NEW YORK – First Lady of Sierra Leone, Dr. Fatima Maada Bio, has been named Iconic Woman of the Year at the UNGA81 Powerlist Honours held on the sidelines of the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York.
The First Lady described the recognition as a moment of gratitude and reflection, saying she received it not just as First Lady but as a woman committed to advancing the lives of women and girls in Sierra Leone and across Africa.
“I am deeply honoured and humbled to have been recognised as an Iconic Woman of the Year at the UNGA81 Powerlist Honours in New York,” she said in a statement on Thursday. “To receive this recognition during the United Nations General Assembly is a privilege I accept with immense gratitude.”
The UNGA Powerlist Honours recognises influential women leaders using their platforms to drive change in governance, health, education and gender equality during the annual gathering of world leaders.
What made this year’s award special, according to the First Lady, was being honoured alongside three former female Heads of State – H.E. Dr. Joyce Hilda Banda, former President of Malawi; H.E. Dr. Ameenah Gurib-Fakim, former President of Mauritius; and H.E. Rosalía Arteaga Serrano, former President of Ecuador.
“Standing in the company of such distinguished women is a reminder that leadership is not simply about the positions we hold, but about the lives we touch, the doors we open for others, and the legacy we leave behind,” Mrs. Bio said.
The First Lady dedicated the award to women and girls of Sierra Leone, Africa and beyond.
“My own journey has always been deeply connected to the voices of women and girls. From Hands Off Our Girls and the fight against child marriage and gender-based violence, to advancing girls’ education, women’s health, empowerment and dignity, I believe that every girl deserves the opportunity to determine the course of her own life,” she noted.
Since becoming First Lady in 2018, Dr. Fatima Bio has championed the Hands Off Our Girls campaign, which was instrumental in the push for tougher laws against sexual and gender-based violence in Sierra Leone and President Julius Maada Bio’s declaration of rape as a national emergency in 2019.
She has also been at the forefront of regional advocacy against child marriage, which led to the adoption of the African Union Convention on Ending Violence Against Women and Girls, and was a key advocate behind Sierra Leone’s Prohibition of Child Marriage Act passed in 2024.
The First Lady is part of Sierra Leone’s delegation to UNGA 81, where Sierra Leone is serving as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council for the 2024-2025 term and is also pushing for reform of global health financing and girls’ education.
“I dedicate this recognition to the women and girls of Sierra Leone, Africa and beyond whose courage continues to inspire my work,” she added.
