Photographer, UN Photo/United Nations Mission in South Sudan
Doris Poni Mogga is a South Sudanese lawyer within the United Nations Mission in South Sudan,?bringing mobile courts to conflict-affected and remote areas of South Sudan. A role model within the justice system, she helps to create safer environments for women and girls, ensuring survivors and witnesses are treated with dignity throughout legal proceedings.
Supporting mobile courts has been among my proudest achievements. They restore trust in the rule of law?and bring justice closer to communities and people that would otherwise be forgotten.”
Photographer, Maisa Ghazaleh (Occupied Palestinian Territory)
Palestinian lawyer, feminist and human rights defender Randa Siniora has over 30 years of experience advancing justice for women under military occupation. As Director of the Women’s Centre for Legal Aid and Counselling, she leads efforts to address gender-based violence and secure legal protections for Palestinian women. In 2018, she became the first Palestinian woman civil society representative to brief the UN Security Council, highlighting the intersection of gender, occupation and systemic violence.
As Palestinian women, we don't want to be seen only as victims and our stories told as those of victims. We are initiators of change, asking first and foremost for prevention, protection, and meaningful political participation.”
Photographer, Maisa Ghazaleh (Occupied Palestinian Territory)
Amani Aruri is a Palestinian feminist and advocate for peace and human rights. Her activism challenges systems of violence, militarism and exclusion and pushes for peace that is inclusive and rooted in justice. Amani’s work centers on the lived experiences of Palestinian women and girls under occupation, ensuring their voices shape the path toward lasting peace.
Start where you are, engage locally, learn from your community and then build outward. Don’t wait for permission. Mobilise, document and connect with other feminists globally. Transformation often begins from the ground up.”
Photographer, Do Nsoseme (Democratic Republic of the Congo)
Anne-Marie Dongui is the Deputy Director of the United Nations Joint Human Rights Office in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Hailing from the Ivory Coast, she has championed the rights of women and marginalised communities for over 25 years, with a focus on their inclusion in peace processes. Dongui’s leadership is rooted in restoring dignity, accountability and support for victims/survivors of abuse.
A woman has to work twice as hard as a man to earn her place. In some countries where I have worked, officials have refused to shake my hand simply because I am a woman. The challenge of being accepted as a woman is real and it matters - because without it, you can’t do your work.”
Photographer, Do Nsoseme (Democratic Republic of the Congo)
Nelly Mbangu is a Congolese human rights defender and lawyer from North Kivu, Eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. Despite facing threats and displacement, she campaigns for the rights of Congolese women and children, provides legal aid to and empowers victims/survivors of sexual and gender-based violence. She also coordinates Sauti ya Mama Mukongomani, a peace movement uniting over 30 women’s organisations.
I’ve always said, after violence, there is life. There is life, because I lived through it. I fought to become who I am today. So I believe that after every act of violence, if you continue to believe in your strength, in your potential, you never truly lose. After violence, there is life. And if there is life, there is hope.”
Photographer, Mona Elfateh (Sudan)
A lawyer and civil society leader, Mona Mohamed Omaer Hamad works with Sorkenat Organisation in Sudan to raise awareness of women’s rights, peacebuilding and UN Security Council resolution 1325.? She empowers women to recognise their role in democratic change and peace processes, challenging gender-based violence and traditional limitations through education and legal advocacy.
I want women to go out and participate in all issues and platforms, to be present in state institutions as leaders capable of decision making, to intervene to resolve conflicts side by side with men and to represent women at the highest level.”
Photographer, Rita Kalaban (Lebanon)
Lubna Ezzedine is a local peace mediator, educator, and social/environmental activist based in Tyre, South Lebanon. A trusted community leader, she founded a centre empowering women and youth and is a member of Lebanon’s Women’s 91制片厂building Network. Lubna established her town’s first women’s committee, leading development projects and championing the role of women in public life.
The moment the ceasefire was announced and we returned, I called everyone to find out what their needs were. Many wanted to talk. They wanted to share what happened during the war - their displacement, how they waited in line, how they argued and made up. They have so many stories inside them that they want to let out.”
This exhibit was launched in June 2025