Nepal

I congratulate His Excellency Mr. Srgjan Kerim on his election as President of the General Assembly at its sixty-second session and pledge Nepal’s support in the successful execution of his duties. I would also like to place on record our appreciation of the leadership of Her Excellency Sheikha Haya Rashed Al-Khalifa during the sixty-first session. My delegation expresses its appreciation to the Secretary-General, Mr. Ban Ki-moon, for his stewardship of the United Nations and wishes him a very successful tenure. The United Nations today remains the only truly global Organization to seek solutions to the world’s most pressing issues. The increasing importance of multilateralism has made the United Nations indispensable. The principles and purposes enshrined in the United Nations Charter should continue to guide us to address all the issues that confront us. Nepal has adopted these purposes and principles as the basic tenets of its foreign policy. The General Assembly has before it an important agenda that seeks to deal with the world’s most pressing issues and problems. I fully agree with the priorities that the President of the General Assembly has outlined for this session. The pledge of a road map for development in the form of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) remains to be fully achieved. As we approach the half- way point, this Assembly should review the progress made to devise ways and means for achieving the full and effective implementation of the commitments made in the Millennium Declaration. The follow-up conference on Financing for Development to be held in Doha in 2008 should be used as an opportunity to effectively meet the financing gap and explore innovative ways of financing for development. We commend the Secretary-General for convening a high-level meeting on climate change. I hope that the momentum generated will pave the way for an agreement on climate change with long-term and comprehensive global commitments beyond 2012, starting the process in Bali later this year. Climate change is linked to human security, social and economic development and environmental protection. Scientific studies point out that a solution to climate change is within human reach and that we can achieve it without compromising economic development and human progress, if we start to act now. Climate change demands a coordinated and comprehensive global response. As enshrined in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities should be the basis for addressing the challenges of climate change. Mandatory targets for emissions reduction are necessary in order to stabilize the greenhouse gas concentration in the atmosphere at safe levels. Industrialized countries should assume leadership and demonstrate the necessary political will in adopting long-term commitments to reduce emissions. While sea levels are rising, the Himalayan glaciers are retreating, and surrounding areas are witnessing an increasing intensity of disasters induced by climate-change, such as glacial lake outbursts, extreme rainfalls, recurring floods and massive landslides. The President returned to the Chair. It is ironic that the world’s most vulnerable countries, such as least developed and small island countries, get the worst affects of climate change although they are the least responsible for the same. In the new compact in climate change, there should be special provisions for addressing the mitigation and adaptation needs of the least developed countries (LDCs) and small island nations to address their special vulnerabilities. Nepal stands firm against any form of terrorism. We have been implementing the provisions of various United Nations Security Council resolutions to combat international terrorism. Effective implementation of the provisions of the United Nations global counter- terrorism study adopted last year can foster international cooperation against terrorism. We call for an early conclusion of a comprehensive convention on international terrorism. There should be a coordinated global response, including through the mechanism at the United Nations, to address the underlying social, economic and political causes of the existence and spread of global terrorism. Reform of the United Nations has constantly engaged us. We need to reflect contemporary realities for making the Organization more effective, representative, responsive and capable of handling the increasingly complex global problems. The General Assembly needs to be further strengthened as a true decision-making body. We should develop an effective mechanism to implement its decisions. The reform of the United Nations should include reform of its Security Council. We support extending membership in both permanent and non-permanent categories to reflect the realities of the day. We feel that India, Brazil, Germany and Japan deserve permanent places in the expanded Council, while Africa should also be fairly represented. We also favour a tangible improvement in the working methods of the Council, and we welcome the agreement that the General Assembly should start the intergovernmental negotiations on this important issue as soon as possible. Nepal welcomes the restructuring of the peacekeeping-related departments of the United Nations Secretariat, including the creation of a new Department of Field Support. In view of the increasing complexity and size of the peacekeeping operations, we hope these changes will further enhance effectiveness of peacekeeping operations and ensure the safety and security of peacekeeping personnel. Nepal has continuously participated in the in United Nations peacekeeping operations for last five decades. To this date, Nepal has sent more than 60,000 troops to over 30 United Nations missions. At present, Nepal is the fourth largest contributor of troops and police personnel to United Nations peacekeeping missions. Nepalese Blue Helmets have been commended for performing extremely well in all circumstances. Many have sacrificed their invaluable lives to the cause of peace worldwide. Peacekeeping