European Women’s International Leadership Award 2025: eight journeys that move the world

By Kadir Duran — Brussels, Monday, 3 November 2025, – DoubleTree by Hilton Brussels City Brussels

video : https://youtu.be/T-Rz5k2ThjM?si=BFu6BiaXcD2muBnh

WOMEN

From Yemen, Morocco, Slovenia, Jamaica/US, Slovakia–Italy, Tigray (Ethiopia), Istria (Croatia) and the DRC, eight women were honoured in Brussels on Monday evening by the European Women’s International Leadership Award (EWILA). Eight paths of courage and public purpose: creating, protecting, healing, building, educating, repairing, inspiring.

A prize born in Brussels, carried by Europe’s civic spirit

Launched at the European Parliament in 2019, EWILA celebrates women who “break through assigned roles, challenge male bastions and open doors for others.” After Covid-era editions (hosted by the Representation of the German State of Hesse in Brussels), the 2025 ceremony took place near Place Rogier.

2025 Jury: Marième Albertini, Radouan Bachiri, Björn Hultin, Irene Kamanzi, Frank Schwalba-Hoth, Svetlana Spaic.

Opening: remarks by Radouan Bachiri and Frank Schwalba-Hoth, followed by a cross-presentation format: each laureate introduced by a guest, trophy hand-over, and speech.

The eight laureates of 2025

Najla Alshami (Yemen) — Art, memory, dignity

Introduced by writer and jurist Silvia Polidori, Najla Alshami embodies art as a bulwark against erasure. A former development worker with local and international organisations (including UNICEF and the World Bank) and forced into exile by war, she co-founded in Belgium Yemen Art Base, an archive and showcase for Yemeni artists, then International Art Base for art communities in conflict zones.
Core message: “Change a country’s image through the creative power of its artists.”

Khadija Bendam (Morocco) — Nuclear safety and women’s leadership

An engineer (École Mohammadia) recognised by the IAEA as an expert in emergency preparedness and response, safety, security and public communication, she led African nuclear security field exercises (Botswana, Senegal), co-authored key IAEA publications and advances inclusion via Women in Nuclear Global and the Arab Women’s Network.
Speech highlight: tribute to equality enshrined in Morocco’s Constitution and a dedication “to all who innovate, protect and uplift.”

Violeta Bulc (Slovenia) — From tech to “eco-civilisation”

Engineer, entrepreneur, former Slovenian Deputy Prime Minister and European Commissioner for Transport, Violeta Bulc connects digital, sustainability and culture. Her humanist address advocated an “eco-civilisation” where technology amplifies human potential and peace becomes “the virtue of the strong.”
Mantra: “We are the ones we are looking for.”

Nasancia Charles (Jamaica/USA) — Rebuild, uplift, reconnect

A survivor of violence and homelessness who rose to the top 25% of New York real-estate agents, she channelled commissions into programmes for women in shelters (makeovers, fashion shows, study groups, reintegration). Now active in Nigeria and mobilising for St. Elizabeth in Jamaica after Hurricane Melissa, she calls for partnerships rather than one-off charity.
Striking image: “Creating refuges of safety and self-worth.”

Klaudia Fliegelova (Slovakia, Italy) — Emotional intelligence as a public good

After a turbulent life story and a university return at 50, the founder of Emotionologia (platform and training in emotional work) saw her programmes (emotional effectiveness, interpersonal skills, mindful practice) integrated into HR work at the European Parliament.
Dedication: “To women who choose to face pain in order to be reborn.”

Rahwa Kinfe (Tigray, Ethiopia) — From asylum to advocacy

A former flight attendant and athlete, now a refugee in Belgium after atrocities in Tigray, Rahwa Kinfe campaigns for war survivors (rallies, fundraising) and is preparing—through her NGO—the participation of war-wounded athletes in the 2028 Paralympics.
Line that lingers: “Our only real hope lies in human solidarity.”

Elis Lovrić (Istria, Croatia) — A voice for small languages

Actress-singer and poet, Elis Lovrić chose to sing in her Labinian dialect (today protected as intangible heritage in Croatia) and in fifteen languages. She performs frequent charity concerts (oncology, cerebral palsy, retirement homes).
Guiding star: “Impossible is written I’m possible.”

Christine Schuler-Deschryver (DRC) — Heal, train, transform

Absent and represented by her daughter Sarah, the co-founder (with Eve Ensler and Dr Denis Mukwege, 2018 Nobel Peace Prize) and director of City of Joy in Bukavu received the award for extraordinary impact: over 2,300 survivor-women trained in leadership, therapy and life skills, launching projects and businesses and becoming agents of justice in their communities.
Video message: a clear denunciation of the ongoing war in the East, a call for international responsibility and civilian protection.

A night staged with restraint and intensity

The dramaturgy: paired introductions (a sponsor for each laureate), trophy, speech, then a musical close. Singer Elis Lovrić ended the ceremony with a majestic guitar performance, followed by a convivial buffet and free-flowing champagne.

Why it matters

Because these journeys move real-world needles: nuclear safety, art archives in war, institutional leadership, post-disaster rebuilding, emotional health, inclusion through sport, safeguarding minority languages, repairing mass sexual violence.
Because women’s leadership is not a slogan but a chain of actionable, replicable, contagious practices.

Practical notes

EWILA – European Women’s International Leadership Award
Venue: DoubleTree by Hilton Brussels City, Rue Gineste 3, 1210 Brussels
Website: ewilawards.com
2025 Jury: Marième Albertini, Radouan Bachiri, Björn Hultin, Irene Kamanzi, Frank Schwalba-Hoth, Svetlana Spaic

Quotable moments (selection)

Violeta Bulc: “I dream of a society where peace is the virtue of the strong.”
Rahwa Kinfe: “We did not share a language, but the same pain and resilience.”
Elis Lovrić: “Impossible is written I’m possible.”
Khadija Bendam: “This trophy is a message of hope and shared responsibility.”
Najla Alshami: “Changing imaginaries through art is our best defence against oblivion.”
video : https://youtu.be/T-Rz5k2ThjM?si=BFu6BiaXcD2muBnh

Editor’s note

In Brussels—global city and institutional crossroads—EWILA reminds us that Europe is written in the feminine plural, through solutions that save, heal, protect and raise up. Eight times bravo.

Text: Kadir Duran — Bruxelles Korner