First woman to lead a Pacific Island nation in modern times
EWC News
HONOLULU, October 27, 2024: At a celebration at the East-West Center in Honolulu Friday evening, the Center was delighted to recognize Her Excellency Marshall Islands President Hilda Heine with its 2024 Women of Impact Award.
As the first woman to lead an independent Pacific Island nation in modern times, Heine has become a symbol of gender equality and women’s empowerment across the Pacific. In addition, she has had significant successes as a leader in education and made important contributions to climate change advocacy. 
“To be counted among the previous recipients of this award is indeed an unexpected honor,” Heine said in her remarks accepting the award “on behalf of those who have come before me." She added: "If there is anything my career has taught me, it is that positive impact can be made only through building community and building bridges. There is that Western saying, 'No person is an island.' It's a concept that our islander cultures have known for millennia, and that my mother and father taught me as well: We are only as strong as our communities and our kinship to one another.”
The award was presented to President Heine, a former member of the Center’s Board of Governors, by the board’s current chair, former Hawai‘i Governor John Waihe‘e. Current Hawai‘i Governor Josh Green also presented Heine with an official proclamation honoring her for her contributions to women’s equality, climate advocacy, and educational progress in the Pacific. And in a video, White House Deputy Assistant to the President and Asian American and Pacific Islander Senior Liaison Erika Moritsugu read aloud a letter from President Biden congratulating Heine on the award.
The event, supported by the First Hawaiian Bank Lecture Series, also included an international panel of distinguished women leaders discussing their personal stories and success strategies.
The Women of Impact Award was established by the East-West Center Board of Governors in 2022 to recognize the important role of women’s leadership and impact in governance, diplomacy, and society. Awardees are selected based on their outstanding accomplishments, including important career achievements, civic leadership, and significant contributions to the Center’s mission of better relations and understanding among the people of Asia, the Pacific, and the United States. Previous recipients of the award have included Hawai‘i civil rights champion Amy Agbayani and US Sen. Mazie Hirono.
President Hilda Heine
Republic of the Marshall Islands President Hilda Heine's story is filled with “firsts,” including being the first woman to lead an independent Pacific Island nation in modern times. She was also the first person from the Marshalls ever to earn a doctorate degree.
Prior to entering politics, she worked as a classroom teacher, school counselor, founding president of the College of Micronesia, and secretary of education. After deciding to run for office as a means to achieve education reform, she was elected senator in 2011 and appointed minister of education. She first served as president from 2016 to 2020, then again won the presidency in the country’s most recent general election in 2023. Alongside her focus on education, she has frequently addressed world leaders on climate change impacts, where her low-lying island nation is on the front lines. Under her leadership, the Marshall Islands became the first country to submit new, binding climate targets in line with the Paris Agreement.
In 1987, she cofounded Women United Together Marshall Islands, which advocates for the elimination of violence against women and provides counselling services for victims. She is also a committed cultural advocate for Marshallese traditions, language, and heritage. In addition, President Heine has long had a close association with the East-West Center, including serving on the Center’s Board of Governors from 2021 through 2023.
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