Veteran diplomat Tommy Koh wins 2026 Ramon Magsaysay Award

Singaporean diplomat Tommy Koh has been selected as one of three recipients of the 2026 Ramon Magsaysay Award. The prestigious award, founded in 1957 to honor individuals and organizations that have made significant contributions to Asia, acknowledges Koh's decades-long career in diplomacy, international law, and public service.

Koh held several key roles throughout his career, including serving as the president of the Third United Nations Conference on the Law of the Sea and playing a crucial part in the successful conclusion of UN negotiations on the Law of the Sea in 1982. Additionally, he chaired negotiations for the 1992 UN Earth Summit and led the high-level task force responsible for drafting the ASEAN Charter in 2007.

Apart from his diplomatic accomplishments, Koh has also made significant contributions to education and public discourse in Singapore, serving as the founding rector of Tembusu College at the National University of Singapore. The recognition of Koh comes as he is set to retire as Ambassador-at-Large at Singapore's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Koh becomes the fourth Singaporean to receive this esteemed award, joining the ranks of former Minister for National Development Lim Kim San (1965), Minister for Defence Goh Keng Swee (1972), and Tony Tay (founder of Willing Hearts) (2017). The other recipients of this year's award are Bangladeshi humanitarian Runa Khan and Myanmar activist Bo Kyi.

The winners will be honored at Manila's Metropolitan Theatre on November 15, where they will receive a medallion, an inscribed certificate, and an undisclosed cash prize.