UN names laureates of the 2026 SDG Action Awards

Three winners out of more than 7,000 applications

The United Nations announced the laureates of the 2026 SDG Action Awards at the ninth Heroes of Tomorrow ceremony held in Rome. The awards are presented by the UN SDG Action Campaign — a special initiative of the Secretary-General that supports the 17 Sustainable Development Goals adopted by member states, which cover the fight against poverty and hunger, education, gender equality and climate protection. This was reported by Deutsche Welle. The winners were selected from more than 7,000 applications from 190 countries: first, nine finalists were chosen in three categories — resilience, creativity and changemaker — and then a jury of 20 judges — representatives of UN leadership, governments, civil society, the arts, business and youth activism — selected the winners. The jury included the Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme, Alexander De Croo, and the Executive Director of Oxfam International, Amitabh Behar. The award is supported by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development.

Who received the awards

The award in the resilience category went to Women's Justice Initiative — an organization providing legal aid to Indigenous women in Guatemala, where, according to the award, Maya women face high levels of violence, poverty and discrimination, exacerbated by language barriers and lack of information. The organization helps women and girls gain access to justice; according to its own data, more than 16,000 people have taken part in its programs. The organization's legal director, Viviana Patal, dedicated the award to the Maya-Kaqchikel women and girls who are 'building a more just future' for their communities. The Creativity Award went to the Mothers of Courage campaign — a grassrootsmovement of mothers from rural Indiathat is working to ensure girls continue their education and do not marry early. Its organizers say that more than 1.2 million people have joined the movement and pledged to keep their daughters in school. The Changemaker Award went to Malian entrepreneur Rokiatou Traore: her organization, Herou Alliance, helps women and small farmers bring depleted land back into use by planting trees among crops; the trees also give farmers additional income from selling moringa and other valuable species products. An honourable mention went to the UN Trust Fund to End Violence against Women and Girls.

The ceremony and statements

The ceremony also carried a tragic context: Jannat Al-Ghezi, president of the Organization of Women's Freedom in Iraq, tearfully honoured the memory of the founder of the UN Trust Fund, Yanar Mohammed, who was killed outside her home in Baghdad in March. UN Deputy Secretary-General Michelle Muschett said the finalists 'remind us that the future is something we create together.' The director of the SDG Action Campaign, Marina Ponti, urged the audience: 'When you are told that one person cannot change anything, prove that this is not true.' Italian singer and songwriter Rochelle performed at the ceremony. DW editorial note: Deutsche Welle Director General Barbara Massing was a member of the 20-person jury.