Richard Heydarian
Political analyst Richard Heydarian, who writes the weekly column “Horizons” for the Inquirer, has been named as one of the Ten Outstanding Young Persons of the World (TOYP) honorees this year by the Junior Chamber International (JCI).
JCI, a nonprofit international nongovernment organization (NGO) of young people between 18 and 40 years old, cited Heydarian for his work as a leading global expert on security issues across Asia.
“Richard Javad Heydarian uses his writing skills to address the growing need for the public to understand the changing landscape of political thinking,” it said.
“As an academic and global affairs expert, he has authored close to 1,000 articles and is regularly interviewed by leading media outlets such as BBC, Bloomberg and CNBC. With each article, publication and appearance, Heydarian advances his mission to inspire a new generation of leaders who push boundaries to create positive and lasting change for a better Philippines and a better world.”
Heydarian, 31, started his “Horizons” column in April. He is the author of three books, including “The Rise of Duterte: A Populist Revolt against Elite Democracy,” published in 2017.
He coauthored four other books discussing Asean and South China Sea issues.
He was among the Ten Outstanding Young Men in the Philippines in 2016, recognized for his contributions to the social sciences.
Another Filipino honoree is nurse and educator Ronivin Pagtakhan, who founded the organization LoveYourself, an NGO that has opened self-sustaining resource centers that offer education and counseling to youth and LGBT communities.
JCI cited Pagtakhan for doing “what he can in his daily life to help people by taking to Twitter to answer health questions and providing compassionate answers to people seeking honest and accessible health advice.”
Every year, JCI honors 10 outstanding young people under the age of 40 for making sustainable impact on their communities and across the globe through innovative actions and service.
The other eight honorees this year come from Syria, Romania, Mongolia, United Kingdom, Nepal, Turkey and Nigeria.