New Delhi has announced the recipient of the prestigious Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament and Development for 2025. An international jury has selected Graça Machel, the renowned African leader, philanthropist, and human rights advocate, for this esteemed honor.
Chaired by former Indian National Security Advisor and Foreign Secretary Shivshankar Menon, the jury praised Machel’s lifelong dedication to self-governance struggles, human rights protection, and uplifting marginalized communities. Her vision has always centered on building equitable societies where dignity and opportunity are accessible to all.
Born Graça Simbine on October 17, 1945, in a rural area of Mozambique, Machel’s early education came from Methodist mission schools. She later secured a scholarship to study German at the University of Lisbon, where her passion for independence and politics ignited.
Returning to Mozambique in 1973, she joined the Mozambique Liberation Front, actively participating in the freedom movement while teaching. Following independence in 1975, she became the country’s first Minister of Education and Culture, revolutionizing access to learning. Enrollment rates soared, with boys’ participation jumping from 40% to over 90% and girls reaching 75% at primary and secondary levels.
In the 1990s, Machel shifted to global platforms. The United Nations tasked her with leading a groundbreaking study on the impact of armed conflict on children. Her 1996 report, ‘The Impact of Armed Conflict on Children,’ reshaped UN and member states’ approaches in war zones, earning her the 1997 UN Nansen Refugee Award and an honorary Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire from the UK.
Machel’s affiliations include being a founding member of The Elders, a key figure in establishing Girls Not Brides, and serving on the UN Secretary-General’s Sustainable Development Goals Advisory Group. She chairs the Mandela Institute for Development Studies and patronizes the Africa Child Policy Forum, advocating for youth and child-centric policies.
More recently, she founded the Graça Machel Trust in 2010 to promote women’s economic empowerment, food security, and good governance, alongside the Dzivani Institute for Child Development. In 2018, the World Health Organization awarded her its highest honor, the WHO Gold Medal, for advancing women’s and adolescents’ health.
The jury highlighted how Machel’s efforts in education, health, nutrition, economic empowerment, and humanitarian work in adversity have inspired millions toward a fairer world. This extraordinary legacy secures her the 2025 Indira Gandhi Peace Prize.