(UPDATES) A JAPANESE animator, a doctor from Vietnam, an environmentalist from Indonesia, an educator from Bhutan and a group of doctors from Thailand are this year's recipients of the prestigious Ramon Magsaysay Awards, Asia's equivalent of the Nobel Prize.
The recipients of the 2024 Ramon Magsaysay Awards were announced on Saturday, August 31, during the commemoration of the 117th birth anniversary of the seventh Philippine President.
First given in 1958, the annual awards are named after Magsaysay, who died in a 1957 plane crash.
"The award has celebrated those who challenge the status quo with integrity by courageously confronting systemic injustices, transform critical sectors through groundbreaking solutions that drive societal progress, and address pressing global issues with unwavering resilience, " said Susanna Afan, president of the award foundation.
The 2024 Ramon Magsaysay Awardees
Miyazaki Hayao, a popular animator in Japan, was recognized for his lifelong commitment to the use of art, specifically animation, to illuminate the human condition. The Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation (RMAF) specifically lauded his devotion to children as the "torchbearers of the imagination, to whom he has passed the light and spark of his own." RAMON MAGSAYSAY AWARDEES Five recipients of the 2024 Ramon Magsaysay Awards are announced on Aug. 31, 2024 during the commemoration of the 117th birth anniversary of the seventh Philippine president. First given in 1958, the annual awards are named after Magsaysay who died in a plane crash in 1957. The recipients are (from left) Nguyen Thi Ngoc Phuong, Miyazaki Hayao, Farwiza Farhan, Karma Phuntsho and the Rural Doctors Movement. Susanna Afan, president of the award foundation, said the recipients were those who ‘challenged the status quo with integrity by courageously confronting systemic injustices, transformed critical sectors through groundbreaking solutions that drive societal progress, and addressed pressing global issues with unwavering resilience.’ PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE RAMON MAGSAYSAY AWARD FOUNDATION
Miyazaki is a co-founder in 1985 of Studio Ghibli, a leading proponent of animated films for children. Three Ghibli productions were among Japan's 10 top-grossing films, including "Spirited Away."
According to the foundation, the renowned Japanese animator "tackles complicated issues, using his art to make them comprehensible to children, whether it be about protecting the environment, advocating for peace or championing the rights and roles of women in society."
Vietnamese doctor Nguyen Thi Ngoc Phuong was given recognition for her extensive research into the devastating and long-term effects of Agent Orange, which was used by American forces during the Vietnam War to defoliate Vietnamese jungles and to destroy crops for the Vietnamese Communists who fought against South Vietnam and the United States.
Phuong first encountered the lethal toxin in the late 1960s as a medical intern when she helped deliver babies with severe birth defects as a result of the lingering effect of highly toxic chemical, the awards body said.
"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," RMAF said. "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."
The Rural Doctors Movement, a group of Thai physicians, is being awarded for its decades of struggle to secure adequate and affordable health care for their people, especially the rural poor, the foundation said.
"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, it said.
Karma Phuntsho from Bhutan, a former Buddhist monk and an Oxford-educated scholar, was cited by the awards body for his academic works in the field of Buddhism and Bhutan's rich history and cultural heritage that were being harnessed to address current and future problems in his country, including unemployment and access to high-quality education.
The winners will be presented with their awards and a cash prize on November 16 at the Metropolitan Theater in Manila.
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