Nepal

I bring warm greetings to everyone in this Hall from the Government and the people of Nepal, and our best wishes for the success of the General Assembly at its seventy-sixth session. I want to congratulate the President on his well- deserved election. It is very significant to see a South Asian chosen to preside over the proceedings of the Assembly at a time when the world is in a ferment in the midst of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic and the climate crisis. I assure the President of Nepal’s full support in the discharge of his important responsibilities. Let me also commend the outgoing President, His Excellency Mr. Volkan Bozkir, for successfully leading the seventy-fifth session of the Assembly during trying times. I would like to place on record our warmest congratulations to the Secretary- General, His Excellency Mr. Antonio Guterres, on his reappointment for a second term of office, and to commend his leadership of the Organization. I want to join other world leaders in expressing our deepest condolences to all those across the world who have lost their loved ones as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. COVID-19 has silently and cruelly claimed more than 4.5 million lives. The crisis has brought the world to a grinding halt, devastated the global economy, pushed an additional 150 million people into extreme poverty and threatened to reverse hard-earned development gains. It has exacerbated pre-existing and perennial challenges, such as poverty, hunger, unemployment, inequalities and climate change, exposing systemic weaknesses, vulnerabilities and inadequacies in health systems around the world. Nowhere is that more visible than in the weakest and most vulnerable countries, where people remain deprived of access to even basic civic amenities. The theme of the general debate, “Building resilience through hope — to recover from COVID-19, rebuild sustainably, respond to the needs of the planet, respect the rights of people, and revitalize the United Nations”, is both timely and pertinent. Those tasks — recovering from COVID-19, rebuilding sustainably, responding to the needs of the planet, respecting the rights of people and revitalizing the United Nations — aptly mirror our pressing priorities, challenges and needs. Reviving hope is critical in times of crisis. We appreciate the efforts by the international community, including the United Nations system, to address the challenges posed by COVID-19. We also welcome the pledges of funds and vaccines. We need greater commitment and resources for those initiatives. The growing vaccine inequality is having adverse socioeconomic effects in many low- income countries. Fair and equitable access to vaccines must be ensured for everyone, everywhere. People’s lives should come first. Vaccines must be declared as public goods for the benefit of people’s lives. In Nepal, saving lives, strengthening the health system and pursuing economic recovery and transformation underpin our efforts to build a sustainable and resilient recovery. Despite constraints and challenges related to accessing COVID-19 vaccines, we have been able to vaccinate close to 20 per cent of our population. We remain grateful to our immediate neighbours, India and China, for their support in fighting the COVID-19 crisis. We also sincerely thank friendly countries such as the United States, Britain, Japan and others for providing vaccines, critical medical equipment and medicines in our fight against the pandemic. Recent developments in Afghanistan are of shared concern to all of us. The people of Afghanistan deserve better. We call for unhindered humanitarian access to the country and a full resumption of public services, including health care and education for all segments of Afghan society. We urge all the parties involved to ensure peace, security and stability so that the Afghan people can live in dignity and enjoy their fundamental rights and freedoms. We also urge Afghanistan to engage with the international community on the basis of the principles of the Charter of the United Nations and the norms of international law. We call on all the parties concerned in Myanmar to respect the will of the people, restore the democratic and constitutional process and uphold fundamental rights and freedoms. We call for an immediate end to the hardships and suffering of the common people in Libya, Syria, and Yemen. In the Middle East, we reiterate our long-standing position and want to see peace and security through a two-State solution for Israel and Palestine, living side by side within secure and recognized international borders. For more than 63 years, Nepal has consistently contributed to United Nations peace operations to promote peace, security and stability in the conflict- ridden parts of the world. We attach great importance to the safety and security of United Nations peacekeepers and the need for adequate training, resources and modern technologies. It is in that spirit that we endorsed the Declaration of Shared Commitments in support of the Action for Peacekeeping initiative. Nepal has endorsed the Kigali Principles on the Protection of Civilians and supports the Secretary-General’s system- wide zero-tolerance policy on sexual exploitation and abuse and aims to achieve zero-case scenarios in peacekeeping. As one of the countries contributing some of the largest numbers of troops and police to United Nations peacekeeping, Nepal believes that such countries deserve more senior-level positions both at Headquarters and in the field, based on the level of their contributions. Nepal condemns terrorism in all its forms and manifestations and condemns all activities designed to fuel social discord, communal conflicts and intolerance. There is a need for robust global cooperation to effectively implement the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy, combat and control the financing of terrorism and fight organized transborder crime. That underlines the urgency for the conclusion of a comprehensive convention against terrorism. It is worrisome to see new signs of an arms race among the great Powers through the modernization of nuclear arms and the weaponization of outer space. We call on them to divert precious resources from military spending to addressing the COVID-19 pandemic and lifting the most vulnerable out of poverty. Disarmament mechanisms, as well as non-proliferation and confidence-building measures, have stalled. Nepal calls for the general and