Jacinda Ardern, New Zealand’s Liberal Torchbearer

On March 15 a gunman attacked Muslim worshippers during afternoon prayers in Christchurch, livestreaming the atrocity to Facebook. As the nation reeled from the horror, Ardern showed true leadership. She reached out to the Muslim community, wearing a hijab in a show of respect. But her acts weren’t purely symbolic. Ardern moved quickly to ban the weapons used in the massacre, achieving in days what the U.S. hasn’t been able to do after decades of gun violence. She also rallied the leaders of countries such as France, the U.K., and Canada to support her push to pressure social media platforms to stop the spread of hate speech.

Ardern’s handling of the tragedy helped cement her global reputation as a torchbearer for liberal values. At home she’s made reducing child poverty a priority, and she broke barriers for women in 2018 by becoming the first prime minister since Pakistan’s Benazir Bhutto to give birth while in office.