KATHMANDU: Single women elected from the first and second phase of local level elections were honoured at the South Asian Regional Workshop organised in Kathmandu on Monday.

Of the total 60 elected single women, 40 of them present at the two-day function were honoured by the Vice President Nanda Bahadur Pun.

The workshop was organsied with the theme 'Together We Can'.

Deputy Mayor Kantika Sejuwal of Chandannath Municipality, Jumla, Deputy Mayor Ram Devi Tamang of Namobuddha Municipality, Kavre among others were felicitated in the function jointly organised by the single women group Women for Human Rights (WHR) and South Asian Network for Widows' Empowerment and Development (SANWED).

On the occasion, WHR Founding Chairperson Lily Thapa was awarded the 'Dayawati Modi Stri Shakti Award'.

Addressing the programme, Vice President Pun said that the elections brought political consciousness and finally elected women to the positions for serving the people of the country. Pun underlined the need of collective efforts among government, people's representatives and human rights activists to end all sorts of violence against women.

Secretary at the Ministry of Women, Children and Social Welfare Khagraj Baral said that the Nepal's Constitution had guaranteed 33 per cent women's participation in every state organ. Formulation of required laws and policies to implement this system is underway, Baral added.

Secretary at the Ministry of Peace and Reconstruction, Gajendra Thakur said that the government was ready to cooperative with organisations concerned to work in the sector of women's rights.

The workshop is holding discussions on the matters of rights of South Asian women, seeking single women's meaningful participation in poverty alleviation, political empowerment, peace and reconstruction, and development efforts, according to WHR chairperson Nirmala Sharma Dhungana.