On the occasion of International Women’s Day in Diplomacy, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs awarded the Isabel Oyarzábal Prize to Pakistani activist Malala Yousafzai, “in recognition of her outstanding career in the defense of human rights and, in particular, the right to education for girls and women around the world,” as reported yesterday in a press release.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares, conveyed his congratulations to the awardee this Thursday for this recognition, which was established in 2025 “with the purpose of recognizing and making visible the outstanding contribution of women who promote committed international action for gender equality, social justice, and international cooperation,” said the minister.
The Award is part of the Feminist Foreign Policy of Spain, and the commitments to human rights and democracy, the core of Spain’s 2025-2028 Foreign Action Strategy.
Malala Yousafzai is a recognized activist for human rights and for the right to education for women and girls. Her career highlights the founding in 2013 of the Malala Fund organization, focused on ensuring 12 years of free, safe, and quality education for all girls. At just 17 years old, she became the youngest person in history to receive the Nobel Peace Prize (2014), an award she shared with Kailash Satyarthi for their fight against child oppression and in defense of the universal right to education.
The leadership and commitment of Malala Yousafzai have established her as one of the leading global voices in favor of equality and social justice. Currently, her campaign for the classification of gender crimes or gender apartheid stands out, which aligns “with Spain’s firm defense of promoting accountability for human rights violations, with special attention to the situation of women and girls in Afghanistan,” assures the statement from the department led by Albares.
During the V Conference on Feminist Foreign Policy, held in Madrid from July 1 to 3, Malala Fund and other related organizations closely collaborated with Foreign Affairs in organizing a parallel event on gender justice titled “Dismantling Gender Apartheid: Women’s Leadership, Accountability, and State Responsibility.” Furthermore, the political declaration adopted at the Conference includes strong language on gender justice, particularly regarding accountability for acts of systematic and institutionalized discrimination against women and girls.
Accountability for human rights violations
In November 2024, Spain, along with Chile, France, Costa Rica, Mexico, and Luxembourg, presented a complaint regarding the situation in Afghanistan to the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, urging the investigation of crimes committed by the Taliban against women and girls. Additionally, in October 2025, Spain supported the establishment in the United Nations Human Rights Council of an independent investigation mechanism regarding human rights violations committed by the Taliban regime.
The award granted to Malala Yousafzai is named after Isabel Oyarzábal (1878–1974), a pioneer of Spanish feminism, the first woman to represent Spain before the League of Nations, and the first female ambassador of Spain. An tireless advocate for women’s rights, Oyarzábal embodies the values that this recognition seeks to highlight: commitment, courage, and a vocation for public service.
The award ceremony will be organized soon at the Ministry’s headquarters, in an event presided over by Albares.