KATHMANDU: Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defense Ishwar Pokharel has reiterated Nepal’s commitment to contributing up to 10,000 troops for peacekeeping upon request of the United Nations.
Addressing the ‘UN Peacekeeping Ministerial Conference on Uniformed Capabilities, Performance and Protection’, he highlighted Nepal’s 61 years of partnership with the UN on peacekeeping operations.
He stressed the need for a renewed focus on substantive and sustained capacity building efforts for the improvement of peacekeepers’ performance.
“Nepal is ready to offer training opportunities and provide its Training Center’s facilities, administrative support and instructors for any capacity building efforts in future”, he stated.
He underscored that Nepal had already met the UN targets with regard to the participation of female peacekeepers as Staff Officers, Military Observers and Individual Police Officers. He also called for more representation from troops and police contributing countries at the senior-level leadership positions, both at the UN Headquarters and in the field missions.
Nepali delegation participating in the Conference also included Ambassador/ Permanent Representative Rai and officials from Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Nepal Army as well as the Permanent Mission of Nepal to the UN.
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