The three-day South Asian Women’s Conference 2025 was held from from May 8-10, 2025 at Namgay Heritage Hotel, Thimphu, under the theme “𝑾𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒏’𝒔 𝑬𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒐𝒎𝒊𝒄 𝑬𝒎𝒑𝒐𝒘𝒆𝒓𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕
𝒊𝒏 𝑹𝒖𝒓𝒂𝒍 𝑺𝒐𝒖𝒕𝒉 𝑨𝒔𝒊𝒂: 𝑺𝒖𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒊𝒏𝒂𝒃𝒍𝒆 𝑷𝒂𝒕𝒉𝒘𝒂𝒚𝒔.”
The event was graced by 𝐇𝐞𝐫 𝐌𝐚𝐣𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐲 𝐐𝐮𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐌𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐃𝐨𝐫𝐣𝐢 𝐖𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐦𝐨 𝐖𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐜𝐡𝐮𝐜𝐤,
𝐅𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐓𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐲𝐚𝐧𝐚 𝐅𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧, who inaugurated the conference. In her inspiring address, Her Majesty urged participants to:
“𝑳𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒏 𝒅𝒆𝒆𝒑𝒍𝒚; 𝒔𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒈𝒆𝒏𝒆𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒔𝒍𝒚; 𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒆𝒏𝒈𝒆 𝒘𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒏𝒐 𝒍𝒐𝒏𝒈𝒆𝒓 𝒔𝒆𝒓𝒗𝒆𝒔 𝒖𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒃𝒖𝒊𝒍𝒅
𝒏𝒆𝒘 𝒑𝒂𝒕𝒉𝒘𝒂𝒚𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒌 – 𝒅𝒆𝒔𝒊𝒈𝒏𝒆𝒅 𝒃𝒚 𝒘𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒏, 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒘𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒏, 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒘𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒏 𝒂𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆
𝒄𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒓.”
The conference opened with a warm welcome address by Ms. Kesang Chuki Dorjee, Member of the National Council of Bhutan (Upper House), setting an inspiring tone for the event. Brief remarks were delivered by co-organizers Veena Sikri, Suman Raj Timsina, Yankila Sherpa, and ICIMOD DDG Isabell Koziell, highlighting the goals and significance of the gathering. Ms. Cecile Fruman, Director of Regional Integration and Engagement in the South Asia Region at the World Bank, further enriched the discussions with their insights. The keynote address was delivered by Ms. Bandana Rana, Member and former Vice Chairperson of CEDAW, who brought a glob al perspective on advancing gender equality and eliminating discrimination against women.
Over 100 participants, including dignitaries, policymakers, practitioners, researchers, and grassroots women leaders from across South Asia, gathered to collaborate on key issues shaping the future of rural women’s empowerment. Ms. Rami N Desai, Distinguished Fellow, India Foundation chaired the opening session on “The viability of women in The Arc of Rural Tourism”. She also gave the concluding remarks in the conference focusing on the role of women’s empowerment in regional stability.
As part of the conference, Her Majesty formally inaugurated a vibrant exhibition showcasing the diverse contributions of women’s groups and organizations from across the region. The exhibition featured stalls from Chaitanya (India), Integrated Mountain Initiative (Sikkim, India), Folk Heritage Museum (Bhutan), Tarayana Rural Crafts (Bhutan), Chukha Ecotourism Groups (Bhutan), International Development Institute (Nepal), and Federation of Women Entrepreneurs’ Associations of Nepal (FWEAN), Sabah, Bhutan. Each exhibit highlighted unique local innovations, artisanal products, and community-based initiatives that promote rural livelihoods, cultural preservation, and women’s economic empowerment across South Asia.
Organized by South Asian Women’s Network (SWAN), T-HELP, International Development Institute (IDI), Tarayana Foundation and India Foundation, this conference is shaping actionable, cross-border strategies for sustainable development.
