Nawalpur, Nov 17: The third Nawalpur Girls Summit with the theme “Invest in Girls Rights, Our Leadership and Well Being,” was held in Kawasoti Municipality today.
The summit aimed to celebrate and encourage the active participation of adolescent girls, address their concerns at the local level, educate communities about these concerns, provide a platform for sharing thoughts and experiences, and plan for future summits.
One hundred and fifty enthusiastic adolescent girls from four rural municipalities in Nawalpur district, and representatives from diverse regions including Chitwan, Kapilvastu, and Rupandehi celebrated the International Girl Child Day 2023 by jointly leading and participating in the event.
Tilottam Paudel, Chairperson of Jagriti Child and Youth Concern Nepal, provided a concise message, centering on the empowerment of children and the girl child in his welcome speech, highlighting the importance of International Girl Child Day, observed globally on the 11th of October.
He clarified the purpose and rationale behind the 3rd Nawalpur Girl Summit, stressing its mission to address critical issues such as violence, sexual harassment, safety concerns, educational disparities, and the pervasive challenge of online bullying experienced by girls on a global scale.
Gandaki Province Member of Parliament, Padma G.C. Shrestha, reaffirmed her dedication to addressing child rights and adolescent rights at the policy level within the government.
The present stakeholders signed the commitment banner, affirming their dedication and promise to actively address the challenges faced by girls.
Through signing this commitment, stakeholders pledged to prioritize and actualize initiatives promoting girls’ empowerment, education, health, and rights.
They acknowledged the importance of creating a supportive environment that enables girls to reach their full potential and thrive.
After the inaugural session, the second phase concluded with the announcement of a declaration paper containing 15 key points.
The participants highlighted the importance of Girls’ active involvement in sustainable development, conservation, wildlife protection and tourism development in Nawalpur.
They also emphasized the need of increased involvement of girls in conservation campaign to enhance the participation and development of girls.
The Summit was coordinated by Jagriti Child and Youth Concern Nepal and Nawalpur Girls’ Network with support from KANALLAN, Garden of Hope Foundation, and CARE Nepal. The event was held in collaboration with CZOP, WOREC, KIRDARC, 8 municipalities, Jagriti Child Club, Asian Girls Campaign, and in alliance with SPCSN, NCFLG Consortium, INSEC, Child Protection Network, Youth for Change, and CSO’s.
The first Girls Summit was held in Nawalpur in 2016, followed by the second Girls Summit in 2017 and 3rd in 2023. RSS
