At the outset, Madam, I would
like to congratulate you warmly on your election as
President of the General Assembly at this session and
to assure you of my delegation’s full cooperation in
discharging the responsibilities entrusted to you. I am
fully confident that we will be able to bring the
business of this session to a successful conclusion
under your leadership.
His Excellency Mr. Jan Eliasson, the outgoing
President, deserves our sincere appreciation for a job
well done.
I join previous speakers in heartily welcoming the
Republic of Montenegro as a fellow Member of this
world body. The continued expansion of the
membership underlines the importance of the United
Nations as an Organization of truly global character,
centrality and indispensability in global affairs.
This is, indeed, a great opportunity for me to
represent the voice of the democratic Government and
the sovereign people of Nepal in this Assembly. I have
brought with me greetings and best wishes from the
Government and the people of Nepal for the success of
this session.
I wish to inform the Assembly that Nepal is
undergoing a fundamental transformation following the
restoration of democracy through the peaceful people’s
movement in April 2006. The people of Nepal has
become, for the first time in history, the real source of
sovereignty and State authority. The historic
parliamentary proclamation of 18 May 2006, and the
subsequent decisions of the parliament, have made real
contributions to safeguarding and consolidating the
5 06-53329
gains of the people’s movement. We are currently
engaged in institutionalizing an edifice of a democratic
and inclusive Nepali State through the reinstated
parliament.
The people and the Government of Nepal are
thankful to the international community for its strong
support during our struggle for democracy. We are
hopeful of even greater support and solidarity in our
transition towards full-fledged democracy and lasting
peace.
This momentous change in Nepal has also led to
the conversion of a protracted conflict into a peace
process, and we are confident that it will be brought to
a successful conclusion. I take this opportunity to
sincerely express my appreciation to the Secretary-
General for his assistance to the peace process,
including in the monitoring of human rights, assistance
in ceasefire monitoring, arms management and the
observation of elections to the Constituent Assembly,
at our request. The successful resolution of our internal
conflict will set a worthwhile example to the rest of the
world that democracy is indispensable and brightens
the prospects for resolution of conflicts of all kinds.
Now, we have pressing post-conflict
reintegration, rehabilitation and reconstruction needs.
Meeting these challenges requires an enhanced level of
international support and assistance. Peace, security,
stability, democracy and development constitute global
public goods. It is critically important that newly
emerged democracies are safeguarded and protected,
thus allowing them to develop further and flourish.
With this vision in mind, we strongly support the
newly established United Nations Democracy Fund.
The United Nations today is confronted with
numerous challenges, such as international terrorism
and transnational crime, the threat of use of weapons of
mass destruction, narcotic drugs and human trafficking,
money-laundering and other financial crimes, regional
conflicts and low-intensity wars, extreme poverty and
hunger, human rights abuses, successive natural
disasters and the threats posed by pandemics such as
HIV/AIDS and avian flu.
These challenges call for new wisdom founded on
the principles of collective security, well-being and
prosperity. The United Nations is uniquely placed to
muster the much-needed philosophical underpinning
because of its standing as a global body armed with
legitimacy. New wisdom alone will not be enough to
deal with these problems if new strategies, new tools
and new resources do not match it. Nepal firmly
believes that multilateral solutions are required to
address problems and challenges of a global nature.
Multilateralism is the key to promoting global
participation in problem-solving and to ensuring
collective ownership of outcomes.
Today, old and new threats to peace and security
exist side by side. While military threats to security are
diminishing gradually, new sources of threat have
emerged and are likely to disturb international peace
and security in more than one way.
The growing menace of international terrorism
characterizes the security scenario in our post-cold-war
world. It has been the consistent policy of Nepal to
unequivocally condemn terrorism in all its forms and
manifestations. It is disheartening to note that no
international consensus has yet emerged paving the
way for the early conclusion of a comprehensive
international convention against terrorism. In this
context, we welcome the adoption of the United
Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy (resolution
60/288).
We are concerned about the dismal progress on
disarmament. After failing to agree on non-
proliferation last year, we were unable to produce an
agreement during the review of the regime to control
small arms and light weapons. We are also constantly
reminded of the deadlock in efforts to resolve nuclear
issues by peaceful means. Nepal stands for general and
complete disarmament of all weapons of mass
destruction, including biological, chemical, nuclear and
radiological weapons, in a time-bound manner. The
demand of our time is that we compete for peace, not
war, and for development, not armaments.
