Webinar Series: Leaders Shaping the Future of the Indo-Pacific, Featuring the Ramon Magsaysay Awardees
I-House will partner with the Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation (RMAF) to present the webinar series Leaders Shaping the Future of the Indo-Pacific, Featuring the Ramon Magsaysay Awardees from January 2022.
Two years into the COVID pandemic, the world continues to suffer from unprecedented negative impacts of the associated health and economic crises. What will happen to the millions of people who have lost their livelihoods or have no access to basic services? Where is the opportunity for recovery in this chaos? How can Asia’s leaders prove their mettle and bring hope to those who look to them for decisive action?
This webinar series, where we will invite Ramon Magsaysay Award recipients to speak as leaders in the region, aims to provide a platform for critical discussion to amplify their ideas about resolving the challenges that have been accentuated by the pandemic and encourage stakeholders to collaborate and find innovative solutions to transform our world for the better.
Young leaders from programs by RMAF and I-House will also participate as session questioners in order to encourage intergenerational and intercultural dialog.
Those who wish to receive detailed information on each session through the I-House e-news are asked to register through the e-news registration form.
Organizer: International House of Japan
Coorganizer/Program Partner: Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation
Coorganizer: Shahani Associates
Sponsors: Japan Foundation Asia Center Grant Program for Promotion of Cultural Collaboration, MRA Foundation, Tanaka UK Japan Educational Foundation
PICK UP
A Special Tribute to Tetsu Nakamura, 2003 Ramon Magsaysay Awardee

Speakers: Ananda Galappatti (2008 Ramon Magsaysay Awardee from Sri Lanka)
Language: English with Japanese subtitles
Release Date: March 15, 2022, 6:00 pm Japan Time
In this episode, medical anthropologist and practitioner of Mental Health and Psychosocial Services (MHPSS) Ananda Galappatti shares his experiences of growing a network of MHPSS practitioners in response to the needs of communities traumatized by war, disaster, and the COVID-19 pandemic. He will describe developments in Sri Lanka following the civil war and the 2004 tsunami. What lessons are most important for Asia’s conflict-torn areas and disaster-prone zones? How can affected communities recover using mental health and psychosocial support services? The COVID surge and lockdowns since 2020 have shown that the most vulnerable were women and children subject to domestic violence during home quarantines, migrant workers rendered jobless, and students shifting to online learning, who were at greater risk of cyber violence. How is the MHPSS, co-founded and co-directed by Ananda Galappatti, providing needed support?
This video has Japanese subtitles. Go to Youtube Help for more details.
Archives
A Special Tribute to Masanobu Fukuoka, 1988 Ramon Magsaysay Awardee

Speakers: Yang Saing Koma (2012 Ramon Magsaysay Awardee from Cambodia)
Language: English with Japanese subtitles
Release Date: March 8, 2022, 6:00 pm Japan Time
In this episode, Cambodian agronomist and staunch farmers’ advocate Yang Saing Koma shares the efforts of Cambodian rice farmers to develop organic rice farming and to gain market access for their social initiatives. He will provide insights into Cambodia’s collective experience of shifting from a traditional mindset to a pro-farmer, pro-environment, and pro-entrepreneurship thinking with the support of women and young people. How has the pandemic affected Cambodian farmers’ organizations and support organizations like Dr. Koma’s Cambodian Center for Study and Development in Agriculture (CEDAC)?
This video has Japanese subtitles. Go to Youtube Help for more details.

Speakers: Maria Victoria and Christopher Bernido (2010 awardees, Philippines)
Language: English with Japanese subtitles
Release Date: February 10, 2022, 6:00 pm Japan Time
In this session, two awardees will discuss how school-aged children in the Philippines are learning, not only core subjects but also the values of independent learning, social responsibility, and inclusivity for a more harmonious world. Physicist-educators Maria Victoria and Christopher Bernido from the Philippines developed the Dynamic Learning Program for teaching the sciences and other basic subjects in impoverished areas. As COVID-19 caused country-wide lockdowns, most schools abruptly shifted to online learning. The Bernidos will discuss how young people can continue learning during lockdowns through the Dynamic Learning Program approach, using well-designed learning worksheets.
This video has Japanese subtitles. Go to Youtube Help for more details.

Speakers: Aruna Roy (2000 awardee, India)
Language: English with Japanese subtitles
Release Date: February 3, 2022, 6:00 pm Japan Time
In this session, social and political activist Aruna Roy, 2000 Ramon Magsaysay Award for Community Leadership, will speak about contemporary challenges in emergent social movements that advocate for engaged citizenship and ethical governance. In 2021, different areas of Asia are struggling with the right to information (RTI), and part of the complexity is the tsunami of information, or mis-information, arriving through mainstream as well as alternative media channels. Roy will share what lessons from India’s RTI movement can illuminate the role of Asia’s public leaders and especially their use of crucial information channels as they work with communities to exercise their democratic right to good governance.
This video has Japanese subtitles. Go to Youtube Help for more details.

