Prime Minister of Barbados Mia Mottley landed on the cover of TIME Magazine‘s ‘100 Most Influential People’ 2022 edition for being a global leader on climate change action. 

Mottley, whose TIME profile was written by Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, director-general of the World Trade Organization (WTO), was also hailed for being a political powerhouse in her native country as the ruling Barbados Labour Party (BLP) swept last year’s general elections in a consecutive landslide. 

Okonjo-Iweala’s profile reads in full: 

“There are some who stand tall and stand out no matter where they are from—whether a large, densely populated country or a small island nation. Prime Minister Mia Mottley of Barbados is one such person. Bold, fearless, and possessing a great intellect and wit, the Prime Minister is a brilliant politician who knows how to shake things up.

Since she was a young woman growing up in the Caribbean, Mia Mottley has always cared deeply about critical issues impacting the world. From poverty to debt to climate change, she is a vocal advocate on the world stage for responsible stewardship of our planet, so that nations large and small and people rich and poor can survive and thrive together. 

At COP26 in Glasgow late last year, she chided the world’s leaders for not working more diligently to limit the potential catastrophic impacts of climate change, telling them to try harder. 

While chair of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund’s Development Committee, she reminded the world’s finance gurus that the level of a country’s per capita income may not always be the best measure of its wealth. After all: one climate-change-induced hurricane can take a significant toll on that wealth.

Mia Mottley is an icon in her country, having won re-election by a landslide. The prime minister strides boldly on the world stage. She is an embodiment of our conscience, reminding us all to treat our planet, and therefore one another, with love, dignity, and care.”

Mottley, whose administration also ushered in a new Bajan era by becoming the world’s newest republic, was ranked in good company by TIME alongside A-list Hollywood actors, human rights advocates and political leaders across the globe.

TIME Magazine‘s double-issue of the ‘100 Most Influential People’ is set for a worldwide release between June 6 and June 13.