Activist Ayisha Siddiqa makes it to TIME’s Women of the Year 2023

Activist Ayisha Siddiqa makes it to TIME’s Women of the Year 2023!

The 24-year-old Pakistani human rights and climate defender featured alongside 11 other inspiring women, including actors Cate Blanchett and Angela Bassett, and others.

Recognizing her efforts, TIME Magazine wrote, “Siddiqa felt the effects of this lack of action viscerally last year as she witnessed from afar the life-altering impacts of Pakistan’s floods, likely made more extreme by global warming. She channelled those feelings into poetry as a form of protest.”

“Her mission is deeply personal. At 14, Siddiqa realized how unsafe the environment can be after witnessing the illness and death—including of her grandparents—that came from her community’s polluted river water. At 16, she experienced another awakening as she became aware of the link between human rights and climate change. Access to resources was, for some people, worth killing for, she learned. For many, demanding clean air and water meant risking their lives. Growing up in a matriarchal, tribal community in eastern Pakistan helped shape her outlook.”

The annual list was released on March 2, which recognizes leaders who are using their voices to fight for a more equal world.

Introducing TIME's 2023 Women of the Year: Ayisha Siddiqa and 11 other extraordinary leaders who are working toward a more equal world https://t.co/8R77fbl5WR pic.twitter.com/Gk69S68xYT

— TIME (@TIME) March 2, 2023