Runa Khan, founder of Bangladesh-based social organisation Friendship, has won the 68th Ramon Magsaysay Award, widely regarded as ‘Asia’s Nobel Prize’.
The Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation (RMAF) announced the 2026 awardees in Manila on Monday, August 31, at 11:00 am local time, or 9:00 am Bangladesh time. RMAF chairman Edgar O Chua and president Susana B Afan announced the names of the awardees at an event held at the Foundation Centre.
Reacting to the announcement, Runa Khan said she was honoured to receive the Ramon Magsaysay Award and dedicated the recognition to marginalised communities who had given Friendship the opportunity to stand beside them.
“I am accepting this recognition on behalf of the marginalised people who have allowed us to stand beside them, and the entire Friendship family that has worked to improve their lives and help them move forward,” she said.
She credited Friendship’s field-level workers for their tireless efforts and said the award would not have been possible without their dedication.
Khan also thanked those who had believed in Friendship and supported its journey over the past 25 years.
Runa Khan is the 14th Bangladeshi to receive the Ramon Magsaysay Award. Previous Bangladeshi recipients include interim government chief Professor Muhammad Yunus and BRAC founder Sir Fazle Hasan Abed, among others.
The award will be formally presented at a ceremony in Manila on November 15.
Cox’s Bazar Life Report
Photo: Collected
