First lady Jill Biden, and Secretary of State Anthony Blinken are set to honor 11 woman leaders from around the globe at the White House today on International Women’s Day.
The International Woman of Courage Awards ceremony is in its 17th year and recognizes those “who have demonstrated exceptional courage, strength, and leadership in advocating for peace, justice, human rights, gender equity and equality, and the empowerment of women and girls, in all their diversity – often at great personal risk and sacrifice,” according to a State Department news release.
This year’s event honors women from countries captured by crisis, including Yuliia “Taira” Paievska, Ukrainian medic, who last year spent three months in pro-Russian captivity after her capture near the Russian-occupied city of Mariupol in south Ukraine.
Other honorees include an indigenous rights leader from Costa Rica, an Ethiopian journalist covering gender-based violence in the country, a doctor who grew up under Taliban rule in Afghanistan and now advocates for Afghan refugees in Turkey and the women of Iran who have led uprisings against the government’s repressive laws against women, the State Department said.
Coverage of the award ceremony begins today, at 2 p.m. ET and will be livestreamed by USA TODAY.
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Contributing: The Associated Press