Alberto Rubio
“Today we are celebrating International Women’s Day, a day that reminds us of the importance of women’s rights and gender equality,” said Ambassador Sarmila Parajuli Dhakal during a reception she hosted on the occasion of the traditional Holi or Fagu Purnima (Festival of Colors). “However, there is still much work to be done,” she added before encouraging those present to “continue to work together towards a world where every woman and girl can thrive and fulfill her potential.”
“Today we not only celebrate the changing seasons but also reflect on the invaluable contributions of women and girls in society,” said the ambassador, who called for women and men to work together “to commit to promoting gender equality” and “empower women in innovation and technology”, in line with the United Nations theme for this Women’s Day: ‘DigitALL: Innovation and Technology for gender equality’.
The ambassador congratulated herself because “Nepal has made tremendous progress in promoting gender equality,” but said that “we cannot overlook the fact that many challenges remain for women, not only in Nepal but around the world. In this regard, she said she was “inspired by the progress that has been made in recent years, both in Nepal and in Spain”.
Before the guests who attended the reception, among them numerous ambassadors, the Nepalese diplomat said that “by celebrating the Holi festival today, we also celebrate the diversity of our countries” so that, although “we are different in many aspects”, she expressed her wish that “we come together to accept our differences with love and respect”.
The Holi festival traditionally symbolizes, through the colors that participants paint on each other’s faces, happiness for the arrival of spring, good harvests and fertility. As this year’s festival coincides with International Women’s Day, the Nepalese ambassador took the opportunity to extend the celebration “to all the achievements we have made, remembering our journey so far”.
