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Bangladeshi social entrepreneur and Friendship founder Runa Khan has received the prestigious 2026 Ramon Magsaysay Award, widely regarded as the “Nobel Prize of Asia.”
The Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation announced the winners in Manila on Monday. Khan was recognised for her decades-long work to improve the lives of marginalised, climate-vulnerable and river-eroded communities in Bangladesh.
Khan founded Friendship in 2002. Over the past two decades, the organisation has worked to provide essential services and create opportunities for disadvantaged communities living in some of Bangladesh’s most remote areas.
According to the foundation, the 2026 laureates were selected for embodying enduring values of leadership, including service to others, creating opportunities for diverse communities and empowering people to shape their own futures.
Singaporean diplomat Tommy Koh and Myanmar human rights activist Bo Kyi are the other recipients of this year’s award.
The awards will be formally presented at the Metropolitan Theater in Manila on November 15.