is the soul of the United Nations, its largest function and the most successful invention in the realm of international relations. This enterprise can succeed only with meaningful participation of troop- contributing countries in decision-making processes and their increasing role in senior positions. Nepal stands for general and complete disarmament of all weapons of mass destruction, including biological, chemical and nuclear weapons under effective international control in a time-bound manner. We are concerned by the lack of progress in major multilateral negotiations in disarmament, including in nuclear disarmament, and in control of illegal proliferation of small arms and light weapons. We call upon Member States, especially the nuclear weapon States, to step up measures for disarmament to release much-needed dividends for development. We hope that the newly established office of High Representative for Disarmament Affairs will infuse dynamism into the process. We look forward to the inauguration of the United Nations Regional Centre for Peace and Disarmament for Asia and the Pacific soon in Kathmandu, in accordance with resolution 61/94, adopted by the Assembly last year for relocation of this centre. The Government of Nepal and the United Nations Secretariat have already signed the host country agreement and the memorandum of understanding to this effect. Through this Centre, Nepal is committed to revitalizing the process of regional disarmament, including the Kathmandu process. The ideals of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) remain as valid today as they were when the Movement was founded. The principled position of the NAM countries should guide the Assembly’s deliberations. I wish to reiterate Nepal’s commitment to the principles of the Non-Aligned Movement, including the principles of non-interference in internal affairs and the peaceful coexistence of States. The Group of 77 and China has become highly relevant in advancing the interests of the developing countries in the United Nations. The Assembly should continue to protect the interests of the developing countries. We also need to advance meaningful South- South cooperation to complement global partnership and North-South cooperation. We call for concerted efforts to address the special needs and difficulties of the LDCs and the landlocked developing countries, including the negative impacts and marginalization of globalization. We urge the developed countries to meet the targeted official development assistance to the LDCs, give products of the LDCs duty-free, quota-free and unhindered market access and extend debt relief measures to cover all LDCs. We should ensure effective implementation of the Brussels Programme of Action for LDCs for the rest of decade, based on the mid-term review held last year. I would like to draw the attention of the development partners to addressing the special needs of the LDCs emerging from conflict and the need to support them financially and technically, to help them achieve sustained peace and development and prevent a relapse into the conflict situation. The landlocked developing countries face special difficulties in the transit and transport of goods and services to and from the sea. The Almaty Programme should be sincerely implemented for meaningful cooperation in transit, transport and trade facilitation in the landlocked developing countries. The mid-term review process of the Programme, to be held in 2008, should focus on fulfilling gaps in implementation of the agreed commitments. We must not further delay the World Trade Organization trade negotiations for advancing the Doha Development Agenda. Those negotiations should find ways to further protect the interests of the least developed and landlocked countries to make them able to compete in global markets. In particular, the international community must meet the resources gap, operationalize aid for trade initiatives, strengthen trading capacities and support trade adjustment costs in the LDCs and the landlocked developing countries. Nepal welcomes the proposal for United Nations system-wide coherence on development, environment and humanitarian issues. This process should strengthen the national and regional focus and country ownership of development programmes. We support effective gender architecture in the United Nations and an even stronger regional and country presence of the United Nations on gender issues. Nepal accords high priority to promotion of women’s right, gender equality and the empowerment of women. A parliamentary declaration adopted on 30 May 2006 has provided for equal property and citizenship rights to women and for their representation in at least one third of the elected bodies, including in the Parliament. Nepal is committed to the protection and promotion of the rights of children, including those affected by conflict. The peace agreement provides for immediate release of children if found recruited as combatants and their rehabilitation and integration back into their families. The Government is committed to implementing recommendations of the Security Council Working Group on Children and Armed Conflict in Nepal. The United Nations has been rather slow to respond to the world’s major conflicts and humanitarian crises, in places ranging from the Middle East to Darfur and Somalia. Although the agreement on the African Union-United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur is a step forward, there were missed opportunities in addressing the long-standing humanitarian crisis in that region. The situations in Afghanistan and Iraq demand more proactive United Nations engagement. The Organization should continue to play a constructive role in helping those countries to achieve stabilization, national unity and reconciliation. We support the democratic aspirations of people all over the world. We hope that a solution to Myanmar’s internal situation will be found by the people of that country through dialogue and the democratic process. Since 1990, Nepal has been sheltering