WIN DRR Leadership Awards 2025: Meet this year’s Excellence Award finalists
For the fifth consecutive year, seven women from across Asia and the Pacific have been chosen as finalists for the 2025 Women’s International Network for Disaster Risk Reduction (WIN DRR) Excellence Award. They have achieved exceptional professional success in disaster risk reduction (DRR) and represent the different expertise and experiences that are needed to find solutions to understanding, preventing, and reducing the increasing disaster risk in the world's most disaster-prone region of the world.
Litea Biukoto, Fiji
Litea Biukoto is considered the “godmother of disaster data” in the Pacific. A pioneer and leader, she has been supporting Pacific peoples, governments and stakeholders on disaster resilience and climate action for almost two decades.
In her current role as Deputy Director, Disaster and Water Resilience Programme under the Division of Geoscience, Energy and Maritime (GEM) with the Pacific Community (SPC) in Fiji, Biukoto has been leading the expansion of the use and application of disaster risk information and assessment tools for better decision making and planning, ultimately making communities across the Pacific more resilient. Her achievements include strengthening the capacity of Pacific governments to develop comprehensive risk assessments, early warning systems, regional data platforms and advancing regional coordination mechanisms for DRR and climate resilience to ensure the work in the Pacific is locally led, contextualized and demand driven.
Thanks to her energy and leadership, the Pacific Resilience Partnership and its technical working groups on early warning systems and risk information, human mobility, and disaster risk financing have been able to support more coordinated and impactful results.
Beyond DRR, Biukoto has been engaged in response and recovery. She has led post-disaster needs assessments after major disasters in the Pacific region and supported countries in times of disasters – most recently in Tonga, Papua New Guinea and Vanuatu.
But her influence goes beyond technical expertise. She is often described as the “big sister” in the Pacific disaster risk management community. Colleagues and partners see her as a firm friend and a steady guide, someone who listens and builds confidence among emerging leaders, including new directors and senior officials of national disaster management offices. Her ability to nurture relationships has strengthened engagement across governments, civil society and regional stakeholders, making collaboration not just effective but human.
Biukoto is much loved by her team and praised for her mentorship. In the words of one of her colleague: “She has motivated me to work with her in this field like many other Pacific women. Litea has recognized that there is a need for female professionals to be available to mentor young female professionals.”
Biukoto exemplifies women’s leadership in a sector that remains largely male-dominated. She is a role model for both women and men in the risk information space, and her efforts to encourage more Pacific women to enter and thrive in this field serve as an inspiring beacon for many.
Dr. Piyapatr Busababodhin, Thailand
Dr. Piyapatr Busababodhin is Assistant to the President for Data-Driven Management for Development at Mahasarakham University in Thailand. She has advanced DRR in agriculture and water management by combining advanced statistical modelling and AI with nature-based solutions. Her work applies extreme-events analysis to floods and droughts in the Mekong, Chi and Mun river basins to improve risk assessment and early warnings.
One of her landmark initiatives, the “365 Days: Soil, Water, Weather for Agriculture” platform, enables community-based risk and vulnerability assessments using near-real-time environmental data. It supports decisions on water allocation, crop planning, and preparedness, strengthening resilience for more than 10,000 farming households.
Dr. Piyapatr has helped shift investment toward prevention by developing data-driven tools that show the economic and social returns of DRR—informing policy on risk-based water management, crop insurance, and early warning—and attracting support from government, research councils, and development partners.
At the sub-district level, she leads models for nature-based solutions that guide climate adaptation planning. These approaches help local administrations integrate ecosystem-based measures into plans and budgets, reducing long-term recovery costs.
A strong advocate for women in science and DRR, she creates opportunities for women farmers, students, and professionals to build leadership, access technology, and participate in DRR decision-making. By bridging research, policy, and community action, Dr. Piyapatr catalyses change and serves as a role model for future DRR leaders.
