2023 In Focus

20 Captivating Photos From Around the World

This year, Global Press Journal reporters documented moments of celebration, mourning and everyday life.

Emilton Danushan, 17, washes his father’s fishing nets after school on Pannai Beach.
Joyce Banda, left, and her younger sister, Bwalya Banda, knit wigs with synthetic hair on mannequin heads in Kamwala Market.
Srijana Shrestha, who says her husband was shot dead in their home in 2002 by members of the People’s Liberation Army, the armed wing of the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist), sits for a portrait in her room.
Ubi Aaron vogues during Ballroom Night at Kweens Klub in the neighborhood of Santurce. Members of the LGBTQ+ community face discrimination, heal emotional wounds and find family under the neon lights of the region's voguing scene.
Esther Paul, right, stands with her three children Rousterline Audate, 12, Rouskenley Audate, 4, and Ruth-Taïsha Audate, 3, outside their school where she also works as a teacher with the youngest students. High fuel prices have pushed public transportation out of budget for Paul, forcing her and her children to walk an hour each way to get to class.
María Sojob, a documentarian whose audiovisual narratives explore Tsotsil culture from her perspective as a member of the indigenous group, poses for a portrait at her home.
Erkhembayar Altanbanzragch, 11, poses on a camel at the Thousand Camel Festival.
Mega, 14, who asked to be identified by only her first name for safety concerns, poses for a portrait at the Lupins Africa rehabilitation center. She says she walked to her local police station to file a complaint against her father after she was sexually abused.
Nathan Jahel González Nieves, left, and Yadiel Daniel Lorenzo Villarrubia, both 8, find earthworms with their after-school teacher, Damaris González, at a school garden. During the after-school program, students develop ecological awareness and learn the importance of agricultural sustainability.
Binu Yadav, left, comforts Nirmaladebi Shah — who is fasting to demand justice for the death of her daughter — at Maitighar Mandala, a popular location to protest. After being raped, Yadav says she was kidnapped, forced to marry and kept in captivity by her now-former husband, all to prevent her from reporting him to the police.
Akiram Kigongo, left, and Moses Byamukama lower a wooden stretcher that they use to transport rock salt from Lake Katwe to shore to earn money for school fees.
Ana Ortega Juárez, a drama graduate, activist and Mexican sign-language interpreter, performs a song as a tribute to Juan Monedita in the historic area of Los Fuertes.
Priest Kasereka Nzandu, wearing a white robe, recites prayers while a crowd of mourners gathers at a burial site. Funeral rights have been rapidly changing for the Nande tribe, especially among the youth, and critics point at urbanization and Christianity as possible culprits.
Rosario Zapata, who has been a domestic worker for nearly 35 years, stands at a window at one of her employer’s homes. She currently works in three different homes, one of which requires a two-hour commute by public transport.
Motorcyclists wait in traffic during rush hour.
Sachi Rosenthal, 16, with a megaphone, sings and dances feminist chants with other young women during the International Women’s Day march.
Uvugdorj Delger, left, with his grandchild, Ankhbayar Orgilbayar, 15, and a relative’s child, Battuvshin Batsukh, 3, herd his reindeer. Uvugdorj is Dukha, the last reindeer herders of Mongolia who live deep in the taiga of north Mongolia, where temperatures can drop to minus 53 degrees Celsius in the winter and rarely rise above 23 in the summer.
Jenath Pratheep places colorful chicken toys to attract customers.
Environmental degradation caused by lithium mining. As global demand skyrockets for the metal used in batteries, outside interests have stepped in to mine, leaving locals with a stark choice between living in a mining zone and relocating.
Modesto López Muñoz, left, Mario Muñoz Cayetano, middle, and Santos Rentería de la Cruz, right, leave offerings at the Pacific Ocean in front of Waxie tsut+a, or white stone, the morning after performing an all-night ceremony in Tatéi Haramára.
