Every year on June 8, people around the world mark World Ocean Day—a global call to protect the vast, life-sustaining blue that covers more than 70% of our planet. Amid mounting threats like plastic pollution, coastal degradation, and the climate crisis, we look to those whose life’s work is dedicated to healing our seas and empowering communities to safeguard for them.
Since 1958, the Ramon Magsaysay Award—Asia’s premier prize and highest honor—has recognized individuals and organizations who show transformative leadership and embody greatness of spirit through selfless service in Asia. On this World Ocean Day, we feature seven Ramon Magsaysay Awardees whose tireless efforts have not only protected rivers, reefs, and coastal ecosystems, but have inspired regional and even global change.
From marine scientists and legal advocates to grassroots innovators and environmental storytellers, these changemakers exemplify what’s possible when we lead with courage, creativity, and a deep respect for nature.
1. COMMITTEE FOR COORDINATION OF INVESTIGATIONS OF THE LOWER MEKONG BASIN
1966 Ramon Magsaysay Awardee, Cambodia
Known as Mekong Committee, this a Cambodia-based regional effort brought together governments and experts to sustainably manage the Mekong River system, one of Asia’s key freshwater arteries flowing into the South China Sea. The Committee’s collaborative work showed how science-based cooperation could transcend political boundaries to protect shared water resources.
In 1966, the COMMITTEE FOR COORDINATION OF INVESTIGATIONS OF THE LOWER MEKONG BASIN and COOPERATING ENTITIES received the Ramon Magsaysay Award for International Understanding for their “purposeful progress toward harnessing one of Asia’s greatest river systems, setting aside divisive national interests in deference to regional opportunities.”
2. MICHIKO ISHIMURE
1973 Ramon Magsaysay Awardee, Japan
Through her haunting, poetic writings, ISHIMURE gave voice to the victims of Minamata disease, a severe neurological disorder caused by industrial mercury pollution in Minamata Bay. Her writings humanized the crisis, stirring Japan’s environmental awakening. Through storytelling, she connected suffering to environmental responsibility—turning grief into lasting advocacy for ocean and human health.
MICHIKO ISHIMURE received the Ramon Magsaysay Award, Asia’s premier prize and highest honor, in 1973 for being “the ‘voice of her people’ in their struggle against the industrial pollution that has been distorting and destroying their lives.”
3. ANGEL C. ALCALA
1992 Ramon Magsaysay Awardee, Philippines
Known as the Father of Marine Protected Areas in the Philippines, ANGEL C. ALCALA created the country’s first no-take marine reserve in Sumilon Island in 1974. He replicated the model on Apo Island in 1982, proving that protecting just 25% of fishing grounds could dramatically boost fish populations. Alcala’s model empowered local communities and sparked the creation of over 1,000 MPAs across the Philippines.
The Ramon Magsaysay Award was conferred to ANGEL C. ALCALA for “his pioneering scientific leadership in rehabilitating the coral reefs of the Philippines and in sustaining for Filipinos the natural abundance of their country’s marine life.”
4. ANTONIO OPOSA JR.
2009 Ramon Magsaysay Awardee, Philippines
ANTONIO OPOSA JR. pioneered the legal doctrine of intergenerational responsibility, famously winning a case on behalf of Filipino children to protect forests and coastal areas for future generations. He fought illegal fishing, campaigned for fishing bans, and mobilized youth for coastal conservation, proving that the law can be a powerful tool for protecting marine resources.
In 2009, ANTONIO OPOSA JR. received the Ramon Magsaysay Award for “his pathbreaking and passionate crusade to engage Filipinos in acts of enlightened citizenship that maximize the power of law to protect and nurture the environment for themselves, their children, and generations still to come.”
5. YU XIAOGANG
2009 Ramon Magsaysay Awardee, China
In China’s Yunnan Province, YU XIAOGANG linked river basin health to downstream lakes, estuaries, and ocean systems. His pioneering eco-compensation schemes encouraged farmers to conserve watersheds while ensuring their livelihoods. YU empowered rural communities to take part in water governance—creating sustainable, locally-driven solutions that benefit both people and the environment.
YU XIAOGANG received the Ramon Magsaysay Award in 2009 for “his fusing social science knowledge with a deep sense of social justice, in assisting dam-affected communities in China to shape the development projects that impact their natural environment and their lives.”
6. SYEDA RIZWANA HASAN
2012 Ramon Magsaysay Awardee, Bangladesh
SYEDA RIZWANA HASAN brought national attention to the dangerous and unregulated shipbreaking industry in Bangladesh. Through legal advocacy, she, together with the Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers Association (BELA), secured rulings that improved safety and environmental standards, reducing toxic runoff into coastal waters. Her work stands at the intersection of environmental justice and human rights, especially for marginalized coastal populations.
The Ramon Magsaysay Award, Asia’s premier prize and highest honor, was conferred to SYEDA RIZWANA HASAN for “her uncompromising courage and impassioned leadership in a campaign of judicial activism in Bangladesh that affirms the people’s right to a good environment as nothing less than their right to dignity and life.”
7. GARY BENCHEGHIB
2022 Ramon Magsaysay Awardee for Emergent Leadership, Indonesia
As co-founder of Sungai Watch, GARY BENCHEGHIB is tackling Indonesia’s plastic crisis at its source—its rivers. His team has installed over 268 trash barriers in Bali and East Java, removing more than 1.7 million kilograms of waste before it reaches the ocean. They also run Indonesia’s first trash hotline, conduct education campaigns, and partner with local governments to scale their impact.
GARY BENCHEGHIB received the 2022 Ramon Magsaysay Award for Emergent Leadership for “his inspiring fight against marine plastic pollution, an issue at once intensely local as well as global; his youthful energies in combining nature, adventure, video, and technology as weapons for social advocacy; and his creative, risk-taking passion that is truly a shining example for the youth and the world.”
Together, these Ramon Magsaysay Awardees show us that the future of our oceans hinges on courageous leadership, unwavering dedication, and united effort. Their journeys ignite a powerful call to defend the waters that cradle life itself.