Mariyam Irfan, Pakistan
Mariyam Irfan has played a pivotal role in advancing DRR in Pakistan, with a focus on making national frameworks operational and meaningful at the community level. Her early work on the Pakistan School Safety Framework set the tone for her wider impact. As one of the first master trainers, she co-developed training materials, supported the pilot phase, and later led the full-scale rollout across Islamabad Capital Territory. By training education officers and school leadership, she helped embed school-based disaster preparedness as a standard practice. More than 100 schools now follow structured safety protocols, including evacuation planning, child-centered risk mapping, and gender-sensitive emergency procedures.
She continued strengthening school safety systems in 2024 by conducting nationwide refresher trainings that simplified the school safety evaluation checklist, making it easier for educators to apply. Her contributions ensured that gender-sensitive emergency protocols, gender-based violence risk mitigation, and psychosocial support became integral components of school-level DRR plans. The modules she developed encouraged equitable participation, enabling teachers of all genders to better meet the needs of girls before, during, and after emergencies.
Beyond her work in education, Irfan has designed DRR-integrated climate action programmes that give adolescents and youth a direct role in shaping resilience. Through the Generation Unlimited Youth Challenge, she mentored young innovators in Skardu who are developing artificial glaciers as a climate adaptation measure. The Policy Research Challenge (Climate Edition) empowered youth to propose policy solutions grounded in local realities, while programmes such as Green Acceleration Program (GAP), Green Urban Development (GUD), and Building Resilience through Adolescent and Community Engagement (BRACE) have cultivated youth-led resilience networks and enterprises. These initiatives have helped form district-level ecosystems where youth serve as frontline actors in community-based preparedness and response.
Irfan’s ability to bring together stakeholders from United Nations agencies to local youth organizations has translated policy ambitions into sustainable, community-owned outcomes. Her leadership is defined by inclusion, empowerment, and a commitment to building resilience from the ground up. Through her work, she continues to shape Pakistan’s DRR landscape, ensuring that schools, young people, and communities are not just prepared for disasters but actively leading the journey toward resilience.
Betty Kuili, Papua New Guinea
Betty Kuili drives DRR in Papua New Guinea through community-based environmental restoration, education, and social protection that address the root causes of vulnerability.
One of her most impactful contributions has been to lead the Sustainable Reforestation Project in the Waghi Valley, which has restored 45,000 hectares of deforested land, reducing disaster risk by stabilizing degraded landscapes, preventing soil erosion and landslides, and improving water retention in catchment areas, which is critical in a region increasingly affected by climate-induced floods and droughts.
Kuili has trained over 100 villagers in reforestation techniques, nursery management, and land stewardship, initiated the planting of over 200,000 native trees, and restored degraded customary land. By integrating Indigenous knowledge with practical training, the initiative has strengthened local adaptive capacity to respond to environmental shocks. Her ability to align environmental goals with local cultural values has inspired widespread community participation and ownership.
Moreover, Kuili’s leadership in establishing the Enga Women’s Safe House has contributed to social resilience by protecting vulnerable groups, including women and children, during crises. Recognizing the urgent need for protection services in a province with high rates of gender-based violence, she mobilized local support, coordinated with provincial authorities, and secured resources to construct and operate the facility. To date, the Safe House has provided shelter, counselling, and vocational training to over 5,000 women and girls, serving as a model for support for victims of gender-based violence in Papua New Guinea. Her holistic approach, combining environmental protection and grassroots leadership is not only reducing disaster risk but also building long-term community resilience.
Kuili also demonstrates her leadership at the national level by advocating for inclusive climate action and Indigenous rights in policy forums. She has led successful partnerships with organizations like UNDP, Anglicare PNG, and UN Women, proving her capacity to connect grassroots realities with strategic vision.
Kuili represents the kind of transformative, grassroots leadership that creates lasting change in communities facing systemic challenges. With over 25 years of experience in community development, she has been demonstrating an unwavering commitment to empowering marginalized populations in Papua New Guinea.
