Here are the 2026 Ramon Magsaysay Awardees
MANILA, Philippines – The Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation (RMAF) has announced this year’s awardees of what is considered the “Asia’s premier prize and highest honor.”
For the 68th iteration of the Ramon Magsaysay Awards, the RMAF honored a career diplomat from Singapore, a social entrepreneur in Bangladesh, and a human rights defender in Myanmar.
This brought the number of recipients to 331 individuals and 28 organizations from 24 countries and territories since the award was first presented in 1958. (READ: By the numbers: Ramon Magsaysay Awardees)
Here are the 2026 Ramon Magsaysay Awardees:
Tommy Koh from Singapore
Singaporean statesman and diplomat Tommy Koh was recognized for “his exemplary leadership in international diplomacy and in the formation of a new generation of advocates devoted to the advancement of justice and human dignity the world over.”
“Through his steadfast faith in dialogue, the rule of law, and international cooperation, he has helped make peaceful coexistence possible in a world of unequal power,” the RMAF also said.
Koh entered Singapore’s foreign services in 1968, representing his country at the United Nations.
His international law work included leading the negotiations for the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.
The RMAF also cited his work as an academic. He was the founding chairman of the National University of Singapore’s (NUS) Centre for International Law in 2009 and founding rector of NUS Tembusu College in 2011.
Koh was not present at Monday’s announcement, as he rendered his last day at Singapore’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs after 55 years of service.
Runa Khan from Bangladesh
In 2002, social entrepreneur Runa Khan founded the organization called Friendship to bring healthcare, education, livelihoods, and climate resilience to the most vulnerable and poorest communities of Bangladesh.
Specifically, Khan’s work is helping Bangladeshis living on temporary islands and sandbars formed by river silt.
The organization made social services closer to these communities by introducing hospital ships, mobile clinics, and prefabricated schools.
The RMAF honored Khan for her “profound empathy for the poorest of the poor in her country, and her courage, vision, and tenacity in building and leading Friendship to accomplish her mission.”
“In her hands, privilege became not an entitlement, but a responsibility; not a family legacy to protect, but a gift to be shared so that others, too, might have the chance to live with hope, opportunity, and dignity,” it added.
Speaking through Zoom, Khan said she accepted the award with “profound humility and happiness.”
Bo Kyi from Myanmar
The RMAF cited the life’s work of Myanmar’s Bo Kyi, a former political prisoner, as a “steadfast pursuit of truth, accountability, and justice.”
When he was released from prison in 1998, Bo Kyi fled to Myanmar’s border with Thailand. Two years later, Bo Kyi helped in establishing the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) in Thailand’s Mae Sot town.
The AAPP documented political imprisonment and supported detainees and their families.
“His enduring commitment reflects extraordinary moral courage, personal sacrifice, and an unwavering belief that democracy and human dignity are always worth defending—and that even in the face of oppression, the truth must be told, justice must be pursued, and the freedom to believe must be upheld and defended at all costs,” the foundation said.
Also present through Zoom, Bo Kyi dedicated the award to the “Burmese people fighting injustice, especially the political prisoners who continue to stand strong behind bars.”
“If we continue to work together in solidarity to secure the release of all political prisoners, including Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, I believe we can build a Burma that brings peace, prosperity and stability to its people and the region,” he also said.
Suu Kyi, a Nobel Prize winner, has been in detention since her elected government was toppled by Myanmar’s military in a 2021 coup.
‘Greatness of spirit’
Susanna Afan, RMAF president, said that the 2026 laureates were chosen over their “greatness of spirit,” as well as their moral compass to keep fighting for the good of others.
The foundation also hopes that their solutions and actions will be emulated in other communities, Afan told reporters on the event’s sidelines.
The Ramon Magsaysay Award is given to individuals and organizations who address issues of human development in Asia. It is named after Philippine president Ramon Magsaysay, who served from 1953 until his untimely death in 1957.
The 2026 Ramon Magsaysay Awardees will hold public lectures before formally receiving the citation at the Metropolitan Theater in Manila on November 15. – Rappler.com