more than 100,000 refugees from Bhutan on humanitarian grounds. There is a stalemate in this long-standing crisis, mainly because of Bhutan’s reluctance to implement the agreements already reached or to engage in negotiations with a view to finding some other acceptable solution. That procrastination has caused refugees to run out of patience. The true solution to this problem lies in giving refugees the opportunity to be able to return to Bhutan and to participate in the country’s political process in a fully democratic way, taking into account the people’s cultural diversity and human rights. However, we are positively considering the offers made by some countries to give refugees the voluntary option of third-country resettlement, should they so choose it, as part of a provisional solution. That should not absolve Bhutan of its responsibility towards its exiled citizens, which is a problem between the refugees and the Bhutanese regime. Nepal appreciates the continued humanitarian assistance extended by the international community, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and other agencies for the care of refugees. Nepal is in the process of leaving behind its decade-long internal conflict though a unique and internally driven peace process. We are committed to bringing that process to a successful conclusion. The Government is engaged in dialogue with the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) to ensure that the elections to the Constituent Assembly are held on 22 November, thus sincerely honouring and implementing the commitments set out in the peace agreements. It was through dialogue that the Government of Nepal recently concluded agreements with the leaders of the Madhesi Janajati movement, enabling them to a have stronger voice in the political arena and broader representation in the Constituent Assembly. Despite the challenges associated with the peace process, the Government is determined to hold the elections to the Constituent Assembly on time. With the necessary technical, legal and logistical competence, the Election Commission has made preparations for holding the elections as scheduled and in a free and fair manner. I would like to invite friendly countries and organizations to send observers to Nepal during the elections. The people of Nepal have expressed their desire for a peaceful political and socio-economic transformation. They have spoken out in favour of an inclusive, democratic and participatory restructuring of the State. I have every confidence that the peace process will reap numerous dividends for the Nepalese people through the creation of a new Nepal. In that process, we expect generous assistance from our development partners, including assistance in meeting Nepal’s reconstruction and development needs. On behalf of the people and the Government of Nepal, I wish to express sincere gratitude to the international community for its strong support and solidarity during our struggle for democracy and our ongoing peace process. Last year, we invited the United Nations to facilitate the peace process through arms monitoring and through technical support for the Constituent Assembly elections. We express our appreciation to the Secretary-General for his personal attention and interest in assisting the peace process. We also commend the role played by the United Nations Mission in Nepal in that process. The Government is steadfast in protecting and promoting human rights, in keeping with its international commitments. We welcome the adoption by the Human Rights Council of the universal periodic review of all Member States. That exercise should be free from politicization, selectivity and double standards. There has been a remarkable improvement in the protection of human rights in Nepal since the start of the peace process. The Government has extended full cooperation to the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in Nepal. The recent appointment of members of the National Human Rights Commission of Nepal is expected to further enhance our national capability to protect and promote human rights. The Government is determined to bring an end to the environment of impunity that was present during the armed conflict. We hope that the establishment of a truth and reconciliation commission, as stipulated in the peace agreement, will also help us to put our past behind us and to prevent a recurrence of such grave human rights violations. As a nation that has a diverse ethnic composition and that is home to various indigenous peoples, Nepal welcomes the adoption of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples by the General Assembly this year. We hope that the Declaration will serve as a useful reference for indigenous issues throughout the world. In conclusion, the General Assembly has before it an important opportunity to address the most pressing issues of our times issues that are of lasting significance. We should strive to advance agreements to address climate change, follow up on the Millennium Development Goals, seek new resources for development financing, break the impasse in the negotiations on trade and disarmament and reform the Security Council. We should also seek solutions to unresolved conflicts and humanitarian crises. Today, the world's major problems demand the leadership of the United Nations. We should rise to the occasion and demonstrate our ability to work together to solve urgent problems that confront us. Solutions to most global problems are within our reach if we act in unison, guided by our collective wisdom and reason. Together, we can make progress in all these areas. I pledge Nepal’s constructive participation in arriving at important decisions on all these issues here at the United Nations. The President: Before proceeding further, I would like to remind members that, as announced in today’s Journal, the informal meeting of the plenary to observe the first International Day of Non-Violence will be held tomorrow, 2 October, from 9.30 to 10 a.m. in this Hall. All are invited to attend.