He is the first Bhutanese to win the prestigious Ramon Magsaysay Award
Thinley Namgay
The Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation (RMAF) has announced that Dr Karma Phuntsho (PhD), a Bhutanese thought leader and founder of the Loden Foundation, will be honored with the Ramon Magsaysay Award for 2024.
The award ceremony is set to take place on November 16 in the Philippines.
Karma Phuntsho from Bumthang is the first Bhutanese to receive this prestigious award.
Karma Phuntsho is being recognised for his exceptional leadership in integrating Bhutanese traditions with modern needs through education, social entrepreneurship, and cultural preservation. His efforts have significantly uplifted the lives of many Bhutanese.
Speaking to Kuensel, Karma Phuntsho said that it is both deeply humbling and encouraging to be selected to receive the prestigious Ramon Magsaysay award. “To be honest, I was totally taken aback to hear that I have been chosen as an awardee. I wish I am more deserving of such an honour which epitomises the indomitable spirit of compassionate service and wise leadership.”
The Ramon Magsaysay Award, often referred to as Asia’s Nobel Prize, celebrates transformative leadership and outstanding contributions in various fields, including public service, community leadership, journalism, and cultural preservation, literature and creative communication arts, peaceand international understanding, and emergent leadership.
“To me, if anything, the award is a recognition of team work and good wishes and support of all those involved in Loden’s projects. It is a tribute to everyone who has joined me in this journey of making a positive difference to society,” he added.
Karma Phuntsho said that their efforts and achievements are diminutive compared to what is happening in bigger countries. “Yet, it is a great privilege to be associated with Asia’s champions of greatness of spirit and transformative leadership,” he said. “I hope their qualities of courage, compassion and wisdom will rub off on us more, and I pray that Asia continues to remain a source of such inspiration and influence.”
The 2024 awardees also include popular filmmaker Miyazaki Hayao from Japan, the Rural Doctors Movement from Thailand, Nguyen Thi Ngoc Phuong from Vietnam, and Farwiza Farhan from Indonesia.
Since its inception in 1958, the Ramon Magsaysay Award has honored 348 exceptional individuals and organisations, including notable figures such as the Dalai Lama and Mother Teresa.
The RMAF highlighted Karma Phuntsho’s substantial contributions through the Loden Foundation, established in 1999, committed to promoting education, nurturing social entrepreneurship, and documenting Bhutan’s cultural heritage and traditions
“Loden prioritises social value and ethical business practices to promote a caring economy, funding 295 entrepreneurs including 97 women, creating 860 jobs, and training 5,750 aspiring entrepreneurs since 2008,” stated the RMAF.
The RMAF also mentioned that Loden has documented 3,348 hours of intangible culture, digitised 4.55 million pages of texts, captured 150,000 images of art and artifacts, and supported 61 cultural projects to preserve Bhutan’s cultural traditions.
“The RMAF board of trustees recognises his invaluable and enduring contributions towards harmonising the richness of his country’s past with the diverse predicaments and prospects of its present, inspiring young Bhutanese to be proud of their heritage and confident in their future,” said the RMAF.
The Ramon Magsaysay Award is an annual award established to perpetuate former Philippine President Ramon Magsaysay’s example of integrity in governance, courageous service to the people, and pragmatic idealism within a democratic society.
Ramon Magsaysay served as the seventh President of the Philippines from December 30, 1953, until his death in an aircraft disaster on March 17, 1957.