Ambedkar's birth anniversary to be observed at UN

The permanent mission of India to the UN in New York will host a special event to commemorate the 125th birth anniversary of B. R. Ambedkar -- jurist, economist, politician, social reformer and main architect of India's constitution -- on April 13.

The event will be organised in association with the Kalpana Saroj Foundation and Foundation of Human Horizon.

"The landmark 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development recognises that combating inequality within and among countries, creating sustained, inclusive and sustainable growth and fostering inclusion are interdependent," the mission said in a statement while announcing the event.

"The vision of B.R. Ambedkar, the architect of the Indian Constitution, to achieve social justice and equality also finds resonance in the core message of the 2030 Agenda," it stated.

To highlight this , a panel discussion will be held on the theme "Combating inequalities for the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals" with the objective of raising awareness on the importance of addressing all forms of inequality for the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and according to the visionary message of Ambedkar.

Helen Clark, chair of the UN Development Group (UNDG) and the administrator of the UN Development Program (UNDP) will be the keynote speaker.

Stan Kachnowski and Anupama Rao from Colombia University and Christopher Queen, Lecturer at Harvard University will be among the panellists.

The event is expected to be bring together political leaders, senior UN officials, diplomats, academia, civil society and private sector from India, US and other parts of the world.