“I believe that empowering women and girls and promoting resilience in communities strengthens the local capacities to drive a transformed, equitable and resilient future. Women have distinct attributes and capabilities that can be fully utilized when they are motivated and empowered to serve the communities in leadership roles.”
Bolormaa Nordov, Mongolia
As Secretary General of the Mongolian Red Cross Society (MRCS), Bolormaa Nordov has helped reshape how Mongolia anticipates, prepares for, and manages climate-driven disasters. Her leadership in anticipatory action has been especially influential in a country where Dzuds, Mongolia’s harsh and often devastating winters, continue to threaten the lives and livelihoods of herder communities. By advancing forecast-based financing within MRCS, she positioned early warning data as a trigger for early assistance, enabling families to act before winter conditions become life threatening. In 2020 and 2021, when forecasts signaled extreme Dzud risk, her team provided early cash support and livestock care kits to more than 3,000 herder families. These interventions helped protect animals, stabilize incomes, and prevent displacement at moments of acute vulnerability.
Bolormaa has also strengthened disaster governance in Mongolia by contributing to revisions of the Disaster Protection Law. Her advocacy helped ensure that the legal framework reflects a rights-based, inclusive approach, giving communities, civil society organizations, and local authorities a clearer role in disaster planning and response. This improved legislation has helped institutionalize community participation and anticipatory action within Mongolia’s broader disaster risk reduction system.
A committed advocate for gender equity, Bolormaa has expanded opportunities for women to lead in humanitarian response and resilience-building. She has championed “GLOW Red” (The Global Network for Women Leaders in the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement) in Mongolia and convened national forums that bring together female staff and volunteers for mentoring and leadership development. She also leads the annual “Women’s Engagement in Disaster Risk Reduction” Forum with the National Emergency Management Agency, promoting more gender-responsive approaches to preparedness. By establishing mentoring circles at the branch level, she has created dedicated spaces for women to share experiences, build skills, and strengthen their role in decision-making processes. These efforts have contributed to a more inclusive DRR landscape nationwide.
Bolormaa plays an essential role in aligning humanitarian priorities with Mongolia’s national policies. As technical lead of the State–Red Cross Cooperation Council, a formal mechanism chaired by the Prime Minister, she ensures that the MRCS priorities—from anticipatory action to community health—are integrated into development and emergency planning. Her leadership has deepened cooperation between government and civil society, especially during emergencies that demand coordinated action.
Takena Redfern, Kiribati
As the Acting Director of the Climate Change and Disaster Risk Management Division in the Officer of the President of Kiribati, Takena Redfern plays a critical role in advancing inclusive, gender-responsive, and people-centered DRR in Kiribati, one of the world’s most climate-vulnerable nations.
Under her leadership, Kiribati launched the Early Warnings for All (EW4All) initiative in March 2025, emphasizing legally grounded and people-centered early warning systems that ensure no one is left behind. She is currently overseeing the development of a multi-hazard early warning system roadmap that addresses all four pillars of effective early warning, including risk knowledge, monitoring and forecasting, dissemination and communication, and preparedness and response.
Redfern is a passionate advocate for gender equality and disability inclusion in disaster preparedness and response. She ensures that women, girls, and persons with disabilities are not only considered but actively engaged in decision-making. In 2025, she led a national capacity-building workshop on the Sendai Framework Monitor and Gender Action Plan in Kiribati, bringing together government agencies and civil society to streamline gender-responsive approaches into national DRR strategies.
She promotes the implementation of the Sendai Framework, particularly in the areas of risk governance, preparedness, and response, and champions the use of disaggregated data to inform risk assessments and ensure that DRR strategies are evidence-based and inclusive.
Redfern is also leading Kiribati’s efforts to mobilize funding for DRR and early warning systems, including accessing support from the Green Climate Fund and the Climate Risk Early Warning Systems (CREWS) initiative. She also advocated for the launch of a parametric insurance scheme for drought in Kiribati to support fishermen, farmers and small businesses.
