Indonesian girl named finalist for KIDS RIGHTS INTERNATIONAL CHILDREN'S PEACE PRIZE 2025

Three extraordinary youngsters are in the running for the International Children’s Peace Prize 2025, the most important youth prize in the world:

• Bana Alabed (aged 15, Syria/Turkey)
• Aeshnina (Nina) Azzahra Aqilani (aged 17, Indonesia)
• Divyansh Agrawal (aged 16, USA)
• In the prize’s 21^st year, these young candidates have been recognized for their groundbreaking commitments to children’s rights, including advocacy for war-affected children, tackling plastic colonialism, and driving climate action.
• This year the award ceremony will be held in Stockholm. The  winner will be announced  in the hometown of the Nobelprize,  at Stockholm’s iconic City Hall, on Wednesday, 19th November 2025. Co-host in 2025 is Global Child Forum, founded by the Swedish Royal family.

The international children’s rights organization, KidsRights, has announced the finalists for its annual International Children’s Peace Prize (ICPP). In its 21^st year, the award highlights the remarkable achievements of young changemakers fighting courageously for children’s rights across the world.

Receiving more than 200 nominations from 47  countries, reflecting the International Children’s Peace Prize’s prestige and the global platform on offer, a shortlist of three incredible finalists has been selected by a panel of experts.

Aeshnina (Nina) Azzahra Aqilani is a 17-year-old from Indonesia and a fierce advocate against “plastic colonialism.” Nina’s activism began at age 12 when she exposed the harmful practice of Western nations exporting plastic waste to Indonesia,  adressing leaders like Trump directly, her advocacy contributed to the European Green Deal’s 2027 ban on these exports, a historic win for global environmental justice.

Bana Alabed is a 15-year-old Syrian native, now residing in Turkey. Bana exemplifies resilience and courage, giving a voice to children trapped in war zones. Having endured the 2016 siege of Aleppo, Bana began her advocacy by sharing her experiences of war through diaries, blogs, and social media, gaining international attention. Bana is actively advocating for missing children in Syria and asks attention for children in conflict zones like Ukraine, Gaza and Sudan.

Divyansh Agrawal is a 16-year-old from the United States who has mobilized thousands in his fight for climate justice and children’s rights. As the founder of the Junior Philanthropists Foundation, he has helped pass 18 environmental bills in California, directly improving the lives of millions. Divyansh co-drafted the Global Youth Statement at COP29 in 2024, advocating for climate resilience.

The International Children’s Peace Prize, recognized for celebrating young changemakers like former recipients Malala Yousafzai and Greta Thunberg. They inspire hundreds of millions of people each year. Last year the message of the young winner reached 3.8 billion people through international media.

Each year the International Children’s Peace Prize has been awarded by a Nobel Peace Prize laureate. This year Mrs Tawakkol Karman, Nobel Peace Laureate 2011 will declare the winner who will receive the Nkosi Statuette along with a Desmond Tutu Study and Care Grant for their education. The winner will also be eligible to apply for a project fund of € 50,000.

Announcing the finalists, Marc Dullaert, Founder and Chair at KidsRights said: “The International Children’s Peace Prize is a testament to the courage, determination, and vision of young changemakers who are shaping a more just and equitable world. This year’s finalists, Nina, Bana and Divyansh, have risen to extraordinary challenges, advocating for environmental justice, war-affected children, and climate action. Their work exemplifies the spirit of the International Children’s Peace Prize  and inspires us all to join the fight for children’s rights.

The Finalists

Aeshnina (Nina) Azzahra Aqilani

Aeshnina Azzahra Aqilani, or Nina, is a 17-year-old environmental activist from Indonesia, dedicated to combating plastic colonialism, the harmful practice of exporting plastic waste from Western nations to the Global South. Her efforts gained global attention after she began advocating against this issue in 2019. Outraged by piles of foreign trash found near her home, Nina discovered that waste from countries like the U.S., Germany, and Canada was falsely labelled as “paper boxes” for recycling. Determined to stop this practice, she wrote letters to world leaders, including Donald Trump, urging change. Her early activism played a role in shaping the European Green Deal, which bans plastic waste exports outside the EU starting in 2027.

Nina’s journey has positioned her as a leading youth voice in the fight against plastic pollution. In 2021, she spoke at the Plastic Health Summit and the UNFCC COP26. She has since participated in critical global forums like the UN Plastic Treaty negotiations, meeting leaders such as Angela Merkel and Scott Morrison to demand accountability.

In Indonesia, Nina founded River Warriors in 2022, an initiative focused on cleanups, awareness campaigns, and actions against microplastic contamination in East Java’s rivers. She launched school programs and opened a children’s museum in 2023 to educate youth about waste and microplastics. Featured in the documentary Girls for Future, Nina has inspired thousands to join her fight for a healthier planet.

Through social media, public campaigns, and international advocacy, Nina amplifies her message: “Stop exporting plastic waste to developing countries. Restore our rivers and end the Plastic Era.” Aspiring to become an environmental lawyer, she continues to empower youth and push for systemic change to combat environmental injustice globally.

Bana Alabed, a 15-year-old Syrian activist now living in Turkey, has become a powerful voice for children in warzones, advocating for peace, education, and justice. Growing up during the Syrian Civil War, Bana experienced the devastating 2016 siege of Aleppo, where she endured bombings, deprivation, and insecurity. Losing loved ones, including her best friend Yasmine, deeply shaped her determination to fight for children’s rights.

