In Stockholm, Nobel Peace Prize laureate Tawakkol Karman presented the 2025 International Children’s Peace Prize to Syrian activist Bana Alabed during a widely attended ceremony in the Swedish capital. The award, worth €50,000 and accompanied by further project support, was highlighted by organizers as a platform designed to elevate young leaders who are shaping global conversations on justice and humanitarian action.

Karman’s participation was framed as part of a longstanding tradition in which the awarding body invites influential international figures to spotlight exceptional youth-led initiatives. Her presence underscored her stature as a leading global advocate for human rights and children’s protection.

During the event, Karman delivered remarks celebrating the year’s three finalists, portraying them as young leaders who had stepped into roles of influence long before adulthood. She noted that more than 200 nominations from 47 countries had been reviewed, yet the three young activists distinguished themselves through their courage, moral clarity, and tangible contributions to peace, justice, and environmental responsibility.

Karman described Bana Alabed as a figure whose activism embodies both national memory and the moral conscience of a revolution. She reflected on Alabed’s experiences during the siege of Aleppo in 2016—including the loss of her friend Yasmin—and her subsequent global role in drawing attention to the suffering of children in Syria and in other conflict zones such as Gaza, Ukraine, and Sudan. Alabed’s continued advocacy, she said, had come to represent a broader assertion of humanity in the face of war.

The ceremony also highlighted Indonesian activist Nina, who began campaigning at the age of twelve against the import of plastic waste from industrialized countries to the Global South. Karman noted that Nina’s activism contributed to Europe’s adoption of new policies aimed at ending plastic waste exports by 2027, while her wider work through the “River Warriors” initiative has energized environmental movements across her country.

American finalist Devyansh was similarly recognized for leading broad youth-led campaigns that helped advance 18 environmental laws in California, representing young people at COP29, and launching educational and institutional initiatives designed to embed youth participation in global climate governance.

Karman concluded by noting that the three finalists had chosen agency over victimhood, embodying what she characterized as three parallel movements: a movement for peace, a movement for the planet, and a movement for justice. She expressed confidence that the combined message carried by this year’s finalists would resonate globally and inspire further youth leadership around the world.

Presented below is the full address:

Ladies and gentlemen,

Dear friends,

And the brave young heroes who are changing our world…

Peace be upon you all.

We gather today to celebrate three of the most exceptional young voices on this planet—three voices that did not wait to “grow up” in order to make a difference, but chose to begin now, to lead now, and to shape a better future for the children of the world.

In a year that saw more than 200 nominations from 47 countries, we stand here with three extraordinary finalists, each of whom has done what many adults have failed to do:

to speak the truth, defend life, and give this world one more chance at peace, justice, and sustainability.

Before we honor them, let us listen to their stories.

First: Bana Alabed — The Voice of Children in War

Dear Bana Alabed,

Daughter of Aleppo, witness to fire, and the voice of besieged children…

You are not just a finalist; you are the memory of a nation, the conscience of a revolution, and the message of peace that rose from under the rubble.

You survived the 2016 siege of Aleppo—bombardment, hunger, fear.

You lost loved ones, including your best friend Yasmine.

You witnessed one of the worst crimes against civilians in our century.

And instead of breaking… you chose to rise.

You lit up the world with your words—through tweets, diaries, testimonies, and books translated into over 15 languages.

You called for lifting the siege on more than 360,000 civilians.

You made the world hear the cry: “Stand with Aleppo.”

And today, you continue to fight for the missing children of Syria and for children trapped in warzones across Gaza, Ukraine, and Sudan—because you know, better than anyone, that every child in war is you, and that their story is your story.

Bana,

You represent the truth that the Syrian revolution was never a civil war.

It was—and remains—a revolution of people demanding freedom against a machinery of mass destruction.

It was a revolution asking for schools instead of barrel bombs, for bread instead of blockade, for life instead of mass graves.

A revolution sparked by children, before adults followed.

And today, as you stand before us, we say:

You have won—because your voice survived, because your humanity endured.

Second: Aeshnina (Nina) Azzahra Aqilani — The Fighter Against Plastic Colonialism

Dear Nina, from Indonesia,

You are proof that environmental justice is not a technical debate—it is a matter of life and dignity.

You began your fight at the age of twelve when you discovered that the mountains of trash near your home were not “local waste,” but shipments of plastic garbage from some of the world’s richest nations.

You wrote letters to world leaders—including Donald Trump—calling for change.

You spoke at international summits, stood at the United Nations, and confronted global leaders.

Your advocacy became part of the historic European Green Deal, which bans plastic waste exports beyond Europe by 2027.

You founded River Warriors, organized river cleanups, built awareness programs, opened a children’s environmental museum, and became a global voice demanding:

“Stop exporting your waste to developing countries. End the Plastic Era.”

Nina,

You are not just an environmental activist—

You are the voice of the Global South rising to demand justice.

Third: Divyansh Agrawal — The Climate Policy Maker

And you, Divyansh, from the United States,

You are a rare example of a young person who did not wait to become a policymaker—you became one.

As the founder of the Junior Philanthropists Foundation, you mobilized over 10,000 youth across 27 states, and successfully helped pass 18 environmental laws in California, protecting water, reducing emissions, and preserving tens of thousands of acres of land.

You represented global youth at COP29, co-authored the Global Youth Statement delivered to leaders of 160 countries, and brought climate education to 20,000 students in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

You are now helping build global youth governance structures, organizing the upcoming UN Youth Climate Conference, and shaping the world’s first Global Youth Climate Legislature.

Divyansh,

You are not just dreaming of a better world—

You are building it.

A Message to All Three Finalists

Bana… Nina… Divyansh…

Each of you carries a different story, but you share something profound:

You refused to be victims. You chose to be leaders.

You remind the world that children are not merely “the future”—

they are a force of the present, capable of confronting war, pollution, injustice, and political inaction.

And today, in front of the world, I want to say:

We are proud of you.

We are grateful to you.

We see you as true leaders of tomorrow.

In Closing…

Last year, the message of the International Children’s Peace Prize reached 3.8 billion people worldwide.

This year, with these three finalists, I am certain it will reach even further.

You are not just three young people…

You are three revolutions:

A revolution for peace,

A revolution for the planet,

And a revolution for justice.

Congratulations to all of you.

And congratulations to the world for having you.

Thank you.