LocationsOn-screen, the Oscar winner has confronted outdated gender and racial stereotypes. Off-screen, she’s honouring the resilience and ingenuity that women show in the face of disaster.
National Geographic has named UNDP Goodwill Ambassador Michelle Yeoh to the magazine's list of 33 innovative leaders.
Photo: UNDP Nepal
UNDP Goodwill Ambassador Michelle Yeoh has been named among the 2025 National Geographic 33, a group of leaders honoured by the magazine as "visionaries, creators, icons and adventurers from across the globe who are united in the belief that our world needs imaginative solutions and urgent action". She spoke with the magazine about the life-changing event that informs her work supporting people recovering from disaster – and the inspiring women she's met along the way.
Ten years ago, Michelle Yeoh was visiting Kathmandu with her now husband, Jean Todt, when the city was struck by a 7.8 magnitude earthquake. The couple had been attending an event at a low-rise hotel and narrowly escaped the devastation. The experience was harrowing. “When the earth shook, I was immediately on the floor,” Yeoh recalls. “We literally had to crawl out because there was no way to stand.”
Read the full story on National Geographic.
