The BBC has revealed its list of 100 inspiring and influential women from around the world for 2024.
Among them are stranded astronaut Sunita Williams, rape survivor Gisèle Pelicot, actress Sharon Stone, Olympic athletes Rebeca Andrade and Allyson Felix, singer Raye, Nobel Peace Prize laureate Nadia Murad, visual artist Tracey Emin, climate campaigner Adenike Oladosu and writer Cristina Rivera Garza.
From facing deadly conflicts and humanitarian crises in Gaza, Lebanon, Ukraine and Sudan, to witnessing the polarisation in societies that followed a record number of elections around the world, women have had to dig deep and find new levels of resilience.
Nepal's Shilshila Acharya is one of the 100 women. Acharya runs one of the largest plastic recycling networks in Nepal. Her waste management business Avni Ventures employs staff from marginalised communities and focuses on getting more women into the green sector.
Acharya played a leading role in the 2014 No Thanks, I Carry My Own Bag campaign, which led to a ban on plastic shopping bags.
The climate and waste educator is also behind a big annual clean-up in the Himalayas to remove rubbish left by mountaineers, collecting 119 tonnes since 2019.
Through her work, some of this waste is reused by indigenous craftswomen to create baskets, mats and jewellery to support their livelihoods.
BBC 100 Women acknowledges the toll this year has taken on women by celebrating those who – through their resilience – are pushing for change, as the world changes around them. The list also remains committed to exploring the impact of the climate emergency, highlighting climate pioneers who work to help their communities tackle its impacts.
-BBC
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