Kathmandu,5 March 2015: Minister for Foreign Affairs Mahendra Bahadur Pandey has said that perpetrators of the grave violations of human rights would be brought to justice along with addressing the needs of the conflict victims by a paving way for the durable peace and social harmony following the functioning of the recently-established Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) and the Commission on Enforced Disappeared (CED).
At a meeting with High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) Zeid Raad Al Hussein in Geneva on Wednesday, Minister Pandey exchanged views on the situation of human rights in Nepal in broader context of the ongoing constitution writing and peace process.
The Minister shared how Nepal was committed to the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms of all the citizens with equality, equity and justice.
Pandey said Nepal laid emphasis on the right to development along with civil, political, social, economic and cultural and other rights to reach equitable benefits among the people.
According to the Geneva-based Permanent Mission, the Human Rights Commissioner said the OHCHR was ready to provide technical advice and support to Nepal in the transitional justice process in keeping with its tradition of extending support to the peace process.
Likewise, the Human Rights Commissioner welcomed the recent move to establish the two transitional justice mechanisms in Nepal and pointed out the importance of the Supreme Court rulings with regard to dealing with amnesty and the issue of victims.
He said that Nepal would, in its own capacity, be able to investigate and persecute the gross violators of human rights and exchanged views on the drafting and promulgation of the new constitution and the centrality of human rights issues in the new constitution.
The Foreign Minister had a meeting with the President of current session of the Human Rights Council, Joachim Ruecker the same day on the sideline of the Council. Matters related to the importance attached by Nepal to the protection and promotion of human rights, promulgation of constitution, the Transitional Justice Mechanisms were discussed during the meeting.
“The measures taken by Nepal over the years to advance human rights situation, and the establishment of Truth and Reconciliation Commission and the Commission on Enforced Disappeared to bring the peace process to a logical conclusion featured prominently during the parley,” reads a press release issued by the Mission today.
Minister Pandey also met the Secretary General of UNCTAD, Dr Mukhisa Kituyi and discussed the development challenges of an LDC and LLDC like Nepal and sought assistance from international organizations like UNCTAD in strengthening partnership and cooperation.
He underscored international organizations’ active role in integrating LDCs and LLDCs into the global economy for sharing equitable benefits. The Minister appreciated the role of UNCTAD in providing policy and strategic support to the developing countries through policy research and studies and helping them in the transfer of technology.
He conveyed that after the conclusion of the peace process and the promulgation of the constitution, Nepal would enter into the development phase for which policy support of UNCTAD in the context of changing world scenario was expected.
The Minister shared with the Secretary General how efforts were directed to promulgate constitution through the consensus of the political parties and challenges facing Nepal. He emphasized the need of developing trade as an engine of growth for Nepal by attracting suitable investments in priority areas of hydropower, infrastructure development, tourism and agriculture, among others, and enhancing the productive capacity of the country.
In response, Secretary General Kituyi assured that UNCTAD would support Nepal to review its investment policy to bring it closer to the changing reality of the globalized world with a view to making it more effective and beneficial.
Source:RSS
