With Tibetan prayer flags inscribed with the word “peace” in different languages hanging above them and fluttering in the breeze, the recipients of the 2024 Ramon Magsaysay Award made definitive statements against all conflicts and pleaded for peace worldwide. Each of them cited the immense value of collaboration in effecting positive change in their corners of Asia.

The presentation ceremony last Nov. 16 became even more poignant against the backdrop of various armed conflicts in the world today, outside the doors of the event venue: the Metropolitan Theater. The Met itself is symbolic of precarious times, considering its history of surviving the wartime siege on Manila. Now, after long and furious efforts to save it and extensive restoration work, it stands as a symbol in the City of Manila, which itself is besieged by confusion, disorientation, and lack of urban planning. Just a hop and a skip away is the charred shell of the Manila Post Office, seemingly caught in limbo. The Met, no doubt, was chosen not merely for its beautiful art deco but also because it is a testament to resilience and the power of concerted activity.

Though the appeals for peace are dire, they are ultimately hopeful and come with a veritable roadmap of solutions. This year, the Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation chose four individuals and one movement to highlight and honor. Through their transformative leadership and greatness of spirit, they have inspired and will hopefully inspire more people in the region and the world.

Environmental conservation

Farwiza Farhan of Indonesia was cited for Emergent Leadership, due to her spearheading the fight to save Sumatra’s Leuser Ecosystem—a 2.6-million-hectare expanse in Aceh province that is home to some of the world’s most highly endangered species—through the Forest, Nature and Environment of Aceh Foundation or Yayasan Hutan, Alam dan Lingkungan Aceh (HAkA).

This award recognizes Farhan’s “profound understanding of the vital connection between nature and humanity, her commitment to social justice and responsible citizenship through her work with forest communities, and her promotion of greater awareness of the need to protect the beating heart and lungs of her country’s and Asia’s rich but endangered natural resources.”

Even now, as they launch the documentary 17 Sweet Letters, which tells the story of the struggle to report illegal deforestation in The Rawa Singkil wildlife reserve in Aceh, Farhan said, the authorities were mobilizing efforts to prevent its release and circulation. But, she declared, “it takes more than brute force to slow down a bunch of stubborn fighters like us.”

A way for the future

Karma Phuntsho of Bhutan is the founder of the Loden Foundation. “Through my work in culture and efforts to make cultural values and practices relevant to our present times,” he said, “I’ve come to believe that our ancient wisdom and traditions have as much to offer to us today as they did in the past.” 

The award citation lauds his efforts “towards harmonizing the richness of his country’s past with the diverse predicaments and prospects of its present, inspiring young Bhutanese to be proud of their heritage and confident in their future. Beyond his immediate horizon, his work engages all peoples and cultures around the world facing the same challenges, reminding them to look back even as they move forward.”

Phuntsho, the first RM awardee from Bhutan, pointed out the echoes of his core belief with the Philippines’ national hero, Jose Rizal, who is credited with saying: “A person who does not remember where he came from will never reach his destination.”

Tough topics and animation

Famed animator Miyazaki Hayao of Japan was represented at the ceremony by Yoda Konichi. In his message, the co-founder of Studio Ghibli—whose robust body of work includes the immensely affecting “Grave of the Fireflies”—acknowledged that “the Japanese did a lot of terrible things [during the Second World War]. They killed many civilians. The Japanese people must not forget this.”

The Ramon Magsaysay Foundation focused on Miyazaki’s bold harnessing of animation as a medium of education to discuss important and complicated topics like climate change and psychosocial trauma for children. By giving him the award, the foundation “hails a gifted and exemplary artist who has demonstrated, in his work and outlook, a lifelong commitment to the use of art, specifically animation, to illuminate the human condition, especially lauding his devotion to children as the torchbearers of the imagination, to whom he has passed the light and spark of his own.”

War’s effects on future generations

Dr. Nguyen Thi Ngoc Phuong of Vietnam led a team that investigated the effects of dioxin in Agent Orange. The team has been seeking justice for dioxin’s far-reaching consequences by demanding accountability for the effects of this dangerous substance unleashed to the world and still felt by the Vietnamese today.

The award honors “her talent, dedication, talent, the spirit of public service and the message of hope she continues to propagate among her people. At the same time, her work serves as a dire warning for the world to avoid war at all costs as its tragic repercussions can reach far into the future. She offers proof that it can never be too late to right the wrongs of war, and gain justice and relief for its hapless victims.”

“We need international understanding, not warfare. We need conflict resolution, not weapons of mass destruction. We need peace,” Phuong said.

Universal healthcare for all

Thailand’s Rural Doctors Movement, composed of members of the Rural Doctor Society and the Rural Doctor Foundation, is the first movement to receive the Ramon Magsaysay Award. Their efforts, initiated during an intense period of activism in the 1970s, have resulted in equitable access to healthcare in Thailand. 

The movement’s representatives echoed Philippine President Ramon Magsaysay’s words: “Those who have less in life should have more in law.” They have also become a watchdog against corruption in their society. 

“Working for equity is an endless mission,” they said. “We’d like to see every country in the world make a strong effort to achieve universal healthcare coverage in the future.”

The award “recognizes their historic and continuing contribution to their people’s health—and perhaps just as importantly, to their recognition and fulfillment as citizens with basic rights. By championing the rural poor, the movement made sure to leave no one behind as the nation marches forward to greater economic prosperity and modernization.”

Call to decisive action

For his part, keynote speaker Harish Hande, who received the Ramon Magsaysay Award in 2011, reiterated in no uncertain terms that, since we have only one earth, there are only two options for us: the path of war or the fight against poverty and climate change.

“Asia is the capital of solutions, of positiveness, of hope, and sustainability,” Hande said. “It is time to give [new meaning to] the narrative of colonization through solutions, empathy, involvement of the poor in our solutions to lead to a world that is beautiful, sustainable, and automatically peaceful. 

“There will come a day when we don’t need to talk about equity, gender, sustainability because that’s what the world is about.” 

The message of the Ramon Magsaysay awardees is forthright: We cannot go at it alone or just in small pockets. We need to be clear-eyed and consistent to make an impact that will match the existential threats at our doorsteps. Thus, collective action toward a shared vision remains the battle cry for peacebuilding and human/e development, to face the challenges of the present age.

Read more: War between wars