Head of anti-human trafficking NGO designated first Romanian awarded by Schwab Foundation

Ioana Bauer, president of the anti-human trafficking organization eLiberare, has been named the first Romanian winner of the Schwab Foundation Award for Social Entrepreneurship, one of the most prestigious international recognitions granted to leaders developing solutions to the world’s most urgent social challenges.

Bauer is the first social entrepreneur from Central and Eastern Europe to receive the award in the last 15 years. As a Schwab Foundation Awardee, she will participate in the 2026 World Economic Forum in Davos, where winners will be recognized in a ceremony on the global stage.

Aside from Bauer, 17 other leaders selected from around the world were recognized in the 2026 Schwab Foundation Awards for their ability to demonstrate that economies and societies can simultaneously serve people, the planet, and progress.

The 2026 winners join a community of over 500 social entrepreneurs and innovators whose work has improved the lives of nearly 1 billion people across more than 190 countries. They have generated systemic change in areas such as health, education, gender equity, climate action, the circular economy, and civic participation.

The distinction awarded this year reflects Ioana Bauer’s contribution to developing and scaling innovative models for preventing, identifying, and supporting the fight against human trafficking and sexual exploitation, with a focus on child protection, community prevention, and the integration of survivors into public policies, according to the press release.

"The fact that this year, the global agenda in Davos highlights the prevention and combat of human trafficking is a profound recognition of a simple truth: we cannot speak of real progress while people’s lives are sacrificed for the profit of others," said Ioana Bauer.

Under Ioana Bauer’s leadership, eLiberare has become one of the leading organizations in the prevention and identification of human trafficking. The organization has developed community protection models now applied transcontinentally, usable by both formal and non-formal actors.

Nationally, eLiberare is a strategic partner of Romanian authorities, contributing to the drafting and implementation of the National Strategy Against Human Trafficking, co-creating the National Referral Mechanism for victims, and participating in the Strategic Interministerial Committee for Combating Human Trafficking.

(Photo source: press release)