News & views from Nepal and South Asia

Washington DC, July 11 - Dr. Shankar Sharma, Ambassador of Nepal to the United States, officially received the Distinguished Alumni Award from the East-West Center (EWC), Hawaii, in a recently held EWC 50^th Anniversary International Conference in Honolulu.

Sharma received the award in recognition of his outstanding accomplishments, including significant contributions to the promotion of better relations and understanding among the peoples of Asia, the Pacific, and the United States, which are the goals and objectives of the Center. Established by the US Congress in 1960, the Center serves as a resource for information and analysis on critical issues of common concern, bringing people together to exchange views, build expertise, and develop policy options.

Ambassador Sharma is honored for his accomplishments as the Nepalese Ambassador to the United States, his long and distinguished service with the government of Nepal, including the Vice Chairman of the National Planning Commission, and for his many years as leader of the EWCA Nepal Chapter during which he revitalized the chapter.

Maya Soetoro-Ng, on the occasion conveyed a message of welcome from her brother, President Barack Obama. “My brother is grateful to all of you for your important contribution over the last 50 years in building bridges and working collaboratively throughout the countries of the Asia Pacific region,” she said. “He thanks you for all the grassroots diplomacy you do so well, and that makes his job much easier.”

Another recipient present in the Conference was Dr. Delia B. Rodriguez-Amaya, Professor Food Science at the University of Campinas, Brazil. Maya Soetoro-Ng received the honor awarded posthumously to Ann Dunham Soetoro, the mother of President Barack Obama and Maya. Other receipients of this award are D. Hao Ping, the Vice Minister for Education in China, Dr. Rajendra K. Pachauri, Chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change which received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2007.

Images can be seen here in the gallery.