Eight Pakistanis honoured with 2026 Diana Award

Eight young Pakistanis have been honoured with the 2026 Diana Award for their contributions to social development, education, healthcare, women’s empowerment and climate action.

They are among 198 young people from around the world selected for the prestigious international recognition, which celebrates individuals working to bring positive change to their communities.

The Diana Award was established in memory of Diana, Princess of Wales, and recognises young people whose initiatives address social challenges and improve the lives of disadvantaged communities.

The annual honour highlights youth-led efforts supporting key United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, including quality education, good health and well-being, reduced inequalities and climate action.

The Pakistani recipients are Ali Azan Ahmed Manj, Areeba Suleman, Mariam Rehman, Muhammad Ibrahim, Noor Abdul Ghani, Reya Yassir Khawaja, Sara Ali and Vishal Parkash.

The awards were announced on November 4. The recipients also received congratulatory letters from Prince William and Prince Harry, recognising their commitment to social causes and community development.

In his letter to Areeba Suleman, Prince William praised her determination, compassion and efforts to improve the lives of others. He described her contribution to her community as remarkable and said her achievements would have made his late mother, Princess Diana, proud.

Prince Harry also highlighted the importance of youth-led initiatives, saying young people had the potential to bring meaningful change and deserved greater support and opportunities to expand their work.

Meet the Pakistani recipients

Ali Azan Ahmed Manj

Manj was recognised for his efforts to improve healthcare facilities for underserved communities in Karachi and rural Sindh. Through his work with Humanity Initiative, he has helped organise student-led medical camps and partnerships with non-governmental organisations.

The initiative has provided healthcare services to more than 10,000 patients, helping people with limited access to medical facilities.

Areeba Suleman

Suleman founded SheRise Pakistan, a student-led youth organisation based in Dera Ghazi Khan. Her initiative focuses on educational opportunities and leadership development for young women, particularly in South Punjab.

Her work has directly benefited more than 6,000 students and encouraged young women to take active roles in their communities.

Mariam Rehman

A law and finance graduate, Rehman established The Pro-Justice Project to provide free legal assistance to people who cannot afford professional representation.

The initiative operates with the support of more than 250 volunteer lawyers and has assisted in over 1,000 cases across Pakistan.

She has also provided free debate coaching to more than 200 girls, helping them develop public-speaking abilities, confidence and critical-thinking skills.

Muhammad Ibrahim

Ibrahim was recognised for using technology to support communities affected by natural disasters.

He worked with the Punjab government on geographical information system (GIS)-based damage assessments and field surveys in vulnerable areas. His work helped support compensation planning for nearly 300,000 flood-affected families.

He also contributed to the Murree Rainwater Harvesting Project, which provided free rooftop water collection systems to around 4,000 households.

Noor Abdul Ghani

Ghani founded WinSci Pakistan to encourage girls and women to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).

A machine learning engineer and artificial intelligence postgraduate student, she has organised educational sessions, school outreach programmes and scholarship guidance initiatives.

Her organisation has worked with underprivileged schools to improve access to science and technology education for female students.

Reya Yassir Khawaja

Khawaja established SAFE (Sanitation and Female Empowerment) in collaboration with the KCS Foundation to raise awareness about menstrual hygiene and challenge the stigma surrounding periods.

Her initiative distributes menstrual hygiene kits and organises educational sessions for girls in underserved communities, encouraging them to discuss their health without hesitation.

Sara Ali

Ali founded the Pakistan Polio Project to strengthen public confidence in vaccination and address misinformation about immunisation.

Through awareness campaigns and community engagement, she has mobilised more than 100 volunteers to educate families, support frontline health workers and encourage vaccination, particularly among children who have not received routine immunisation.

Vishal Parkash

Parkash was recognised for his efforts to improve financial and legal opportunities for marginalised communities.

He founded RUBAN, an initiative connecting more than 200 women artisans from Karachi, Lahore and other parts of Sindh with formal markets. The platform has helped generate over Rs5 million in revenue for participating artisans.

He also established Emprende, which provides financial and legal literacy training to refugees and migrants. His other initiatives include disability advocacy and a global student-led consulting network.