Time: Jennifer Geerlings-Simons, Suriname's First Female President

Jennifer Geerlings-Simons made history in July 2025 as Suriname's first female president. Within days of taking office, she signaled a sharp stance toward environmental protection and Indigenous rights—a timely shift for one of only three countries in the world that absorbs more carbon dioxide than it releases. The new president wasted no time. She declared Indigenous and tribal land rights a top government priority, promising to pass long-stalled protective laws and halt unauthorized land sales. By August, she had announced a moratorium on new large-scale logging permits and launched a comprehensive national forest survey. The following month, she sat down with the Association of Indigenous Village Leaders to fast-track recognition of ancestral territories. Keep READING.