President Bidya Devi Bhandari left for Geneva on Tuesday to attend the World of Work Summit to be held as part of the 106th session of the International Labour Conference.

Bhandari, one of the keynote speakers, will be joined by two other heads of state from Malta and Mauritius exclusively invited by the ILO. This is the first time Nepal’s head of state was invited to address the summit. Nepal became an ILO member in 1966.

Vice President Nanda Bahadur Pun, Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba, ministers and senior government officials bade farewell to the President at the Tribhuvan International Airport.

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the President will address the summit on the theme “Women at Work” on Thursday. She will highlight the progress made by Nepal in the front of women’s participation and representation in politics.

On the sidelines of the summit, officials and dignitaries including ILO Director General Guy Ryder will call on Bhandari.

Several officials from the President’s Office and the Foreign Ministry are travelling with the President. She will return on Sunday.