Kovsar Gurban

Kovsar Gurban (12), from Azerbaijan, has been using art to speak up for the world since she was little — and since age 8, she’s been making short animated films about the issues she cares about most, from climate change to equality to peace.

Her film “Black and White” carried a powerful message: that humanity should reject racism and division, and choose understanding and peace instead. It featured a poem written by a Black child in 2005 expressing years of pain and sorrow. Kovsar shared this message with the world from the podium of the 11th UNAOC Global Forum, moving audiences deeply, and later spoke about it in an interview with UN TV, which was shared globally in three languages.

Beyond that one film, Kovsar has created several others — “Sona,” “One Drop,” “The Story of the Tree,” and “Dream” — all calling on people to protect nature, save endangered species, fight climate pollution, and conserve water.

With her family’s full support behind her, Kovsar shows that even a child’s art can carry a message the whole world needs to hear.