Nepal takes a stand on the elimination of

nuclear weapons
12.10.2011 - Kathamandu - Tony Henderson

Photo: Pressenza
Caption: World Peace March 2009 Kathamandu

The meeting took place during the General Debate of the First Committee during 66th Session of
the UN General Assembly New York on October 6. Mr Acharya told Asian Media Net. Nepal is
party to the NPT and CWC.

Since the NPT entered into force in 1970, three states that were not parties to the Treaty have
conducted nuclear tests, namely India, Pakistan, and North Korea. North Korea had been a party
to the NPT but withdrew in 2003. Israel is also widely believed to have nuclear weapons, though
it has refused to confirm or deny this, and is not known to have conducted a nuclear test though
there is strong suspicion about a test carried out with South Africa in the early 10970s. South
Africa itself has the unique status of a nation that developed nuclear weapons but has since
disassembled its arsenal before joining the NPT.

The Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) is an arms control agreement which outlaws the
production, stockpiling and use of chemical weapons. Its full name is the Convention on the
Prohibition of the Development, Production, Stockpiling and Use of Chemical Weapons and on
their Destruction. The agreement is administered by the Organisation for the Prohibition of
Chemical Weapons (OPCW), which is an independent organization based in The Hague,
Netherlands.

Nepal strongly believes in the elimination of nuclear weapons to attain nuclear disarmament and
non-proliferation once and for all.

“Declaration of nuclear weapon free zones by concluding a binding treaty is a laudable step
which would contribute towards the stepwise denuclearization of the world”, stated Mr Acharya.

Mentioning that the increasing availability and trafficking of small arms and light weapons around
the world, but specifically in conflict zones, is a matter of serious concern, Mr Acharya also said
conflict is the very antithesis of development and small arms have played havoc in the lives of
the common people around the world.

(probable question what steps have been taken by Nepal to eradicate trafficking of small arms )

Nepal fully supports the effective implementation of the Program of Action to Prevent, Combat
and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons and Nepal supports the
adoption of a legally binding instrument to regulate international arms transfer for transparency
and accountability. In a like vein, Nepal stands for prevention of any arms race in outer space, Mr
Acharya added.

The Conference on Disarmament, a single multilateral disarmament negotiating forum, must be

revitalized without delay to advance multilateral disarmament negotiations including on the
Fissile Materials Cut-Off Treaty (FMCT), Mr Acharya emphasised.

The Permanent Representative of Nepal to the UN said Nepal also believes that the convening
of the Fourth Special Session of the General Assembly on Disarmament (SSOD-IV) would be an
important step to take stock of the existing disarmament agenda and machinery in a holistic
manner and devise a future course of actions. However, Nepal is saddened to learn that the
global military expenditure today stands at over US$1.6 trillion, and has been rising in recent
years despite the global financial and economic crises.
The Final Document of the International Conference on the Relationship between Disarmament
and Development convened in 1987 had urged the international community to devote a greater
part of their resources to economic and social development while keeping the military
expenditure at the lowest possible level.

He also said Nepal strongly believes that regional mechanisms complement efforts to promote
the global disarmament agenda. The Regional Centre for Peace and Disarmament for Asia and
the Pacific (RCPD) located in Kathmandu is making efforts to promote regional discussions on
important disarmament agenda.

Given the importance of the Asia-Pacific region as well as the agenda, we believe that the
“Kathmandu Process” needs to be revitalised to facilitate dialogue and deliberations on many
contemporary challenges including confidence building in the region. As the host of the Centre,
Nepal is fully committed to strengthening the Centre as an effective United Nations regional
entity in building regional understanding and confidence for peace and disarmament.”

Mr Acharya said Nepal calls for an enhanced level of support to the Centre from the international
community, particularly the member states from Asia and the Pacific region to enhance the
importance of the work of the Centre.

As in the previous years, Nepal along with other cosponsoring countries, will be tabling a
resolution on “United Nations Regional Centre for Peace and Disarmament in Asia and the
Pacific” at the current Session of the Committee, for which support from all delegations will be
highly appreciated.

In conclusion, Mr Acharya reiterated that a multilateral approach should be at the centre of

advancing non-proliferation and disarmament and promoting international peace and security.

Welcome to the official website of the Permanent Mission of Nepal to the United Nations
in New York!
Nepal joined the United Nations on 14 December 1955 and the Mission was established in the
following year. H.E. Rishikesh Shah was appointed as the first Permanent Representative of
Nepal to the United Nations in 1956. Since his term ended in 1960, eleven Permanent
Representatives served in that capacity and I am the 13th Permanent Representative now.
Nepal has been regularly participating in the annual GA sessions since joining the UN.
Nepali delegations to the UN General Assembly session have been led at the ministerial level,
some at the level of head of government and occasionally by the Permanent Representative. The
Rt. Hon. K.P. Sharma Oli, Prime Minister of Nepal, led the Nepali delegation to the 73rd session
of the United Nations General Assembly in 2018.
Nepal had the privilege of leading the Commission of Investigation into the Conditions and
Circumstances resulting in the tragic death of the then Secretary-General Mr. Dag Hammarskjold
who was killed in a plane crash in Lusaka in 1961. Mr. Rishikesh Shaha, Permanent
Representative and leader of Nepalese delegation to the 16th GA session, was entrusted with
this important responsibility.
Nepal has been active in the work of the United Nations ranging from the maintainenace of
internatioanal peace and security to development and human rights. Nepal played a leading role
in the negotiations of the Istanbul Programme of Action in 2011 and contributed to the 2030
Agenda for Sustainable Development, among others. Nepal is currently the fifth largest troops
and police contributing country. Nepal served twice in the United Nations Security Council as an
elected non-permanent member, in 1969-70 and in 1988-1989. Currently, Nepal is serving as a
member of the United Nations Human Rights Council (HRC) for the term 2018-2020.The
involvement is ever increassing.
In this website, you will find all major updates on the work of the Mission, particularly press
releases issued by the Mission, statements delivered at various UN meetings and important
updates on meetings as well as high-level visits from the capital.
Matters of public interest will also be shared simultaneously through the official twitter handle of
the Mission (@Nepal_at_un).
Your suggestions to make it even more useful and userfriendly will be highly appreciated.
Sincerely,
Amrit B. Rai
Permanent Representative