Eight young Pakistanis have received the 2026 Diana Award in recognition of their contributions to social development, education, healthcare, women’s empowerment and climate action. They are among 198 young people worldwide selected for the international honour, which recognises initiatives addressing social challenges and improving disadvantaged communities.
Established in memory of Diana, Princess of Wales, the Diana Award celebrates young people working to create positive change. It also highlights youth-led initiatives supporting the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, including quality education, good health, 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, and the recipients received congratulatory letters from Prince William and Prince Harry.
Their initiatives cover a range of community needs. Ali Azan Ahmed Manj was recognised for helping improve healthcare access in Karachi and rural Sindh through student-led medical camps and partnerships with non-governmental organisations. His work with Humanity Initiative has helped provide healthcare services to more than 10,000 patients.
Areeba Suleman founded SheRise Pakistan, which promotes education and leadership opportunities for young women, particularly in South Punjab. Her organisation has reportedly benefited more than 6,000 students. Mariam Rehman established The Pro-Justice Project, providing free legal assistance through a network of more than 250 volunteer lawyers. The initiative has supported over 1,000 cases across Pakistan, while her debate coaching has helped more than 200 girls develop communication and critical-thinking skills.
Muhammad Ibrahim was recognised for using geographical information system (GIS) technology to support disaster-affected communities. His work included damage assessments and field surveys that contributed to compensation planning for nearly 300,000 flood-affected families. He also contributed to the Murree Rainwater Harvesting Project, which provided rooftop water collection systems to around 4,000 households.
Noor Abdul Ghani founded WinSci Pakistan to encourage girls and women to pursue science, technology, engineering and mathematics careers. Through educational sessions, school outreach and scholarship guidance, the organisation works to improve access to science and technology education for female students.
Reya Yassir Khawaja established SAFE (Sanitation and Female Empowerment) in collaboration with the KCS Foundation. The initiative promotes menstrual hygiene awareness, distributes hygiene kits and organises educational sessions in underserved communities. Sara Ali founded the Pakistan Polio Project, mobilising more than 100 volunteers to address vaccination misinformation, support frontline health workers and encourage routine immunisation.
Vishal Parkash was recognised for initiatives supporting the economic and legal opportunities of marginalised communities. Through RUBAN, he has connected more than 200 women artisans from Karachi, Lahore and other parts of Sindh with formal markets, helping generate over Rs5 million in revenue for participating artisans. He also established Emprende to provide financial and legal literacy training to refugees.
Prince William praised Areeba Suleman’s determination and efforts to improve the lives of others in his congratulatory letter. Prince Harry also highlighted the potential of youth-led initiatives and the importance of providing young people with greater support and opportunities to expand their work.
The recognition places the contributions of these eight Pakistani award recipients among a wider international group of young people working on community-focused initiatives.
