World Association of Women Warriors (WAOW) organized its 3rd International Annual Summit in New Delhi. This year’s annual summit theme, in harmony with India’s G20 Presidency – One Earth – One Family – One Future, centralized on Inclusivity and Diversity and was held at Radisson Blu Plaza Hotel, Delhi.
World Association of Women Warriors is a registered global organization working towards delivering UN SDG goals and have members spread across Asia, Africa, Europe and the Americas. The Inclusivity Diversity Summit 2023 not only promoted the Gender Equality goal but brought about a broad consensus on having a world where everyone lives and grows together without the bias of gender, race, colour, creed, caste, class, community, or age. The Summit had more than 150+ prominent women and men from more than 14 countries worldwide, including Canada, the USA, Mauritius, Tanzania, Thailand, UAE, Bangladesh, and Cameroon. The Indian participants represented most Indian regions, including Lakdakh, Mizoram, Assam, West Bengal, Kerala, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, and Kerala.
In her keynote address, the International Chief Guest, the Ambassador and General Counsel of Panama to the Republic of India, Her Excellency Ms Yasiel Alines Burillo Rivera, commended the excellent empowerment work that the World Association of Women Warriors (WAOW) is doing globally. She said bringing people together and promoting diversity is the need of the hour, and the world’s future depends on it. She noted that the meticulously chosen deserving women for the Warrior Awards are commendable, praised the awardees, and emphatic on their journey.
Ms Kushboo Sundar, Eminent Celebrity Chief Guest, Tamil Superstar with 200+ films and member of the National Commission for Women, applauded the efforts of WAOW in organizing the Inclusive Summit and meritorious awards and commended the super inspirational stories of the Awardees and related it to her journey, she said that women should not look at hurdles as challenges but as opportunities to transform into a warrior to face them head-on.
The key panel of the Summit on Inclusivity and Diversity had the eminent Guest of Honors – Dr Prerna Kohli, PhD, a renowned psychologist who has been President of India and a univocal advocate for mental health, especially of women and girls, enunciated that “Self Care is critical for the woman to remain healthy and strong to be able to nurture her needs and that of her Family.” The Guest of Honor, Dr Harpreet A De Singh, a highly regarded person in the Aviation Industry and globally and the first-ever CEO of an Indian Airlines, said, “Be a true warrior who fights for what is correct but also forgives, a saint Warrior.”
The Guest of Honor, Dr Dharmendra Singh, a highly regarded Electronics & Communication professor with 325+ papers to his name, emphasized the role of technology in building inclusivity and said, “The future of our world depends on various viewpoints working together and collectively creating better products that have been designed for everyone.” International Director of WAOW, Mr Shalabh Saigal, emphasized the Work WAOW is doing to bring diverse sections of society into the mainstream, quoting the example of the underprivileged kids of Nomads with which WAOW works in association with India Talent Treasure Trust. Retired Leut Dr Rita Gangwani moderated the eminent panel and concluded the esteemed panel with, “Life comes in all shapes, sizes, genders, and colours are what make life beautiful. Let’s paint the canvas of life like a fluid art mixing all the colours to create a masterpiece.”
During his address, Guest of Honor Dr Sandeep Marwah, President of Marwah Studios, Founder – of Noida Film City and Chancellor of AAFT University, said, “Empowering women to become entrepreneurs not only benefits the individual but also benefits society as a whole. Women entrepreneurs bring diversity, creativity, and a unique perspective to the business world.” The Guests of Honor, Dr Gaurav Guptaa and Mr Ashish Neswa, also participated in the Summit.
The Summit also included the Annual Warrior Awards, with over 50 prominent and meritorious awardees chosen by a Global WAOW jury from 1100+ nominations across 50 categories & 14 countries for their exemplary achievements and influential journeys. The prestigious list of Warrior Awardees included the likes of Padma Shri Smt Sudha Varghese Ji, Ms Mary Kom, 4-time Guniess Book World Record holder Ms Sufia Sufi Runner, Dr Tanu Jain Airforce Headquarters Civil Services – Ministry of Defence, Ms Rakhee Bakshee, Ms Miranda Njissic (Canada), Ms Anju Handa, Ms Asaba Lynda Sirri (Zambia), Captain Sunita Narula, Capt Mayuri Deshmukh, Ms Shaloo Gera, Ms Shaheen Hussain, Ms Suman Gahlawat, Ms Helena Jahagir (Bangladesh), Dr Edna Santos (WAE), Ms Manju Bhatia, Ms Sonam Lanzes, Dr Anju Sharma, Ms Dipa Agarwalla, Ms Paweena K (Thailand), Ms Sangeeta Mukherjee Roy, Dr Mwaka Namukond (Zambia), Ms Saba Ahmad, Dr Sanjhna Nayarr, Dr K Vedmani Devi, Ms Malvika Joshi, Ms Shruti Agarwalla, Dr Suboohi Rizvi, Ms Nandani Tanya (Mauritius), Mr Omary H. Omary (Tanzania), Ms Ojasvi Chauhan, Ms Tauhida Sultana (Bangladesh), Ms Mansi Chahal, Ms Gayatri Chadwa, and many others.
The children from the adopted Nomad community of WAOW, in association with India Talent Treasure Trust, performed on the stage for the audience, charming them with their talent for dancing. They were mentored by the WAOW youth ambassador Ms Shoa Aly. They were presented a cheque of Rs 5000 by WAOW Foundation at the ceremony.
WAOW International Director, Shahwar Shohrat, said that the WAOW continues to include diversity, which helps the organization expand its reach globally and broaden its sphere of influence to sectors like technology and social transformation. She said that WAOW continues to recognize and celebrate women warriors who are fearless in their pursuit to change the world. She said she is thankful to all the organizations and people who supported the Warrior Awards. WOAW directors Dr Mamta Godiyal and Shalabh Saigal were instrumental in curating a diverse and deserving list of Awardees from more than 1100+ nominations. Dr Mamta Godiyal said, “WAOW continues to grow globally manifold during the last year and has been diligent in furthering its cause. It teamed up with multiple NGOs at local and global levels and government administration.”
Warrior Awards is supported by Organic Shine, India Talent Treasure Trust, Gem Mines, Giftopedia India, Radisson Blu Hotels, Gfilms, Luxestory, and M.G. Warriors.