With a Master’s of Science in Tropical Plant Pathology from the University of Hawaii, Redfern has served in the Government of Kiribati since 2004. She spent over a decade in the Agriculture Division of the Ministry of Environment, Lands, and Agricultural Development, contributing to national committees on biodiversity, climate change adaptation, food security, and waste management. Since joining the disaster management office in 2016, she has coordinated major resilience-building projects and continues to be a driving force for inclusive and sustainable DRR in the Pacific.
Donna Tabangin, Philippines
Donna Tabangin, an architect and urban planner, has brought a new level of innovation to DRR and management in Baguio City through her work on the city’s Digital Twin, Livability Index, and the city’s Climate and Disaster Risk Assessment. In a mountain city perched 1,500 meters above sea level, where steep slopes and dense urban growth create complex risk patterns, she led the team that has developed multi-layered hazard maps that transform how local authorities understand and respond to vulnerabilities. These maps integrate landslide susceptibility, flood modelling, sinkhole hazards, seismic assessments, fire risk data, and social vulnerability index into a single, accessible platform—allowing decision-makers to see the full picture rather than isolated threats.
This integrated approach has reshaped how Baguio manages emergencies. City officials can now identify evacuation routes and assembly points that avoid overlapping hazards, correcting long-standing issues such as landslide evacuation paths that previously passed through flood-prone areas. The Digital Twin provides a level of granularity that traditional methods cannot offer, allowing barangay-level assessments of earthquake, landslide, and flood risks. Early warning systems have also become more precise, enabling alerts tailored to specific neighborhoods instead of wide-area warnings that once contributed to evacuation fatigue. At the community level, village disaster committees now plan using detailed, localized scenarios that reflect their unique hazard profiles.
With more than two decades of experience in architecture, environmental planning and urban development, her leadership as head of Baguio's City Planning, Development, and Sustainability Office has been central to reimagining the city’s future. She has guided comprehensive development planning, updated land use strategies, overseen project design and monitoring, and introduced creative solutions to the complex pressures of a growing mountain city.
She has championed the Baguio Livability Index as a practical tool for understanding and improving quality of life. Rather than relying on external metrics or consultants unfamiliar with Baguio’s constraints, she developed the Index in-house, drawing on deep knowledge of the city’s terrain, density challenges, and carrying capacity. Through collaboration with technical working groups, city departments, academic partners, and community stakeholders, she created a tailored framework that reflects local priorities and realities.
Donna’s commitment to innovation also extends to education and youth engagement. After her tenure as a visiting researcher at the University of California Berkeley, she established the SIRIB Center at Saint Louis University to foster innovation and entrepreneurship within the academic sector. After joining public service in 2020, she created the Philippines’ first city-led youth innovation hub, giving young people a platform to shape solutions for urban resilience and sustainability.
Background
The WIN DRR Leadership Awards recognize women's achievements in DRR across the Asia-Pacific region. The awards are part of UNDRR's flagship women's leadership initiative, the Women's International Network for Disaster Risk Reduction (WIN DRR), supported by the Government of Australia. There are two award categories, the Excellence Award and the Rising Star Award. The Excellence Award of US$10,000, proudly sponsored by SM Prime, will be granted to an individual woman who has achieved exceptional professional success in DRR. The winners will be announced during a ceremony during the ESCAP Disaster Risk Reduction Week and ESCAP Committee for Disaster Risk Reduction on 25 November 2025 in Bangkok, Thailand. Find out more about the awards ceremony: https://www.undrr.org/event/womens-international-network-disaster-risk-reduction-win-drr-leadership-awards-2025-ceremony
WIN DRR is a professional network. It promotes and supports women's leadership in DRR across the Asia-Pacific region and aims to reduce the barriers faced by women and empower them to attain leadership and enhance their decision-making in DRR and resilience building. WIN DRR is supported by UNDRR and the Government of Australia.
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