HelpAge India gets '2020 UN Population Award'

NGO HelpAge India received the ”2020 UN Population Award” in the institutional category on Thursday for its contribution towards serving disadvantaged elderly people and raising awareness on their cause. The UN Population Award, established by the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in 1981, recognises contributions in the fields of population and reproductive health. The award ceremony was held virtually in the UN’s New York office.

Bhutan’s Queen Mother Gyalyum Sangay Choden Wangchuck was given the 2020 United Nations Population Award in the individual category for her work on sexual health and gender violence. The much-coveted award consists of a gold medal, a diploma and a monetary prize.

”It has been a long and fulfilling journey for HelpAge India and this recognition by the UN has not only made us proud, but inspired and motivated us to continue doing what we know best, help those in need,” Kiran Karnik, chairperson, HelpAge India, had said on the announcement of the award last month. Operating for four decades, HelpAge India has its presence in over 20 states across the country and runs numerous programmes on the ground, addressing the needs of elderly people such as age-care, healthcare, livelihood, pension etc. There are an estimated 10.6 crore elderly people in India.

The committee for the United Nations Population Award, which made the selections, is chaired by Ion Jinga, the Permanent Representative of Romania to the UN, and is composed of representatives of nine other UN member states. The UNFPA serves as its secretariat.