Bana began her activism by documenting the suffering of children during the war, using diaries, blogs, and social media to highlight life under siege. Her “Stand with Aleppo” campaign, which demanded the lifting of the siege affecting over 360,000 civilians, gained worldwide attention, earning her the nickname “Icon of Aleppo.” Her work called attention to the deprivation of education, fear, and displacement faced by millions of children, pressuring the global community to advocate for ceasefires and humanitarian aid.

In addition to her activism, Bana is an accomplished author and speaker. Her books, Dear World and My Name is Bana, translated into 15 languages, provide powerful firsthand accounts of war and resilience. She has written for global publications, conducted workshops, and participated in films like Voices from Syria to highlight the struggles of displaced children. Through visits to refugee camps in Turkey and Jordan, she raises awareness and offers support to war-affected families.

Bana also runs educational programs for refugee children, providing language skills and mental health support. Moving forward, she plans to expand her efforts with podcasts, documentaries, and workshops to train young activists, while building networks with global advocates. Despite immense challenges, Bana remains steadfast in amplifying the voices of war-affected children, urging the world to offer them protection, justice, and hope for a better future. Her message is clear: “Peace is not a luxury. We want to live safely. You are not alone.”

Divyansh Agrawal, a 16-year-old climate advocate from the United States, is transforming youth-led environmental action. As founder and CEO of the Junior Philanthropists Foundation, Divyansh has mobilized over 10,000 youth across 27 US states to lobby for environmental policy reform, successfully supporting the passage of 18 environmental bills in California. These initiatives have improved access to clean water for 1.2 million people, protected 35,000 acres of land, and annually reduced hundreds of thousands of tons of CO₂ emissions.

Divyansh’s passion for climate action stems from personal experiences with wildfires, droughts, and systemic inaction. Guided by a belief in every child’s right to a livable planet, he channels this conviction into youth-led policymaking. In November 2024, Divyansh represented global youth at COY19 and COP29 in Azerbaijan, where he co-drafted the Global Youth Statement, urging leaders from over 160 countries to take decisive climate action.

Beyond policy, Divyansh’s impact extends to education. He created a climate education curriculum now implemented in the Democratic Republic of Congo, empowering 20,000 students in its first year to advocate for sustainability within their communities. His mentorship has equipped thousands of youth leaders with tools to drive systemic change.

Looking ahead, Divyansh envisions global systems for youth governance. In 2025, he will co-organize the UN Youth Climate Conference, fostering collaboration among 1,000 youth leaders. He is also spearheading the Global Youth Climate Legislature, an international youth parliament for drafting youth-driven climate policies.

Divyansh’s work exemplifies action over advocacy, turning vision into policy and policy into impact. His message is clear: “They gave us a future on fire, we turned it into a movement, and now we’re coming with water, with law, and with unstoppable truth.”

The International Children’s Peace Prize

The prestigious International Children’s Peace Prize was launched in 2005 during the World Summit of Nobel Peace laureates in Rome, chaired by Mikhail Gorbachev. The International Children’s Peace Prize is the most important and prestigious youth prize in the world. It is awarded annually to a child who has made a significant contribution to advocating children's rights and improving the situation of vulnerable children. The message of the young winner is broadcasted by international media and reaches hundreds of millions of people globally.

Further information: KidsRights@webershandwick.com

Editor’s Notes

About KidsRights

KidsRights is an international non-governmental children’s rights organization that strives for a world where all children have access to their rights and are enabled to realise the great potential they carry within them. KidsRights sees children as changemakers with the power to move the world and facilitates in voicing their opinions and taking action in order to bring about change. KidsRights supports children by commanding global attention for the realization of children’s rights and acts as a catalyst to ignite change, together with children and youth. KidsRights is the founder of world’s most important youth prize – The International Children's Peace Prize; The State of Youth, the world’s first digital borderless state and the organization behind the first and only global annual KidsRights Index that annually measures how children’s rights are respected worldwide and to what extent countries are committed to improving the rights of children.

KidsRights has a consultative status at the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).

Please visit our website to find out more about KidsRights: https://www.kidsrights.org/

About Global Child Forum

Global Child Forum is a Swedish non-profit foundation with headquarters in the heart of Stockholm.

We bring together global leaders from business, civil society, academia and government in order to spur action for social change around children’s rights. Our vision is a sustainable world where children’s rights are respected and supported by all stakeholders in society. In particular, we focus on the power of business to be a driver of change, and we encourage businesses to take approaches in their operations and their communities that best advance children’s rights.

Our work is underpinned by the United Nations (UN) Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Children’s Rights and Business Principles, as well as by our own research and tools.

International Children’s Peace Prize Expert Committee

The selection panel comprises:

Marc Dullaert Founder and Chairman of the KidsRights Foundation and Founder of the International Children’s Peace Prize.

Benyam Mezur Member and Former Chairperson of the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child.

Jo Becker Advocacy Director Human Rights Watch, Children’s Rights Division.

Tawakkol KarmanWinner Nobel Peace Prize 2011, Human rights activist, journalist, politician, president of Women Journalists without Chains organization.

Yanghee Lee Professor, developmental psychologist, special rapporteur of the UN on the situation of human rights in Myanmar, Former Chairperson of the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child.