The Women’s International Network for Disaster Risk Reduction (WIN DRR) Leadership Awards 2026 have been granted to Ms Mata’afa Fa’atino Utumapu of Samoa, General Manager of Nuanua O Le Alo (NOLA) and Female Co-Chair of the Pacific Disability Forum, and Ms Aileen Kesa Marie Hualde of the Philippines, Executive Director of the Women Organization of Rajah Mamalu Descendants (WORMD), in recognition of their contributions to strengthening inclusive disaster resilience and advancing women’s leadership in communities facing multiple and intersecting risks.
Announced during an online ceremony, the awards spotlight women leaders who are driving inclusive and locally led approaches to disaster risk reduction across Asia and the Pacific. They recognize leadership that brings diverse expertise and lived experience needed to enhance disaster risk decision-making, helping communities better understand risk, shape solutions and build resilience.
For the first time, the WIN DRR Leadership Awards are being explicitly linked to implementation of the Sendai Framework’s Gender Action Plan, connecting recognition of women’s leadership with practical action to advance inclusive disaster risk reduction. The 2026 awardees demonstrate what this means in practice, from strengthening disability inclusion and Indigenous leadership to advancing locally-led preparedness, response and recovery in communities facing intersecting risks of conflict, displacement and disasters.
Read more at: https://www.preventionweb.net/news/win-drr-awards-spotlight-women-leaders-turning-global-commitments-inclusive-locally-led