complete disarmament of all weapons of mass destruction in a time-bound and verifiable manner. As the host of the United Nations Regional Centre for Peace and Disarmament in Asia and the Pacific, we are committed to supporting the work of the Centre and reviving the Kathmandu process to promote regional efforts on disarmament, arms control and non-proliferation. Whether it is manifested in rising sea levels or the melting of Himalayan glaciers, hurricanes, storms, floods or fires, climate change has become an existential threat to humankind. Reports indicate that warmer conditions have even prompted animals and plants to adopt new behaviours and evolve new traits. Nepal is home to eight of the world’s 14 highest peaks, including the top of the world — Sagarmatha, also known as Mount Everest. Sagarmatha stands as an icon for adventure-seekers and of Himalayan heritage for us. As environmental concerns increase, we need to raise environmental awareness. While we welcome climbers from around the world, we expect climbers’ cooperation in returning with their garbage from the high mountains so as to maintain their sanctity. Nepal has a number of snow-fed Himalayan rivers that are connected to its identity and civilizations and sustain one fifth of the global population. We have been focusing our efforts on doing due ecological diligence while undertaking development activities in the Himalayan region. Nepal is at the sharp end of climate change, despite its negligible share of greenhouse-gas emissions. For our part, we reiterate our commitment to delivering climate-resilient development pathways by 2030 and net-zero emissions by 2050. The principle of common but differentiated responsibilities, equity and respective capabilities should be at the centre of the climate agenda if we are to ensure climate justice. The twenty-sixth Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, to be held in Glasgow, must provide a breakthrough. The climate ambitions of developing countries must be met with easier access to adequate financial and technological support for adaptation and mitigation. The Conference must become a gateway to a greener, cleaner and smarter energy transition. With just less than a decade left, the world is not on track to achieve the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The pandemic has strained our efforts to realize the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). As we strive for a resilient recovery and to build back better and stronger, achieving the SDGs should be at the centre of our priorities. Nepal has mainstreamed the SDGs into its national plans, policies and programmes. We have achieved significant progress across major sectors, such as education, health, gender equality and women’s empowerment. Changing the lives of people lacking wealth, dignity and human rights has been our commitment. The least-developed countries (LDCs) are the most vulnerable group of countries even in the first quarter of the twenty-first century. They should be freed from the dehumanizing conditions of poverty and underdevelopment. LDCs and landlocked developing countries (LLDCs) need reliable and sustainable financing, partnerships and technology transfer so as to overcome their structural impediments and benefit from globalization. As both an LDC and LLDC, Nepal’s structural challenges are unique. We see our plan to graduate from the category of LDC countries by 2026 as an opportunity to bring about structural transformation and make our long-held national aspiration to graduation smooth, sustainable and irreversible. We look to the fifth United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries, to be held in Doha early next year, as an important opportunity to renew the bonds of international partnership. It must build on the unfinished business of the Istanbul Programme of Action for the Least Developed Countries for the Decade 2011-2020, with a commitment to enhancing the level of support for graduating countries. For landlocked nations, the development of a multimodal transport infrastructure and unhindered transit rights are critical to their sustainable development. We call for the implementation of past decisions and programmes in full synergy and coherence with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and expect development partners to increase their support in order to establish a secure, reliable and efficient transit and transport system for landlocked developing countries. The ongoing crisis must not be a pretext for retracting official development assistance commitments. The development potential of South-South cooperation in terms of trade, investment and technology must be fully exploited. It is time to reform the global economic governance architecture to ensure fair and equitable representation for all. We welcome the steps taken by the International Monetary Fund and the Group of 20 on debt relief and debt service suspension. Nepal calls for reformed and more equitable international debt restructuring to address the debt crisis of low-income countries. The World Trade Organization is not only about maintaining the rules-based international trading order but must also be a platform to enable developing countries to benefit from an enhanced level of international cooperation in the areas of aid for trade, technology transfer and capacity-building. Connectivity is a lifeline for peace, progress and prosperity. Connectivity forms a premise for enduring cooperation, deeper integration and building trust and confidence among nations. Nepal attaches the highest possible priority to cooperation through connectivity and underlines the need to create a win-win situation in that regard between and among countries. Nepal encourages concerted efforts to ensure the safety, security, dignity and well-being of all migrant workers. We call for the effective implementation of the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration and underline the need for more robust international governance for the protection, safety and welfare of migrant workers. The protection of minorities and their rights makes the world more humane and contributes to world peace and security. Despite not being a party to the Refugee Convention and its Protocol, Nepal has hosted thousands of refugees, based on humanitarian principles. We consider the forced eviction of citizens a grave crime against humanity and call on the international community to respond responsibly and act decisively for refugees’ right to return to their homelands in safety and dignity. Nepal has chosen a democratic path to development. Democracy is about people, and is therefore indispensable to people’s welfare. Nepal’s Constitution accommodates the aspirations of all its citizens. The proportional representation of all segments of society is at its core. It guarantees a comprehensive set of internationally recognized human rights and fundamental freedoms. The Constitution establishes powerful commissions to promote and protect the rights and interests that are specific to women, Dalits, Muslims, Madhesis, indigenous people and other disadvantaged communities. It mandates that the representation of women in our federal and provincial parliaments is at least 33 per cent of their totals and 40 per cent at the local level. That has strengthened their role in politics and development. We are committed to concluding our transitional justice process through the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and the Commission of Investigation on Enforced Disappeared Persons. There will be no blanket amnesty in the case of serious violation of human rights. As a member elected to a second term in the Human Rights Council, we continue to add value through a political and impartial approach to human rights. Nepal’s world view is shaped by its adherence to the principle of amity with all and enmity with none. Our friendship with both of our neighbours, India and China, remains of paramount importance in the conduct of our foreign policy, based on the principles of panchsheel — the five principles of peaceful coexistence derived from the teachings of Lord Buddha, the enlightened son of Nepal. The relevance of those principles as a framework for inter-State relations cannot be overstated in the present context. The purposes and principles of the Charter, non-alignment, international law and the norms of world peace form the basis of our foreign policy. The current Government of Nepal, led by Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba, is committed to conducting foreign policy on a basis of sovereign equality, mutual respect and mutual benefit and remains engaged with all friendly countries in the wider international community. Nepal firmly believes in the indispensability of multilateralism, with the United Nations as its core. We consider it to be the only way to build global understanding and cooperation, promote shared interests and secure our common future. We add our voices in support of the measures and initiatives aimed at United Nations reform. The underrepresentation of developing countries must be addressed in recognition of their growing contributions. We want to see a more representative, inclusive and transparent Security Council and a revitalized General Assembly. Reforms must be inclusive, representative, accountable and effective in their delivery. We consider regional cooperation arrangements important for building trust and confidence among nations, managing harmonious relations and making the best use of complementarities for shared prosperity. Nepal’s active engagement in the South-Asian Association for Regional Cooperation, the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multisectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation and the Asia Cooperation Dialogue is a demonstration of our ardent faith in regional cooperation, connectivity and integration. Over the past 65 years, Nepal and the United Nations have enjoyed a strong partnership, driven by trust, cooperation and mutual respect. We thank the United Nations for its continued support in our development endeavours. Nepal commends the Secretary-General for his comprehensive report on Our Common Agenda. We support the report’s focus on the action agenda designed to accelerate the implementation of existing commitments. We live in troubled times. There has been a dramatic shift in geopolitics and geo-economics in the post-Cold War era, posing unprecedented challenges on all fronts. The world’s economic centre of gravity is shifting decisively towards Asia, centred on the economic growth of China and India. At the same time, the world is becoming more complex and polarized, with transnational challenges ranging from terrorism to climate change to food insecurity to mass migration to political radicalism and extremism. Under the cumulative impact of all those factors, we are experiencing new ways of life in the midst of confusion and uncertainty. We see conflicts in various parts of the world, and more within nations than between nations. That has given rise to identity politics. Nations find themselves increasingly divided along lines of race, ethnicity, gender and religion. We must find common ground and practice tolerance and harmony to confront those unimaginable problems. My delegation considers that there is no alternative to democracy and multilateralism in overcoming the stresses and strains of the times. They are also the best antidote to the risk of civil conflict in ethnically diverse societies. I feel happy to share with this audience our belief that unity in vast diversity is Nepal’s strength. Thanks to our democratic culture and harmonious way of life, the Nepali people’s resilience in the face of hardship and suffering has remained exemplary, as seen most recently in the aftermath of the devastating earthquakes of 2015 and the COVID-19 pandemic. As I stand here today, my thoughts go back to 1960, when the first elected Prime Minister of Nepal, the late Bishweswar Prasad Koirala, addressed the General Assembly, saying, “As we look at the world, we find that it is the economic disparity between countries, as between the rich and the poor people within the nation, that is the source of much friction and tension” (A/PV878, p.255). “The main function of the United Nations at the present moment is the creation, or recreation, of a climate of confidence and trust” (ibid., p.254). Creating a climate of confidence and trust is as relevant today as it was in 1960. It is incumbent on us to work together for a more equitable, just, fair, resilient and sustainable world. In conclusion, I believe the time is now to turn crisis into opportunity, despair into hope and risk into resilience. The time is now to build a stronger, more interconnected and more inclusive multilateral system, grounded in cooperation, solidarity and mutual trust. We must rise to our responsibility to rebuild for the sake of the people we serve and the planet on which we live.