One of several African women to make the list is Nigerian civil rights activist and co-convener of #BringBackOurGirls movement, Aisha Yesufu. Yesufu has also been at the forefront of the #EndSARS movement, a campaign that gained traction on social media globally against the excesses of a deadly police unit called the Special Anti-Robbery Squad.
Numerous policymakers have also been acknowledged; among them the UAE's Minister for Advanced Technologies and current chair of the country's Space Agency Sarah Al-Amiri. She was previously science lead and deputy project manager for the Emirates Mars Mission, which is set to be the first interplanetary venture of any Arab nation. The orbiter, known as Hope (or Amal in Arabic), is expected to land on the red planet in February 2021 and collect data on, for example, its climate and weather.
At 82, India's Bilkis Bano is the oldest woman on the list. The protest leader was part of a group of women who peacefully protested against a controversial citizenship law, which discriminates against Muslims. She became the face of a long-running protest at the capital's Shaheen Bagh, the Muslim area where the protests were held. Indian journalist and author Rana Ayyub described her as "the voice of the marginalised."
Bilkis is quoted as saying: "Women should feel empowered to step out of their homes and raise their voice, especially against injustice. If they don't leave their homes, how will they showcase their strength?" Her fight against the Citizenship Amendment Act had already led to her being included in Time magazine's 100 Most Influential People in September.
In contrast, 17-year-old environmental campaigner, Salsabila Khairunnisa, is the youngest woman on the prestigious list. The Indonesian student from Jakarta is recognised for leading a school strike every Friday against deforestation in front of the office of the Ministry of Environment and Forestry.
Khairunnisa is not the only teenager to score inclusion; she is joined by 18-year-old Somaya Faruqi who made headlines earlier this year when she led an all-female Afghan robotics team in designing low-cost ventilators to treat coronavirus patients.
The seven-woman "Afghan Dreamers" team took four months to finalise the design of the ventilator, which is partially based on an MIT design, and they received guidance from experts at Harvard University. The device is easy to carry and can run on battery power for 10 hours and costs $700 to produce, compared with the $20,000 price of a traditional ventilator, and the team's design could provide much-needed and affordable support to medical professionals.
The arts and media world is also represented in the list in the form of Syrian film-maker, activist and journalist Waad al-Kateab. The award-winning film-maker has received numerous accolades, including an Emmy for her news reports in Aleppo. This year her first feature documentary, For Sama, bagged a Bafta win and an Oscar nomination.
Women rights activist Laleh Osmany was unhappy with the omission of women's names from official documents in Afghanistan. Osmany started the WhereIsMyName campaign. After a three-year fight, in 2020 the Afghan government agreed to allow mothers to have their names printed on their children's national identity cards.
Campaigner Nadeen Ashraf is a philosophy student who believes in social media as a tool for change. She is passionate about spreading knowledge in a way that's accessible to the general population.
Activist Febfi Setyawati is the founder of Untukteman.id, an organisation that helps vulnerable people – especially ill people with financial difficulties and those affected by Covid-19.
Human rights activist Nasrin Sotoudeh is a lawyer advocating for the rule of law and the rights of political prisoners, opposition activists, women and children in Iran. She is on temporary-leave from a lengthy prison sentence for standing up against the country's justice system.
Disability activist Gulnaz Zhuzbaeva, founder of the Kyrgyz Federation of the Blind has been working tirelessly to make many important government documents available in Braille and improve access to those with visual impairment.
Activist Hayat Mirshad is co-founder of Fe-Male, a pioneer feminist collective. Unapologetic and uncompromising, her mission is to ensure girls and women have access to justice, information, protection and human rights.
Actor Mahira Khan is outspoken against sexual violence, refuses to endorse skin-lightening creams and supports the fight against racism. She wants to tackle social issues in her native Pakistan by changing the narrative in films and on TV.
Peace activist Ilwad Elman is a young female leader at the forefront of the Somali peace process and a global authority on ending the conflict.
Plant virologist Dr Safaa Kumari looks for solutions to epidemics that destroy crops. After discovering seeds that could safeguard food security in Syria, she risked her life to rescue them from Aleppo.
Social justice activist Gülsüm Kav is a doctor, academic and co-founder of We Will Stop Femicide.
