International Gender Equality Prize will be awarded this December in Tampere ‒ Zarifa Ghafari, Alexander Stubb and Krista Kosonen join the Prize Jury

The next step for the Prize Jury is to examine the nominations and propose a recipient for the prize. Finally, the recipient is selected by the ministry of social affairs and health based on the jury's proposal. 

This year's Prize Jury includes human rights activist Zarifa Ghafari, actress Krista Kosonen, news anchor Richard Lui, co-founder and President of GWL Voices Susana Malcorra and CMI - Martti Ahtisaari Peace Foundation’s Chair of the Board Alexander Stubb. The jury is chaired by Saara-Sofia Sirén, President of the National Council of Women of Finland.

The International Gender Equality Prize is a government prize administered by the ministry of social affairs and health. The overall coordination of the 2023 prize is the responsibility of the City of Tampere. CMI ‒ Martti Ahtisaari Peace Foundation and the National Council of Women of Finland are the partners of the prize.

Zarifa Ghafari

Known for her efforts to advance women’s rights in Afghanistan, Zarifa Ghafari experienced an untenable career in politics. In November 2019, she became the mayor of Maidan Shahr, the capital city of the Wardak Province, Afghanistan.  In 2014, Ms. Ghafari started an NGO (Assistance and Promotion for Afghan Women ORG) to support Afghan women. 

Krista Kosonen

Krista Kosonen is an award-winning Finnish actress, known for her roles in the films Tove, Kätilö and the TV series Mister 8. Kosonen is also currently building an international career. As a public figure, Kosonen is known as a feminist who has been active in raising gender equality issues.

Richard Lui

Richard Lui is a news anchor at MSNBC and NBC News. Over the last decade Lui has served as a champion for UN Women and its HeForShe campaign and for Plan International USA as a Global Ambassador for its gender campaign.

Susana Malcorra

Susana Malcorra is the co-founder and President of GWL Voices, an association dedicated to the strengthening of the Multilateral System and the empowerment of women. She was Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Argentine Republic from December 2015 to July 2017. In April 2012, Ms. Malcorra was appointed Chief of Staff to the Secretary-General, position that she held until November 2015. Currently she is Senior Advisor at IE University, in Madrid. 

Saara-Sofia Sirén, Chair of the Jury

Saara-Sofia Sirén is President of the National Council of Women of Finland, which is an umbrella organisation for 73 member organisations working for women’s and girl’s rights and gender equality. Sirén is Member of Parliament and the chairperson of Employment and Equality Committee at the Parliament of Finland. Throughout her career she has been active in promoting equality, besides positions of trust in the Parliament, also in several NGOs. 

Alexander Stubb

Alexander Stubb has been Chair of the Board of the CMI - Martti Ahtisaari Peace Foundation since 2017. He is the Director and Professor of the School of Transnational Governance at the European University Institute and former Vice-president of the European Investment Bank, Member of the European Parliament, and former Prime Minister of Finland.