Santosh Khadka

1.7 Nepal's International affairs and general information on the UNO, SAARC and BIMSTEC

Policies Relating to International Relations

To conduct an independent foreign policy based on
 the charter of the United Nations
 Non-alignment,
 Principles of Panchasheel,
 International Law and
 The Norms of World Peace, taking into consideration of the overall interest of the nation, while
remaining active in safeguarding the Sovereignty, Territorial integrity, Independence and National
interest of Nepal.
Five principles of Peaceful Coexistence/ Principles of Panchasheel
The five principles of Peaceful Coexistence, known as the Panchasheel Treaty: Non interference in others internal
affairs and respect for each other's territorial unity integrity and sovereignty (from Sanskrit. Panch: five, Sheel:
Virtues), are set of principles to govern relations between states
The five principles were propounded in April 18-24, 1955 at the historic Asian-African Conference in Bandung,
Indonesia.
This agreement stated the five principles as
1. Mutual respect for each other's territorial integrity and sovereignty
2. Mutual non-aggression
3. Mutual non-interference in each other's internal affairs
4. Equality and Cooperation for mutual benefit
5. Peaceful Co-existence
The five principles formed the basis of the Non-aligned Movement, established in Belgrade, Yugoslavia in 1961
A.D.
First 10 Countries maintaining Diplomatic Relationship with Nepal
S.N. Countries Date signed
1 Great Britain 1816 March 4/1934 May 17
2 United States of America 1947 April 25
3 Democratic republic of India 1947 June 13
4 France 1949 April 20
5 People's Republic of China 1955 August 01
Last 3 Countries maintaining Diplomatic Relationship with Nepal
166 Eswatini (former Swaziland) 2019 May 9
167 St. Lucia (Caribean Country) 2019 August 28
168 Ghana 2019 September25

1st Countries of different Continents to maintain Diplomatic Relationship with Nepal :-

S.N. Continent Country Date signed
1 Asia India 1947 June 13
2 Africa Egypt 1957 July 16
3 North America United States of America 1947 April 25
 4 South America Argentina 1962 January 1
5 Europe Great Britain/United Kingdom 1934 May 17/ 1816 March 4
6 Australia Australia 1960 February 15
SAARC Nations to maintain Diplomatic Relationship with Nepal:
S. No Countries Date signed
1 India 1947 June 13
2 Srilanka 1957 July 1
3 Pakistan 1960 March 20
4 Afghanistan 1961 July 1
5 Bangladesh 1972 April 8
6 Maldives 1980 August 1
7 Bhutan 1983 June 3
United Nations Organization (UNO)/ City Assembly of the world:
An Inter-Governmental organization established in 1945 October 24 to promote international cooperation, maintain
peace and security in international level, maintain harmony among the member states, promote human rights, foster
social and economic development.
Development of United Nations
 The naming and concept of UNO was presented by Franklin Delano Roosevelt, 32nd president of USA.
 United Nations Organization was established in 1945 October 24.
 51 countries signed the charter and founded United Nations Organization
 The last country to sign the charter of UNO was Poland
 There are 51 founder member countries in UNO.
 Currently there are 193 member nations in the UNO; South Sudan is the last (193 rd) member country.
 The charter was brought into implementation in 1945 October 24 (UNO Day)
 Languages spoken in United Nations: 6 (English, French, Chinese, Spanish, Russian and Arabian)
 Headquarter: - Manhattan Island, New York City, USA
 The charter of UNO consists of Chapter: -19, Articles: -111, Words: - 10, 000
Budget of UNO:
 The budget of UNO is ratified by the UN General Assembly for 2 years under 13 headings
 Seven countries that contribute the most in budget are called Big7.
 The highest percentage that a country can contribute to the budget of UN is 22% of the total budget.
 The fiscal year of UN starts from the month of September.
Big 7 countries for 2019 are
S.No Countries Contribution in budget
1 United States of America 22%
2 China 12%
3 Japan 8.5%
4 Germany 6.0%
5 United Kingdom 4.5%
6 France 4.4%
7 Italy 3.3%
Nepal and UNO: -
 Nepal sent proposal for membership in Ranjana Script through Padam Bahadur Chhetri
  Nepal attained the membership of UNO in 1955 December 14 (package deal)
 Nepal is the 72nd member of UNO.