We have offered to host, in Kathmandu, the
United Nations Regional Centre for Peace and
Disarmament for Asia and the Pacific. Despite our
long-standing commitment and sincere efforts, the
Centre has yet to be relocated. I wish to reiterate that
the Government of Nepal is ready to sign the host
country agreement, pursuant to the Assembly
resolution, as soon as the Secretariat provides it with a
draft. We urge the Secretariat to conclude the necessary
procedures for the relocation of the Centre to Nepal
without further delay.
The recent upsurge of violence in Lebanon has
left unbearable human tragedy in its wake and has
06-53329 6
resulted in the large-scale destruction of material
property. We welcome the ongoing ceasefire and
express our support for Security Council resolution
1701 (2006) on strengthening the United Nations
Interim Force in Lebanon. We are committed to
contributing a battalion of troops for the cause of peace
there.
Nepal’s profound interest and continued
participation in United Nations peacekeeping missions
underscores its contribution to the maintenance of
international peace and security. Even when it had its
own internal conflict, Nepal never stopped sending
troops to United Nations peacekeeping missions.
Nepalese Blue Helmets have served in various
missions, including in many trouble spots, in an
exemplary manner, earning international repute for
them and their country. Currently, Nepal has over
3,500 troops in various United Nations missions. Many
of them have sacrificed their precious lives in the
service of peace and humanity. Nepal will continue to
uphold this noble cause and participate in future
missions when asked to do so.
Nepal’s commitment to human rights is total and
unflinching. Nepal firmly believes that all human
rights are universal, indivisible, interrelated,
interdependent and mutually reinforcing. We welcomed
the establishment of the Human Rights Council in the
belief that that body will prove effective in protecting
and promoting human rights around the globe based on
the salient principles of universality, objectivity and
non-selectivity.
The current Government of Nepal has accorded
top priority to the protection and promotion of human
rights with a view to translating Nepal’s international
human rights commitments and obligations into reality.
We have been working closely with the United Nations
human rights bodies, including the United Nations
Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in
Nepal, to create an environment in which full
enjoyment of human rights by all is guaranteed. The
return of democracy and the start of the peace process
have led to a significant improvement in the protection
of human rights in Nepal. We greatly appreciate the
role played by the Office of the High Commissioner for
Human Rights in Nepal in improving the human rights
situation in the country.
We are determined to bring to an end the culture
of impunity which was so pervasive during the
autocratic regime. Our belief is that no one is above the
law and that those who violate and abuse human rights
must be brought to justice. We are fully committed to
protecting human rights in all situations and creating a
framework to bring to justice those who have violated
human rights in the past.
Opportunities arising out of globalization, such as
those associated with global migration, have been
stifled by unfriendly policy regimes around the world.
The rights of migrant workers must be protected in all
situations in accordance with international norms.
Nepal’s experience shows that the benefit of
remittances generated by migrant workers counts a
great deal for developing countries. But that cannot in
any way be a substitute for development assistance,
debt relief or trade concessions.
The benefits of trade liberalization are not
distributed equitably. The multilateral trading regime
must be made responsive to the needs and requirements
of the developing and least developed countries.
Enhanced trading opportunities, coupled with
productive capacities, are critically important for the
achievement of sustained economic growth and poverty
reduction in the least developed countries (LDCs). The
agreed commitments for duty-free and quota-free
access for the products of the least developed countries
need to be complemented with favourable rules on
origin.
We are concerned about the suspension of World
Trade Organization (WTO) talks on the development
round, and urge the immediate revival of the talks to
complete the Doha Development Agenda.
Our development agenda has been advancing
rather slowly. We realize that, given the current pace,
many countries will not be able to achieve the
internationally agreed development goals, including
the Millennium Development Goals. It reminds us that
we must urgently and sincerely implement all the
commitments agreed to in the various global compacts
of recent years, including the Monterrey Consensus,
the Millennium Declaration, the Johannesburg Plan of
Implementation and the Brussels Programme of Action
for the Least Developed Countries.
This year’s midterm review of the Programme of
Action for the Least Developed Countries showed that
most of the least developed countries will not be able
to achieve the agreed targets within the previously
7 06-53329
defined time frame unless we accelerate the pace of
implementation.
The least developed countries need better policies
on aid, trade, investment, debt relief and
capacity-building, as well as timely reforms in the
international financial institutions. We call on the
international community to take a holistic approach,
combining policies to support the LDC development
agenda. The least developed countries need a
substantial flow of external aid and investment if they
are to meet those goals. Investment in poorer countries
is not just a moral responsibility; it is investment in the
collective security of the world.
