Torch-bearers of gender equality felicitated

Kathmandu, May 30:

The Danish ambassador to Nepal today handed over Global Millennium Development Goal (MDG) 3 Champion Torch to five persons and institutions for their contribution to gender equality and women’s empowerment.

The torch recipients were: Punya Prasad Neupane, secretary at the Ministry of Women, Children and Social Welfare, Rita Thapa, founder of a non-government organisation TEWA, Shalini Wadhwa, chief editor of Voice of Women (VoW), and members of the First Inclusive Women Sagarmatha Expedition 2008 members. Sadhana Shrestha, country representative of the Ashoka, was also selected, but she was not present at the ceremony. The torch recipients

were selected by the Embassy of Denmark in Nepal.

Giving away the torch, Danish ambassador to Nepal Finn Thilsted asked the recipients to put extra efforts to promote gender equality and women’s empowerment.

The embassy selected the torch-bearers on the basis of the role played by them in addressing

gender issues, the ambassador said, adding: “The government of Denmark is undertaking concrete initiatives to promote its Global Call to Action on Gender equality and empowerment of women.”

Nobel Peace Prize laureate, Professor Muhammad Yunus, was designated the first MDG-3 torch-bearer. Commitments of 100 torch-bearers, selected globally, will be presented to the UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon at a UN meeting to be held in September. Ban will hand over the last torch.