On International Women’s Day, 50 female leaders from Israel and the Middle East shared how their work drives peace and change despite regional conflict.

On International Women’s Day, a special episode of "Facing the Middle East" spotlighted the Women Champions for Change initiative, a network of 50 female leaders from Israel and the broader Middle East, led by Danny Hakim. The program featured Hanan Alsanah, a Bedouin advocate for women’s education and economic empowerment; Nazanin Afshin-Jam MacKay, an Iranian-born human rights activist who fled the 1979 revolution and fights against child executions; and Donna Orender, former WNBA president, who stressed trust and personal connection as keys to progress. Together, they illustrated how women’s leadership offers practical, enduring paths to peace and social change amid regional conflict and broken trust.