At the State Department, First Lady Michelle Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton honored eight women from around the world at the third annual Secretary of State’s Award for International Women of Courage. The women are chosen based on nominations from US embassies.

First Lady Michelle Obama: “The women we honor here, standing on this stage today, risk their lives to fight for themselves and for their mothers, daughters, sisters, grandmothers and friends. And in doing so, they create a better society not just for them, but for their fathers, sons, brothers, grandfathers and husbands. The women we honor today are not just changing their own circumstances, they are changing the world.”

The eight women come from Guatemala, Afghanistan, Iraq, Malaysia, Niger, Russia, Uzbekistan and Yemen.