Speakers: Steven Muncy (2021 awardee, U.S.A/based in Southeast Asia) and T.M. Krishna (2016 awardee, India)
Language: English with Japanese subtitles
Release Date: January 31, 2022, 6:00 pm Japan Time
In this session, two recipients of the RMAF prize will take part in a facilitated discussion about the significant challenge of confronting the various forms of discrimination that can lead to marginalization or even displacement from homes and countries. These two leaders in the region will shed light on their advocacy and, more specifically, their views about how minority groups can be empowered to work towards their own aspirations.
This video has Japanese subtitles. Go to Youtube Help for more details.

Date: Friday, March 26, 2021, 7:00–8:00 pm (JST)
Speaker: Jaeseung JEONG (Professor, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology), Erwin VIRAY (Professor, Singapore University of Technology and Design)
Moderator: Fiona WILSON (Asia Bureau Chief, Monocle)
Co-organized by: Mitsubishi UFJ Research and Consulting, Asia Society Japan Center, Shahani Associates Limited
Supported by: Japan Foundation Asia Center, MRA Foundation, Tanaka UK Japan Educational Foundation
Venue: Online
Language: English / Japanese (with simultaneous interpretation)
Admission: Free


Date: Friday, March 5, 2021, 6:00–7:00 pm (JST)
Speakers: Jennifer LU (Executive Director, Taiwan Equality Campaign), Fumino SUGIYAMA (CEO, New Canvas)
Moderator: Aiko DODEN (Special Affairs Commentator, NHK World TV, Japan Broadcasting Corporation)
Co-organized by: Asia Society Japan Center, Mitsubishi UFJ Research and Consulting, Shahani Associates Limited
Supported by: Japan Foundation Asia Center, MRA Foundation, Tanaka UK Japan Educational Foundation
Venue: Online
Language: English / Japanese (with simultaneous interpretation)
Admission: Free


Date: Friday, February 12, 2021, 6:00–7:00 pm (JST)
Speaker: Shiori ITO (Journalist; Documentary Filmmaker; 2020 Time 100 List; Asia 21 Young Leader)
Video Message: Tom NAGORSKI (Executive Vice President, Asia Society)
Moderator: Aiko DODEN (Special Affairs Commentator, NHK World TV, Japan Broadcasting Corporation)
Co-organized by: Asia Society Japan Center, Mitsubishi UFJ Research and Consulting, Shahani Associates Limited
Supported by: Japan Foundation Asia Center, MRA Foundation, Tanaka UK Japan Educational Foundation
Venue: Online
Language: English / Japanese (with simultaneous interpretation)
Admission: Free


Date: Friday, February 5, 2021, 6:00–7:00 pm (JST)
Speakers: Sou FUJIMOTO (Architect), Mun Summ WONG (Architect; Founding Director, WOHA)
Moderator: Fiona WILSON (Asia Bureau Chief, Monocle)
Co-organized by: Asia Society Japan Center, Mitsubishi UFJ Research and Consulting, Shahani Associates Limited
Supported by: Taisei Corporation, Japan Foundation Asia Center, MRA Foundation, Tanaka UK Japan Educational Foundation
Venue: Online
Language: English / Japanese (with simultaneous interpretation)
Admission: Free


Date: Friday, January 29, 2021, 6:00–7:00 pm (JST)
Speaker: Parag KHANNA (Global Strategy Advisor; Founder, FutureMap)
Moderator: James KONDO (Chairman, I-House)
Co-organized by: Shahani Associates Limited, Asia Society Japan Center, Mitsubishi UFJ Research and Consulting
Supported by: Japan Foundation Asia Center, MRA Foundation, Tanaka UK Japan Educational Foundation
Venue: Online
Language: English / Japanese (with simultaneous interpretation)
Admission: Free


Date: Friday, January 22, 2021, 6:00–7:00 pm (JST)
Video Message: Malala YOUSAFZAI (Education Activist; 2014 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate)
Speakers: Lin KOBAYASHI (Co-founder and Chair of the Board, UWC ISAK Japan), Kathy MATSUI (Board Member, AUW Support Foundation)
Moderator: Aiko DODEN (Special Affairs Commentator, NHK World TV, Japan Broadcasting Corporation)
Co-organized by: Asia Society Japan Center, Mitsubishi UFJ Research and Consulting, Shahani Associates Limited
Supported by: Japan Foundation Asia Center, MRA Foundation, Tanaka UK Japan Educational Foundation
Venue: Online
Language: English / Japanese (with simultaneous interpretation)
Admission: Free


Date: Friday, January 15, 2021, 5:30–6:30 pm (JST)
Speaker: Audrey TANG (Taiwan’s Digital Minister)
Moderator: Aiko DODEN (Special Affairs Commentator, NHK World TV, Japan Broadcasting Corporation)
Co-organized by: Asia Society Japan Center, Mitsubishi UFJ Research and Consulting, Shahani Associates Limited
Supported by: Japan Foundation Asia Center, MRA Foundation, Tanaka UK Japan Educational Foundation
Venue: Online
Language: English / Japanese (with simultaneous interpretation)
Admission: Free