Emilton Danushan, 17, washes his father’s fishing nets after school on Pannai Beach.
Joyce Banda, left, and her younger sister, Bwalya Banda, knit wigs with synthetic hair on mannequin heads in Kamwala Market.
Srijana Shrestha, who says her husband was shot dead in their home in 2002 by members of the People’s Liberation Army, the armed wing of the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist), sits for a portrait in her room.
Ubi Aaron vogues during Ballroom Night at Kweens Klub in the neighborhood of Santurce. Members of the LGBTQ+ community face discrimination, heal emotional wounds and find family under the neon lights of the region's voguing scene.
Esther Paul, right, stands with her three children Rousterline Audate, 12, Rouskenley Audate, 4, and Ruth-Taïsha Audate, 3, outside their school where she also works as a teacher with the youngest students. High fuel prices have pushed public transportation out of budget for Paul, forcing her and her children to walk an hour each way to get to class.
María Sojob, a documentarian whose audiovisual narratives explore Tsotsil culture from her perspective as a member of the indigenous group, poses for a portrait at her home.
Erkhembayar Altanbanzragch, 11, poses on a camel at the Thousand Camel Festival.
Mega, 14, who asked to be identified by only her first name for safety concerns, poses for a portrait at the Lupins Africa rehabilitation center. She says she walked to her local police station to file a complaint against her father after she was sexually abused.
Nathan Jahel González Nieves, left, and Yadiel Daniel Lorenzo Villarrubia, both 8, find earthworms with their after-school teacher, Damaris González, at a school garden. During the after-school program, students develop ecological awareness and learn the importance of agricultural sustainability.
Binu Yadav, left, comforts Nirmaladebi Shah — who is fasting to demand justice for the death of her daughter — at Maitighar Mandala, a popular location to protest. After being raped, Yadav says she was kidnapped, forced to marry and kept in captivity by her now-former husband, all to prevent her from reporting him to the police.
Akiram Kigongo, left, and Moses Byamukama lower a wooden stretcher that they use to transport rock salt from Lake Katwe to shore to earn money for school fees.
Ana Ortega Juárez, a drama graduate, activist and Mexican sign-language interpreter, performs a song as a tribute to Juan Monedita in the historic area of Los Fuertes.
Priest Kasereka Nzandu, wearing a white robe, recites prayers while a crowd of mourners gathers at a burial site. Funeral rights have been rapidly changing for the Nande tribe, especially among the youth, and critics point at urbanization and Christianity as possible culprits.
Rosario Zapata, who has been a domestic worker for nearly 35 years, stands at a window at one of her employer’s homes. She currently works in three different homes, one of which requires a two-hour commute by public transport.
Motorcyclists wait in traffic during rush hour.
Sachi Rosenthal, 16, with a megaphone, sings and dances feminist chants with other young women during the International Women’s Day march.
Uvugdorj Delger, left, with his grandchild, Ankhbayar Orgilbayar, 15, and a relative’s child, Battuvshin Batsukh, 3, herd his reindeer. Uvugdorj is Dukha, the last reindeer herders of Mongolia who live deep in the taiga of north Mongolia, where temperatures can drop to minus 53 degrees Celsius in the winter and rarely rise above 23 in the summer.
Jenath Pratheep places colorful chicken toys to attract customers.
Environmental degradation caused by lithium mining. As global demand skyrockets for the metal used in batteries, outside interests have stepped in to mine, leaving locals with a stark choice between living in a mining zone and relocating.
Modesto López Muñoz, left, Mario Muñoz Cayetano, middle, and Santos Rentería de la Cruz, right, leave offerings at the Pacific Ocean in front of Waxie tsut+a, or white stone, the morning after performing an all-night ceremony in Tatéi Haramára.

Editorial Team

Reporter: Global Press Staff
Senior Photo Editor: Charlotte Kesl
Copy Editor: Allison Braden

Publication Date

December 14, 2023
Global Press Staff Global Press Staff
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