Melania Trump, Marco Rubio Honor Global Women of Courage

Since 2007, the State Department has recognized more than 200 women from over 90 countries.

U.S. first lady Melania Trump (L) and Secretary of State Marco Rubio pose with International Women of Courage Award recipient Georgiana Pascu of Romania during a ceremony in the Ben Franklin Room at the State Department's Harry S. Truman headquarters in Washington on April 1, 2025. Pascu is an advocate for institutionalized children and adults with psychosocial and intellectual disabilities in Romania. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

First Lady Melania Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio honored a group of women chosen for the 19th annual International Women of Courage (IWOC) Award at a ceremony on Tuesday at the Department of State in Washington.

The annual award recognizes women of courage worldwide who have stood up as leaders and proponents of peace, justice, and human rights. Since the award was established in 2007, the State Department has recognized more than 200 women from over 90 countries.

“Now in its 19th year, the Secretary of State’s IWOC Award recognizes women from around the world who have demonstrated exceptional courage, strength, and leadership—often at great personal risk and sacrifice,” the department said in a statement.

Rubio noted that the award recognizes not just the recipients’ work but also that they do it “oftentimes at extraordinary risk to themselves, to their families, to their loved ones.”

Trump then recognized the eight award recipients, including an Israeli citizen who was held by terrorist group Hamas for almost two months following the Hamas-led raid on her country in October 2023.

“These extraordinary women illuminate the transformative power of love in shaping our world,” the First Lady said. “Their journeys remind us that true courage is born from a deep commitment to others, showing that love fuels the call for justice.”

Courage is “a strength that is based in love,” Trump said, adding that this was demonstrated in the lives of the honorees. She also spoke about her own life, saying: “I have harnessed the power of love as a source of strength during challenging times. Love has inspired me to embrace forgiveness, nurture empathy, and exhibit bravery in the face of unforeseen obstacles.”

She focused a portion of her speech on one of the recipients, Georgiana Pascu, of Romania, who she said lives as the personification of “love in action.” Pascu works to advocate for the rights of individuals institutionalized due to psychosocial and intellectual disabilities.

The 2025 award winners are Henriette Da of Burkina Faso, Amit Soussana of Israel, Major Velena Iga of Papua New Guinea, Angelique Songco of the Philippines, Georgiana Pascu of Romania, Zabib Musa Loro Bakhit of South Sudan, Namini Wijedasa of Sri Lanka, and Amat Al-Salam Al-Hajj of Yemen.

The State Department’s website describes the work done by the honorees that drew the attention of department officials.

The Madeleine Albright Honorary Group Award went to “Women Student Protest Leaders of Bangladesh.”

Melania Trump (L) and Secretary of State Marco Rubio pose with International Women of Courage Award recipient Angelique Songco of the Philippines during a ceremony in the Ben Franklin Room at the State Department's Harry S. Truman headquarters in Washington on April 1, 2025. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

A hostage of the Oct. 7 Hamas terrorist attack in Israel, Amit Soussana (2nd L) is embraced by Global Women’s Issues Senior Bureau Official Katrina “Kat” Fotovat after Soussana, human rights defender Henriette Da of Burkina Faso (C) and Romanian mental health advocate Georgiana Pascu all received the International Women of Courage Award during a ceremony with first lady Melania Trump in the Ben Franklin Room at the State Department's Harry S. Truman headquarters in Washington on April 1, 2025. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images