 Nepal contributes 0.006% in the total budget of UN.
 Nepal first participated in UN General Assembly in 1956 A.D. (11th General Assembly)
 The first person to participate in UN General Assembly is Chunda Prasad Sharma.
 Nepal has been participating in UN peace keeping mission since 1958 A.D. in Lebanon.
 The first Nepalese Representative to United Nations is Rishi Kesh Shah.
 Current Nepalese representative to United Nation is Amrit Rai.
Membership:
 The 1st country to withdraw its membership of UNO is Indonesia in 1965 A.D, continued from 1966 A.D.
 The 1st country whose membership was dissolved is Taiwan in 1971 A.D.
 Package deal: Sixteen countries along with Nepal attained membership of United Nations in 1955
December 14. This event is known as package deal.
Organs: 6
 General Assembly, the main deliberative Assembly
 The Security Council
 Economic and Social Council
 International Court of Justice
 Trusteeship Council
 Secretariat
General Assembly: largest and principle organ of the UN
 The only body in which all UN members are represented. All members of the UN are members of the General
Assembly i.e. Composed of all 193 member countries.
 General Assembly exercises deliberative, supervisory, financial, and elective functions relating to any matter
within the scope of UN charter.
 The assembly is held every year, on every third Tuesday of September month.
 75th General Assembly started on 15th September 2020 chaired by President Volkan Bozkir of Turkey.
 The First session convened on January 10, 1946 A.D in West Minister Hall, London, chaired by Henry Paul
spark of Belgium, which included representatives from 51 countries.
 When the general Assembly votes on important questions, a 2/3 majority of those present and voting is
required.
 Each member country can send up to five representatives in the Assembly but is entitled to one vote in the
Assembly. This ensures that all the member states have equal status
 The 1st lady to chair the General Assembly is Vijay Laxmi Pundit, India (8th General Assembly)
Security Council : Executive organ of UNO
 It is composed of 15 member nations, divided into permanent and temporary members
 Objective: Maintaining international peace and security in the world.
 Permanent members: - China, France, Russia, Britain and USA (Veto power users)
 Temporary members :- temporary members are chosen to achieve equitable regional representation
 2020 January 1- 2021 December 31 : Estonia, Niger, Vietnam, St. Vincent and Grenadines, Tunisia.
 2019 January 1- 2020 December 31: Belgium, South Africa, Germany, Dominican Republic, Indonesia
 Temporary member seats are held for 2 year terms.
 Nepal had been the temporary member of UN Security Council for 2 tenure in 1969 A.D. -1970 A.D. and 1988
A.D. -1989 A.D.
 First veto user: United Kingdom.
 Country to use veto for most number of times is Russia.
 Votes Required to obtain majority in UN security council is 9 votes out of 15
Economic and social council (ECOSOC):-
 ESOSOC assists the general assembly in promoting international economic and social co-operation and
development.
 Member Countries: - 54, elected by the general assembly for a three year term.
 Nepal was a member of ECOSOC in1980-1982, 2000-2003, 2013-2016 A.D. (3 times).
International Court of justice (ICJ):-
 The International Court of Justice, located in The Hague, Netherlands, is the principal judicial organ of
United Nations.
 Purpose : to adjudicate disputes among states.
 The Court consists of 15 judges from different countries who serve nine year term and are elected by the
General Assembly on recommendation of Security Council; five judges retire in every three years.
Trusteeship Council:- Inactive organ, Successful organ
Secretariat:- Administrative organ of UNO
 Secretariat is headed by the secretary general, who is chief-executive officer of UN.
 Secretary General is elected for a five year renewable term.
 Secretary General can participate in the activities of every organ except the activities of International
court of Justice.
