“The human rights council is one the busiest platforms among UN that convenes meetings every day.  Considering the workload, we have decided to reinforce two diplomats exclusively to attend the meetings and cover the events in Geneva,” said Bharat Raj Paudyal, Spokesperson, Nepali Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA).

According to Paudyal, Joint Secretary Tirtha Raj Wagle and the Under-Secretary Ram Prasad Subedi have already been appointed for taking up new assignments in Geneva.

“To fulfill our responsibility as a member, we have decided to enforce additional manpower. Besides other regular works, the council also focuses on pressing human rights issues that call for some dedicated officials to attend in the meetings,” informed Paudyal.

This move by MoFA Nepal is aimed at managing workload following Nepal’s recent election to the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) for the 2018-20 term. 

Securing 166 votes, the highest in the Asia-Pacific Group, Nepal gained UNHRC membership in New York in the last week of October 2018. 

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Securing Nepal’s seat in the United Nations Human Rights Commission (UNHRC) is high on Nepali Prime Minister’s agenda during his upcoming visit to New York for the UN General Assembly (UNGA).

Be it announcing candidacy or further extending the tenure of Nepal’s Permanent Representative and Ambassador to UN Durga Prasad Bhattarai, the Government of Nepal has been making consistent efforts to win UNHRC membership.

Speaking in this regard, a senior Foreign Ministry official said, “This is our major diplomatic agenda for this year. PM will seek support from the member states in all bilateral meetings and engagements.”

Reiterating their commitment towards securing Nepal’s candidature, other Nepali officials also said, “The country’s delegates will make a pitch that Nepal believes fair opportunity for all interested states to serve in the UN Human Rights Council and would contribute to the common goals of promotion and protection of human rights everywhere.”

Nepal will also be seeking support regarding its bid for UNHRC for the 2018-20 term.

Apart from PM, other senior Nepali officials including Deputy Prime Minister Krishna Bahadur Mahara will also be taking part in various high-level meetings in New York.

Mahara is set to leave for New York on September 17, 2017, wherein, he will be heading the Foreign Ministerial level meeting of the South Asia Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) Council of Ministers and also participate in a meeting of the Asian Cooperation Dialogue that Nepal entered in 2006.

The Prime Minister is scheduled to leave Kathmandu on September 19, 2017, and will be addressing UNGA on September 23, 2017.

Ministerial-level meetings of Landlocked Least Developed Countries (LDCs), Non-aligned Movement, G-77, South-South Cooperation, UN Peacekeeping Operations are among key meetings Nepal will be participating in on the sidelines of UNGA. The country is also expected to sign the Treaty on Prohibiting Nuclear Weapons.

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