Wasfia Nazreen

Bangladeshi activist, educator, writer and mountaineer Wasfia Nazreen has been honored by the National Geographic Society, both as an Adventurer and an Emerging Explorer, for her commitment to empowering women through adventure. She has been involved for over a decade in development, research, advocacy, human rights and environmental issues, serving mostly in the Himalayan region. She has always used her voice and position to advocate for peace, sustainability, the protection of the Earth and indigenous wisdom of living.

Nazreen uses sports diplomacy to bring critical attention to communities that need it the most. She has been banned by the Chinese government since 2007 for her activism and commitment to serving the people of Tibet. She is the first Bangladeshi and only Bengali in the world to have climbed the Seven Summits, and this feat she dedicated to her country's women. Her foundation, Ösel, aspires to empower girls in Bangladesh and Nepal through outdoor education. Nazreen is the subject of the film Wasfia (Mountainfilm 2016).