights against the expansion of illegal gold mining in the Amazon. In 2018 she was awarded with the UN Prize in the field of Human Rights.

Daniel Munduruku : Indigenous author and educator from the Munduruku indigenous people. He promotes traditional indigenous stories through the children’s books he writes, and is involved in many organizations that promote the culture and literature of Brazil’s indigenous peoples.

Cristine Takuá : indigenous writer, philosopher, educator and artisan belonging to the Maxacali ethnic group. She is a member of the Guarani Yvyrupa Commission (CGY), an indigenous organisation founded in 2006 that brings together Guarani groups from the south and south-east of Brazil engaged in territorial struggles. She is also the founder of the Forum for the Articulation of Indigenous Teachers of São Paulo and a representative of the Indigenous Education Centre of the São Paulo State Department of Education.

Daiara Tukano : Indigenous activist and artist, descendant of the Tukano people from the Rio Negro in Amazonas, on the border between Brazil, Colombia and Venezuela. She has Master’s degree in Human Rights and she researched the right of memory and truth for indigenous peoples. Her role as an activist goes hand in hand with her profession as an artist as she explores her culture and its history through her art, bringing awareness to it.

Sonia Ará Mirim : Sonia Ará Mirim is a descendant of the Xukuru-Kariri people of the Northeast, but she was adopted by the Guarani of São Paulo and became an indigenous leader of the Guarani Mbya. An environmentalist and defender of indigenous rights, Sonia Ará Mirim formed a group of forest firefighters to fight fires in the Jaraguá region, one of the few areas of Atlantic Forest left in the state of São Paulo. In January 2020, she led the resistance movement against the Tenda construction company, which wanted to build a five-building luxury development on land adjacent to the Jaraguá Indians’ land, where 700 Guarani live.

Klemetti Näkkäläjärvi

Klemetti Näkkäläjärvi is a Finnish researcher and a member of a reindeer Saami family. He is greatly focused on Saami culture, language, environment and biodiversity. Näkkäläjärvi also worked as Sami parliament’s president in Finland which is the highest political organ of the Saami people in the country. He influenced a concept of prohibition of regression that serves to prevent the realisation of projects which would considerably impair the potential of the Saami people to exercise their indigenous peoples' rights. Näkkäläjärvi also assisted in implementation of Akwé: Kon guidelines in Finland - ‘’guidelines for the conduct of cultural, environmental and social impact assessments in developments proposed to take place on, or which are likely to impact on, sacred sites and on lands and waters traditionally occupied or used by indigenous and local communities.’’

Rigas Zafeiriou

Rigas Zafeiriou is a Greek cross-disciplinary researcher, consultant and manager on organic and sustainable agricultural systems, food networks and sustainable rural development. As a Project Manager for the Mediterranean Institute for Nature and Anthropos (MedINA), he developed and successfully implemented an innovative monitoring and certification system for high-quality, added-value olive oil production, which conserves biodiversity, maintains traditional agricultural landscapes and supports farmers' livelihoods. Moreover, among his many achievements in the field of agrobiodiversity conservation, he is part of the Integrated Nature Culture Approach (INCREAte) which promotes the interconnection of culture and nature by focusing on and designing more efficient conservation projects while also addressing human wellbeing.