Zonta representatives attend South Asia forum on ending child marriage

KATHMANDU: Representatives of Zonta International and Zonta Club of Kathmandu participated in the South Asia Regional Forum to End Child Marriage in Kathmandu on October 15-16. The forum, organised by United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), brought together regional stakeholders to discuss efforts to end child marriage by 2030.

The two-day forum, held in Kathmandu, focused on regional progress, challenges and collaborative strategies aimed at accelerating efforts to achieve Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) Target 5.3, which seeks to end child marriage by 2030.

Shreejana Rana, International Director, represented Zonta International at the forum, while Samantha Rana Shah, UN Committee Chair, represented Zonta Club of Kathmandu.

According to Zonta Club of Kathmandu, Rana highlighted Zonta International's century-long commitment to empowering women and girls. The organisation stated that Zonta has historically committed more than $7 million to initiatives addressing child marriage and has pledged an additional $1.5 million to the UNFPA–UNICEF Global Programme for 2026–2028.

The forum provided participants with insights into efforts across South Asia to address child marriage and explored ways to strengthen regional cooperation towards ending the practice by 2030.

"Every girl deserves an education, a childhood, and the freedom to choose her own future," Zonta Club of Kathmandu said in a statement.