List of secretaries Countries Tenure (A.D) Specificity
st
Tryug vee lee Norway 1946-1953 1 secretary general
Dagg Hammer Shold Sweden 1953-1961 died in a plane crash
U Thant Burma/Myanmar 1962-1971 1st to visit Nepal in 1967 April
Kurt Waldheim Austria 1972-1981
Xavier Perez de Cellular Peru 1982-1991
Boutros Boutros Ghali Egypt 1992-1996 Tenure not extended
Kofi Annan Ghana 1997-2006
Wan-Ki-moon South Korea 2007-2016
Antonio Gutierrez Portugal 2017-current Current secretary
Facts & Figures on Secretary General:-
 Total Number of Secretary General: 9
 The number of secretaries who won Nobel Price prize: 2
 Dagg Hammershold, 1961 A.D. Kofi Annan, 2001A.D.
Nobel Peace Prize Winners Specialized Agencies of United Nation:-
 UNHCR : 1954 A.D and 1981 A.D (2 times)
 UNICEF:1965 A.D ILO: 1969 A.D
Specialized Agencies of United Nations:
S. Established
Specialized Agencies Headquarter
No Date (A.D.)
1 International Labor Organization (ILO) 1919 Geneva, Switzerland
2 Food & Agriculture Organization (FAO) 1945 Rome, Italy
3 United Nations Educational Scientific Cultural Organization 1946 Paris, France
(UNESCO)
4 World Health Organization (WHO) 1948 Geneva, Switzerland
5 World Bank (WB) 1945 Washington D. C, USA
6 International Monetary Fund (IMF) 1945 Washington D.C, USA
 7 International Telecom Union (ITU) 1944 Washington D.C, USA
8 Universal Postal Union (UPU) 1874 Bern, Switzerland
9 International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) 1947 Montreal, Canada
10 World Meteorological Organization (WMO) 1950 Geneva, Switzerland
11 World Intellectual property Organization (WIPO) 1974 Geneva, Switzerland
12 International Maritime Organization (IMO) 1948 London, UK
13 United Nations Industrial Development organization (UNIDO) 1967 Vienna, Austria
14 International Fund for Agriculture Development (IFAD) 1977 Rome, Italy
15 United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) 1974 Madrid Spain
Other Organizations Related to UNO
S.No Organizations Established Date (A.D) Headquarter
1 United Nations International Children’s 1946 New York, USA
Emergency Fund (UNICEF)
2 International Atomic Energy Agency 1947 April 4 Vienna, Austria
3 United Nations High Commission for Refugees 1950, started its work from 1951 Geneva,
(UNHCR). Also called UN Refugee Agency Switzerland
6 United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) 1972 December 15 Nairobi, Kenya
7 United Nations Development Program (UNDP) 1965 New York, USA
10 UN University 1972 Japan
Miscellaneous:
 First specialized agency of UNO is International Labor Organization, attained membership in 1946
December 14
 Nepal first attained the membership of Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) in 1951 December 27
 Office related to United Nations located in Nepal is Asian regional centre for Peace and Disarmament.
 Country that contributes to the budget of UNO, despite not being a member of UN is Holy See
International Monetary Fund (IMF):-
 IMF is the largest public lender of funds in the world. It is a specialized agency of UN.
 IMF was established in1945 December 27
 Total Member Countries:189 (Nauru is the last member since 12th April 2016)
 Nepal attained membership of IMF in1961 September 6.
 Headquarter :- Washington D.C, USA
 Current Director General is Christalina Georgieva, Bulgaria.
World Bank:-
 International Financial Institution dedicated to financing advise and research to developing Nations to aid
their economic development
 Established in 1944 A.D.
 Headquarter : Washington D.C, USA
 Nepal attained membership in 1961September 6
 Current president: David R. Malpas (USA)
World Bank Group
It is a group of five International organizations responsible for providing finance to countries for development and
poverty reduction and safeguarding international investment.
 IBRD (International Bank for Reconstruction & Development):
 IFC (International Finance Corporation)
 IDA (International Development Association)
 ICSID (International Center for settlement of investment dispute)
 MIGA (Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency)
World Trade Organization (WTO)
 WTO is the successor organization of General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), that was signed
in1948 January 1.
 World Trade Organization was officially established in January 1, 1995 A.D, under the Marrakech
agreement (Morocco), signed by 123 nations on April 15, 1994 A.D replacing GATT.
