Eight Pakistanis Recognized with 2026 Diana Award for Social Initiatives

What Was Announced

The Diana Award organizers announced on November 4 that eight young Pakistanis are among 198 global recipients of the 2026 Diana Award [1, 3]. The award recognizes youth-led projects aligned with Sustainable Development Goals regarding quality education, good health and wellbeing, reducing inequality, and climate action [2, 3]. The recipients are:

• Ali Ahmed Manj: Through the Humanity Initiative, he has organized medical camps in Karachi and rural Sindh, serving more than 10,000 patients [1, 3].
• Areeba Suleman: Founder of SheRise Pakistan in Dera Ghazi Khan, which has reached more than 6,000 students in South Punjab [1, 3].
• Mariam Rehman: Founder of The Pro-Justice Project, a free legal assistance initiative with over 250 volunteer lawyers that has assisted more than 1,000 cases [1, 3].
• Muhammad Ibrahim: Used digital mapping and GIS to assist the Punjab government with flood damage assessments for nearly 300,000 families. He also led the Murree Rainwater Harvesting Project, providing systems to 4,000 families [1, 3].
• Noor Abdul Ghani: Founder of WinSci Pakistan to encourage women in STEM through educational sessions and scholarship guidance [1, 3].
• Reya Yassir Khawaja: Founder of SAFE (Sanitation and Female Empowerment) in partnership with the KCS Foundation to promote menstrual health awareness [1, 3].
• Sara Ali: Founder of the Pakistan Polio Project, which has mobilized over 100 volunteers to combat vaccine misinformation [1, 3].
• Vishal Parkash: Founder of RUBAN, which connects over 200 women artisans in Karachi, Lahore, and Sindh to markets, generating over Rs. 5 million in revenue. He also founded Emprende to provide literacy training to refugees and migrants [1, 3].

Prince William and Prince Harry sent letters to the honorees [1, 2]. In a letter to Suleman, Prince William praised her resilience and stated that Princess Diana would have been proud of her achievements [1, 3]. Prince Harry noted the award champions his mother’s belief in the power of young people to change the world [3].