Peacebuilder Miriam Coronel-Ferrer wins Magsaysay Award
MANILA, Philippines — Woman peacebuilder Miriam Coronel-Ferrer was named Thursday as one of the winners of the Ramon Magsaysay Awards, Asia’s equivalent of the Nobel Peace Prize.
Coronel-Ferrer, who was the chief negotiator in peace talks with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, was recognized for championing inclusivity and women’s participation in peacebuilding.
The Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation cited Coronel-Ferrer’s “deep, unwavering belief in the transformative power of non-violent strategies in peace building, her cool intelligence and courage in surmounting difficulties to convey the truth that it is through inclusion rather than division that peace can be won and sustained.”
The Manila-based foundation also lauded her “unstinting devotion to the agenda of harnessing the power of women in creating a just and peaceful world.”
The peace talks with the MILF led to the 2014 signing of the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro, which concluded the 17 years of negotiations between the government of the Philippines and the MILF.
Coronel-Ferrer is a senior mediation adviser at the United Nations, and was a retired professor of political science at the University of the Philippines.
In 2020, she co-founded the Southeast Asian Women Peace Mediators, a pioneering group of women engaged in convening safe spaces for dialogues and supporting mediation initiatives in countries like Afghanistan and Myanmar.
The Ramon Magsaysay Award is given to individuals and organizations “whose selfless service has offered their societies, Asia, and the world successful solutions to some of the most intractable problems of human development.”
This year’s other laureates include:
- Korvi Rakshand (Bangladesh) for championing inclusive quality education and promoting a culture of active participation among young people
- Eugenio Lemos (Timor-Leste) for safeguarding the environment and indigenous culture of the country, paving the way for a sustainable and independent food supply
- Ravi Kannan R (India) for revolutionizing cancer treatment through people-centered and pro-poor programs
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