Context:

Recently, the Ramon Magsaysay Award 2024 was awarded to four individuals and an organisation. 

2024 Ramon Magsaysay Awardees

• Karma Phuntsho (Bhutan) is being honoured for bridging Bhutan’s rich heritage with modern challenges, inspiring young Bhutanese to embrace their past while confidently moving forward.
• Miyazaki Hayao (Japan), co-founder of Studio Ghibli, is being honoured for using animation to illustrate the human condition, especially inspiring children as torchbearers of imagination.
• Rural Doctors Movement (Thailand) is being recognized for improving public health and empowering rural citizens, ensuring no one is left behind in the country’s progress.
• Nguyen Thi Ngoc Phuong (Vietnam) is being honoured for her research on Agent Orange's/Dioxin’s impact and her dedication to supporting its victims, highlighting the long-term consequences of war.
• Farwiza Farhan (Indonesia) is being recognized for her emergent leadership in protecting endangered natural resources, promoting social justice, and advocating for responsible stewardship of nature.

Ramon Magsaysay Award 

• The award, also known as the Nobel Prize of Asia, was еstablishеd in 1958 by thе trustees of the Rockеfеllеr Brothers Fund based in New York City. 
• It is Asia’s premier prize and highest honour. It recognizes the greatness of spirit shown in selfless service to the peoples of Asia. 

Agent Orange

• Agent Orange is a herbicide and defoliant chemical. The most harmful chemical in Agent Orange is 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD), a type of dioxin. This substance is highly toxic and persists in the environment and human tissue for a long time.

Health Impact

• Cancer: Various types of cancer have been linked to exposure.
• Birth Defects: TCDD exposure can result in severe birth defects in future generations.
• Long-Term Diseases: It can cause a range of chronic diseases affecting those exposed.

Environmental Impact

• Deforestation: The use of Agent Orange led to widespread deforestation, impacting ecosystems.
• Loss of Biodiversity: Significant damage to plant and animal life occurred in affected areas, contributing to long-term environmental degradation.

Historical Use:

• It was used by the U.S. military during the Vietnam War (1961–1971). It was a key element of Operation Ranch Hand, designed to destroy forested areas and rural land to deprive the Viet Cong of food and cover.

From 1958 to 2008, the Award was given in six categories annually:

• Government Service
• Public Service, 
• Community Leadership
• Journalism, Literature, and Creative Communication Arts, 
• Peace and International Understanding, 
• Emergent Leadership (This category was added in 2000).
• Starting in 2009, the Ramon Magsaysay Award is no longer being given in fixed Award categories, except for Emergent Leadership.
• The Ramon Magsaysay Awardees, annually selected by the RMAF board of trustees, are presented with a certificate and a medallion with an embossed image of Ramon Magsaysay.
• RMAF does not accept nominations from the public.

Ramon del Fierro Magsaysay

• He was the Seventh President of the Philippines from 1953 to 1957.
• He was known as thе “champion of thе massеs” and thе “third world’s first dеmocrat” for his exemplary leadership and sеrvicе to the Filipino pеoplе. 
• He initiated the Southeast Asia Treaty Organization (SEATO) to foster peace and development in Asia.

The Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation (RMAF)

• It is an international, wholly independent non-profit organization founded in 1957 based in Manila, Philippines.
• The first Ramon Magsaysay Awards were given in August 1958 to five outstanding individuals working in India, Indonesia, Philippines, Taiwan, and Sri Lanka, and a Philippine-based organization.