South Asian News Network

Kathmandu, Sept 30: Permanent Representative of Nepal to the United Nations, Lok Bahadur Thapa, has said Nepal is moving ahead following the path of peace, democracy and inclusive development. Addressing the 80th Session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York today on Monday, Thapa mentioned, “The only viable road ahead of us is that of the road to peace, democracy, and inclusive development.” Delivering the national statement, Ambassador Thapa highlighted Nepal’s recent political development, including Nepali youth Gen-Z’s call for a fair, just and prosperous nation founded on the pillars of good governance- transparent, accountable and responsive to the people, according to the Permanent Mission of Nepal to the United Nations, New York. He further stated that Nepal is being led by a female Prime Minister for the first time in its history, stating that that the general elections has been slated on 5 March 2026 to get a fresh mandate of the sovereign Nepali people. Acknowledging the UN’s pivotal role as a foundation for multilateralism and a beacon of hope for peace, justice, human dignity, shared prosperity, and a rules-based international order, Ambassador Thapa stressed safeguarding its founding values. He reaffirmed Nepal’s unrelenting faith in multilateralism while underscoring the UN and its Charter as a bedrock of Nepal’s foreign policy. Thapa highlighted the contribution made by Nepal over the seven decades since it joined the United Nations in 1955 to global peace, promotion of human dignity, and sustainable development. “Today, Nepal proudly stands as the largest troop-contributing country,”, said Ambassador Thapa, adding “Our highly professional peacekeepers serve with a deep sense of duty to secure peace and stability in the conflict-ridden parts of the world.” Ambassador Thapa also expressed serious concerns over converging global crises, including climate catastrophe; condemned terrorism in all its forms and manifestations; and called for general and complete disarmament. Expressing concern about the deepening humanitarian crisis in Gaza and innocent civilians held hostage by Hamas, he called for the immediate release of Bipin Joshi, who has been held hostage by Hamas since October 7, 2023. Addressing the UNGA, the Permanent Representative underscored a few priority areas for global action, namely securing global peace and security; strengthening multilateralism and rebuilding trust; accelerating SDGs implementation; ensuring scaled-up development and climate financing, climate justice, technology transfer, and capacity-building for the vulnerable countries like LDCs; and promoting inclusive digital transformation. As current Chair of LDCs and the President of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) as well as an active member in different forums, Ambassador Thapa expressed Nepal’s steadfast commitment to collaborating with the international community in bringing coherence, credibility, and measurable impact to delivering better and shaping a safer, more prosperous and sustainable world for all. While mentioning that the 80th UNGA initiative has offered timely opportunity to renew collective commitment to a more inclusive, transparent, and effective multilateral system, Ambassador Thapa also underlined the need to prioritize LDCs and LLDCs across all global commitments and partnerships. He also reiterated Nepal’s call for the reform of the United Nations Security Council to make it more representative, transparent, and accountable. He underlined the need to reform the global financial architecture to meet today’s realities. —