Kathmandu, Nepal—UPF-Nepal held an event in Kathmandu and programs at schools in six provinces to celebrate the International Day of Peace 2016, whose theme for this year is, "The Sustainable Development Goals: Building Blocks for Peace."
A total of 150 people participated in the main program in Kathmandu, including leaders from government, civil society and academia. Among the guests were the Minister of Forests and Soil Conservation and the Commerce Minister of Nepal, Hon. Shankar Bhandari and Hon. Jayant Chand, respectively; seven members of Nepal’s parliament; the president of the National Private and Boarding Schools Association (PABSAN), Prof. Karna Bahadur Shahi; and the president of TARP-Nepal, Prof. T.R Dhakal. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s message for the Day was read by Mr. Binod Dangi, secretary general of UPF-Nepal.
In Pokhara, a city in Kaski district in province no. 4, UPF held two programs. The first was an event that was attended by more than 250 people. Ambassador for Peace Mr. Khem Bahadur Gurung, principal of the Social Public School read the UN Secretary-General's message for the Day. The chief guest was Prof. Ganesh Bahadur Gurung, an Ambassador for Peace.
The second was a service project called the "Clean River Program." More than 500 people participated in the program to clean the local river.
In Chitwan district in province no. 3, the Peace Day celebration was held at Shree Rastya Prathamik Biddhalaya Bharatpur, Lama tole. Ambassador for Peace and Chair of UPF-Nepal’s Peace Council, Dr. Hom Bahadur Basnet, of the Agriculture and Forestry University of Nepal, spoke, and the chief guest was Mr. Hari Bhakta Sharma. Mr. Ram Prasad Gyawali and Dr. Basnet organized the event. Stationery items were distributed to 60 students.
In Jhapa district in province no. 1, Goal 4 of the SDGs—quality education—was the focus of a talk held at the Shantinagar School. More than 300 people participated in the “Quality Education Program,” which was organized by Mr. Rajendra Murti Panta and Ambassador for Peace Shiva Kumar Paudel.
In Surkhet district in province no. 6, UPF celebrated the Day with 110 orphans who are students at the Balmandir school. Around 60 received educational materials.
In Saptari district in province no. 2, a celebration was held at the Saptari School, where UPF gave stationery to 40 students.
In Dhangadhi city in Kailali district in province no. 7, UPF organized a talk on “Quality Education Program” at the Dasharath High School. More than 90 students participated in the program, which was coordinated by Mr. Navin Bajagain and Ambassador for Peace Mr. Jhankar Bahadur Bista.