International Youth Day : 30 global leaders awarded Global Changemakers Award
Kathmandu : On the occasion of International Youth Day on 12th August 2022, 30 global leaders and innovators were awarded the Global Change Makers Award by Project 100 by the hands of Hon’ble Bodh Maya Kumari Yadav, Nepalese Minister for Education, Science and Technology in Kathmandu, Nepal. The event saw a footfall of delegates from 15+ countries from across the world. These leaders came together on a single platform in Nepal and shared their experiences, challenges and wins in pursuit of collective global agendas.
International Youth Day is celebrated annually on 12 August to bring youth issues to the attention of the international community and celebrate the potential of youth as partners in today’s global society. The Day gives an opportunity to celebrate and mainstream young peoples’ voices, actions and initiatives, as well as their meaningful, universal and equitable engagement. To commemorate the exemplary leadership of Martin Luther King, Nelson Mandela & Mahatma Gandhi, Project 100 constituted the ‘Global Changemakers Awards’ and to mark this day of youth power and aspirations, the Global Youth Leaders Conference was organised.
The event was an initiative of Project 100 to recognize outstanding youths who have dedicated themselves to making a positive difference in their communities. The event aimed to identify, recognise and promote the good work done by individuals and organisations. Their inspiring stories and examples can then be emulated by the youth across the world and contribute to the larger agendas of global development. The event was a great display of collaborative efforts and partnerships. Many partners from across sectors and regions came together like Hi-tech (Sponsor), Damsole (Design and Media partners from Pune, India), Hotel Buddha Land (Hospitality Partner), Lumbini Bank (Sponsor), Ram Laxman Innovations (Sponsor), Tarkeshwari and Jhapa municipalities, Showraj traders (Partner), Preeti Foundation (NGO Partner), Mrs. Namita Ghimire, Mr. Raj Kattel, Dr. Piya Ratna from Human Harmony Nepal, International Youth Centre and International Youth Society partnered with Project 100 to make this event a success.
The global community was welcomed and addressed by Mr. Krishna Hari Timilsina, Head of Project 100 Nepal. The conference included a range of events from cultural dance performances to award ceremonies, speeches from distinguished professionals, along with 3 distinct panels on social issues concerning the youth in line with the UN SDGs and climate change. The insightful panels were enriched by the words of high level panellists who were social activists, scientists, academicians, business tycoons, thought leaders and were moderated by Yashashvi Mukesh, a climate change youth activist and Climate Asia Ambassador from India.
The event celebrated the hard work behind bringing positive change. It attracted the participation of more than 100 delegates who are key decision-makers and opinion leaders from the government, the corporate world, civil society organisations, media, professional bodies, academia and the international community. The award categories were carefully designed to reflect diversity and inclusion in diverse industries and sectors like Health, Environment, Sports, Gender Equality, Human Rights, Technology, Education, Business, Arts and Central, Livelihood, NGO/Volunteering, CSR, Agriculture and Media. The esteemed jury for the awards carefully assessed the profiles, work and impact of each changemaker and decided to confer the GCA 2022 to 30 leaders in 10 categories.
The ceremony was attended by many local and foreign dignitaries including Dr. S.P Singh (Ex. Vice-Chancellor of Veer Kunwar Singh University, Ara – Bihar Government and Himalayan University, Itanagar, Arunachal Pradesh), Dr. A.D Sawant (Ex. Vice-Chancellor University of Rajasthan, Ex.Pro Vice-Chancellor Mumbai University and Ex. Joint Director, Higher Education of Government Of Maharashtra), Mr. Sunil Kumar Manandhar (Former Minister of Environment, Government of Nepal), Mingma Sherpa ( along with many other guests who came along to honour the youth leaders with the Global Changemakers Award.
The event received best wishes from many ministers, government officials and other high-profile persons including Sh. Satendra Dahiya ( Attache, HIC – Indian Embassy), Honourable Jean Christophe Stephan Toussaint (Minister of Youth Empowerment, Sports and Recreation of Government of Mauritius), B.L. Verma (State Minister, Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region), etc. The event was concluded by the kind words of Mr. Vitthal Sonawane, Secretary Project .