Many least developed countries are handicapped
as a result of being landlocked, which significantly
reduces their competitive edge in regional and
multilateral trading regimes. This state of affairs
continues to frustrate their development efforts. We
urge the international community to pay greater
attention to the plight of those countries and to make
serious efforts to implement internationally agreed
commitments.
It is a scar on our conscience that hundreds of
millions of people are living as refugees in various
parts of the globe. The international community must
take it as its bounden duty to address their concerns in
a non-selective manner.
I regret to inform the Assembly that more than
100,000 refugees from southern Bhutan have been in
camps in Nepal for over a decade and half — a painful
experience — despite the bilateral agreements reached
between Nepal and Bhutan. With no early and lasting
solution on the horizon, the refugees are showing
increasing signs of frustration and desperation. In
essence, this is a problem between the Government of
Bhutan and its citizens. Nepal has entered the picture
simply because it has provided shelter to fleeing
refuges on humanitarian grounds. The issue cannot be
resolved in the absence of a genuine willingness on the
part of the Government of Bhutan to solve this
problem.
The international community must exert a
positive influence so as to break the impasse. We stress
that the Bhutanese refuges must be given the right to
return to their home country in conditions of dignity
and respect and that any solution must be acceptable to
them. Nepal also supports the democratic aspirations of
the people of Bhutan and urges Bhutan to
accommodate the plight of the refugees in their
political dispensation.
Our Organization has made great strides,
especially in the adoption of the reform measures
endorsed by world leaders here last year. The
Government of Nepal remains committed to supporting
all reform initiatives aimed at addressing the concerns
and aspirations of all Member States.
The strength of the United Nations lies in its
democratic decision-making and in its impartiality,
neutrality and efficiency. The General Assembly — the
only global body in which the voices of the peoples of
the world can be heard — must be placed at the
forefront of all decision-making processes within the
United Nations. The organs dealing with socio-
economic issues must be strengthened and enabled to
take a lead role in the fulfilment of international
development objectives.
Contemporary realities dictate that the United
Nations must undergo a fundamental transformation
without undermining its founding principles and
objectives. Any reform of the United Nations will be
incomplete without a commensurate reform of its
principal organ responsible for the maintenance of
international peace and security. The Security Council
must be democratized so as to provide it with greater
legitimacy and credibility. There is a genuine need to
increase Council membership, in both the permanent
and non-permanent categories, so as to make the
Council more representative. Such an increase should
include two permanent seats each for the Asian and
African regions, one for Latin America and one for
Western Europe. We also need to improve the
Council’s working methods.
This year, Member States will elect the next
Secretary-General of our Organization. In accordance
with the principle of equitable geographical
representation and that of rotation, Nepal reiterates that
the next Secretary-General should come from Asia. We
also believe that a greater role should be played by the
Assembly in the appointment of the Secretary-General.
I commend the role played by the outgoing Secretary-
General, Mr. Kofi Annan, during his term of office. He
led important reforms at the United Nations and made
genuine efforts to establish the central role of our
Organization in resolving global problems and
debating international issues.
06-53329 8
Nepal has submitted its candidature for non-
permanent membership of the Security Council for the
period 2007-2008. We think that we rightly deserve it,
as nearly two decades have elapsed since we last
served on the Council, in 1988-1989. This world body
is fully aware that Nepal has for a long time been
making substantial contributions to the maintenance of
international peace and security by regularly providing
troops to various peacekeeping missions. Moreover, we
believe that Nepal’s election to the Council this time
around would represent a significant recognition of its
democratic credentials in a changed context. The
people of Nepal deserve due recognition from the
international community for their unprecedented
courage and for the determination with which they
have defeated autocracy and restored democracy. I
make a sincere appeal to fellow Members to extend
their valuable support to Nepal’s candidature and allow
it to serve on the Council with renewed confidence in
the fulfilment of its fundamental responsibilities.
The purposes and principles of the United
Nations contained in its Charter, including the
sovereign equality of nations, the peaceful resolution
of all disputes, non-interference in the internal affairs
of States, and the principle of refraining from the threat
or use of force are sacrosanct to Nepal. I solemnly
reiterate Nepal’s profound commitment to the founding
objectives and principles of the United Nations, as
enshrined in its Charter.
The United Nations today suffers from a lack of
credibility, an inability to arrive at important decisions,
weak implementation of its own declarations and
decisions, and slowness in responding to challenges
that require its most pressing attention. We need to
change this situation. Together, we can better equip our
Organization to respond to those challenges.