Plan International Cambodia (PIC), Aide et Action (AEA), and the Ministry of Women’s Affairs will organise a fun run under the theme “Run for Girls Run for All” to celebrate International Girls’ Day and empower girls to collaborate in socio-economic sustainable development.
According to the statement by the ministry, in collaboration with Plan International, they will organise the event on October 20 in front of the Royal Palace on the riverside.
It said that the event is free to join, and all entrants will receive a commemorative T-shirt and bag and can either participate in the 2.5 km or 5 km fun run.
It added that those who are interested in joining the fun run can obtain further details and register on the ministry’s or Plan International’s Facebook pages.
Yi Kimthan, Deputy Country Director for Programmes of PIC, told Khmer Times yesterday that the ministry and Plan had organised the first International Girls’ Day in 2023 under the theme “Promoting Responsibility Leading Girls in the Digital Age”.
Kimthan noted for this year’s celebration, the Ministry and Plan have chosen the theme “Empowering Girls for Sustainable Development”, which is in line with the government’s objective on sustainable development goals 2016-2030, focusing on the people and the country.
He added that the purpose of the event was to promote the importance of girls’ sustainable development and to raise awareness among the public about the value of achieving equality for girls across all sectors.
“So far, there are more than 1,000 registered participants, we had just planned to have about 500 people participating in the event, this is well beyond expectations,” he said.
He said that the event also encourages and provides opportunities for young people to lead and initiate new ideas to empower girls in leadership.
He added that by directly supporting Cambodia’s commitment to sustainable development goals, especially in relation to gender equality, education, and economic growth, in this regard, the theme aims to focus on the values of concern, by focusing on promoting equality of girls’ participation in development in all areas, including the digital sector, and empowering girls in digitisation can lead to more equitable, innovative, and sustainable development outcomes.
Vorn Samphors, the Country Director of AEA, said yesterday that he considered “International Girls’ Day” as crucial and countries across the world organise events to promote girls’ rights.
“I see that girls in Cambodia and other countries recently had opportunities for empowerment for sustainable development across all sectors. I am also pleased to see the government, parents, and local communities paying more attention to girl’s rights,” he said.
He added that he still sees girls from remote areas still facing challenges, as they are poor and often migrate for work to support their families.
He added that the indigenous girls do not get equal rights, or receive educational and health services afforded to other girls.
“AEA in collaboration with development partners and the government supports women, girls, and teachers in raising awareness on girls’ rights in society, to protect them from discrimination and allow them to empower girls’ leadership in the community,” Samphors said.
Samphors said that they are running programmes, such as the Out of School Children project, Education Above All, Educate a Child, and Youth Star Cambodia can help unlock the potential of girls.
(Article was published in Khmer Times / Publication date 15 October 2024)
