"She is also an ambassador for Save the Children"
The BBC has unveiled its list of the 100 most inspiring women for 2023, and Dia Mirza is a part of it.
For 2023, the list highlights the women who have been working to help their communities tackle climate change and take action to adjust to its impacts.
Liliane Landor, Senior Controller of BBC News International Services, said:
“It is fantastic to see the truly remarkable women named on this year’s BBC 100 Women list.
“This diverse list of influential and ground-breaking grassroots women, who have been making a difference in their field – from community level to international politics – are an inspiration to us all.
“In a year where extreme heat, wildfires, floods and other natural disasters have been dominating headlines, and where wars have weighed heavily, it is more important than ever that the BBC World Service continues to shine a spotlight on women globally and their fight back against climate change.”
According to the BBC, Dia Mirza has made the list for her involvement in “numerous environmental and humanitarian projects”.
In a statement, the BBC said: “Not only has actress Dia Mirza won awards for her roles in Indian cinema, but she is also involved in numerous environmental and humanitarian projects.
“As a goodwill ambassador of the United Nations Environment Programme, Mirza spreads the message on issues such as climate change, clean air and wildlife protection.
“She is the founder of One India Stories, a production house that aims to tell impactful stories that, in her own words, ‘make you pause and think’.
“She is also an ambassador for Save the Children, the International Fund for Animal Welfare, and a board member of the Sanctuary Nature Foundation.”
The BBC’s 100 Women 2023 list is comprised of four categories. Dia’s efforts come under Entertainment and Sport.
Dia Mirza is not the only South Asian woman on the list.
Pakistani midwife Neha Mankani travelled to areas affected by the floods to offer her skills.
Through her Mama Baby Fund charity, Neha and her team provided birthing kits and midwifery care to over 15,000 flood-affected families.
She typically focuses on low-resourced settings, emergency response and climate-affected communities.
Neha said: “The work of midwives in communities facing climate-related disasters is vital.
“We are both first responders and climate activists, who make sure women can continue to receive the reproductive, pregnancy, and postpartum care they need, even when the situation around them is deteriorating.”
Also on the BBC 100 Women 2023 List is Indian photographer Arati Kumar-Rao.
She documents how drastically depleting groundwater, habitat destruction and land acquisition for industry devastate biodiversity and shrink common lands, displacing millions and pushing species towards extinction.
Arati has been travelling across the Indian subcontinent for over a decade and her stories reveal how livelihoods are impacted by environmental destruction.
Teenager Sagarika Sriram has been fighting to make climate education mandatory in schools.
Based in the United Arab Emirates, Sagarika set up the online platform Kids4abetterworld, which is designed to help educate children around the world and support them in sustainability projects in their communities.
She said: “It is not time for alarm but for action, so each child is educated to live sustainably and drive the systemic changes we need to see in our world.”
Artist Chila Kumari Burman uses her work to discuss topics such as representation, gender and cultural identity.
Afroze-Numa is one of the last Wakhi shepherdesses in Pakistan.
Having learnt from her mother and grandmothers, she is part of a centuries-old tradition that is now dying out in Shimshal Valley.
After surviving an accident that burnt 60% of her body, Jannatul Ferdous has gone on to become a filmmaker, writer and disability campaigner.
Also known as Ivy, she has created five short films and published three novels, using her storytelling to raise awareness about people with disabilities.
Jetsunma Tenzin Palmo was born in England and became a Buddhist when she was a teenager.
When she was 20, she travelled to India and became one the first Westerners to be ordained as a Tibetan Buddhist monastic.
Cricketer Harmanpreet Kaur led the Mumbai Indians to the inaugural Women’s Premier League.
At the Commonwealth Games in 2022, she led the national side to a silver medal.
From Nepal, Rukshana Kapali is a transgender human rights activist.
After struggling with a lack of information about her identity while growing up, Rukshana embarked on a path of self-education.
She came out as a teenager and has been vocal on social media on issues around queer rights.
These ‘100 Most Inspiring Women’ have been advocates for change during unprecedented and difficult times and they continue to strive for the betterment of society.