 Headquarter : Geneva, Switzerland
 First ministerial conference was held in Singapore in 1996 September 9-13
 Fifth ministerial conference was held in Cancun, Mexico in 2003 September10-14
 The fifth ministerial conference decided to provide Nepal with the membership of WTO.
 Eleventh ministerial conference was held in Buenos Aires, Argentina in 2017 December10-13
 12th ministerial conference will be hosted in 2020 by Astana (Kazakhstan)
 Nepal attained membership of WTO in 2004 April 23
 Nepal is the 147th member country of World Trade Organization
 Current member countries:164
 The last member country of WTO is Afghanistan, 2016 July 29
South Asian Association for Regional Co-operation (SAARC): Club of Poor
Formation of SAARC:
 The concept of SAARC was first raised in May 2, 1980 A.D. by the president of Bangladesh Ziaur
Rahman.
 SAARC was established in 1985 December 8.
 There are 10 articles in the charter of SAARC.
Membership:
 Founder members: 7 (Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, Srilanka)
 Total members: 8 (Afghanistan added as the last (8th) member of SAARC) in 2007 April 4
Logo of SAARC:
 The logo of SAARC was designed by the architect of Nepal, Shailendra Maharjan.
Language: Official language of SAARC is English
Organs of SAARC: The principle organs of SAARC are :
 Meeting of Heads of State or Government: Chief organ of SAARC/ highest body of SAARC
 The council of Ministers: Executive organ of SAARC
 Standing Committee:-
 Programming committee:
 Secretariat:- Administrative organ of SAARC
 SAARC secretariat is situated in Nepal, Kathmandu
 SAARC secretariat in Nepal was proposed by Pakistan.
 Secretariat is headed by Secretary general, who is the Chief Executive officer (CEO)
 Secretary general is nominated by the SAARC Council of minster based on alphabetical order of the
member countries for 3 years.
Secretary General of SAARC:
S.N. Secretary General Countries Term of office
 1 Abbul Ahsan Bangladesh 1987 January 16- 1989 October 5
2 Kanta Kishor Bharghav India 1989 October 17- 1991 December 31
3 Ibrahim Hussain Zaki Maldives 1992 January 1- 1993 December 31
4 Yadav Kanta Silwal Nepal 1994 January 1- 1995 December 31
5 Naim U Hassan Pakistan 1996 January 1- 1998 December 31
6 Nihal Rodrigo Srilanka 1999 January 1- 2002 January 10
7 Q.A.M.A Rahim Bangladesh 2002 January 11- 2005 February 28
8 Chhin Kyap Dorje Bhutan 2005 march 1- 2008 February 30
9 Shila Kanta Sharma India 2008 March 1-2011 February 28
10 Fattimath Dhiyana Saiyad Maldives 2011 March 1- 2012 January 22
11 Ahamed Salim Maldives 2012 march 12- 2014 February 28
12 Arjun Bahadur Thapa Nepal 2014 March 1- 2017 February 29
13 Amzad Hussain B. Sial Pakistan 2017 March 1- current

SAARC Summits/Conferences:-
The summit is held every two year on rotational basis in alphabetical letters of the member nations. So far 18
summits have been convened. The last summit was held in Nepal
No of declarations
S. No Host Date Held Representative from Nepal
made
1 Dhaka, Bangladesh 1985 December 7-8 King Birendra 14
2 Bangalore, India 1986 November 17-18 King Birendra 23
3 Kathmandu, Nepal 1987 November 2-4 King Birendra 26
4 Islamabad, Pakistan 1988 December 29-31 King Birendra 29
5 Male, Maldives 1990 November 21-23 Krishna Pd. Bhattarai 27
6 Colombo, Srilanka 1991 December 21 Girija Pd. Koirala 48
7 Dhaka, Bangladesh 1993 April 10-11 Girija Pd. Koirala 63
8 New Delhi, India 1995 May 2-4 Manmohan Adhikari 63
9 Male, Maldives 1997 May 12-14 Lokendra Bdr. Chand 71
10 Colombo, Srilanka 1998 July 29-31 Girija Pd. Koirala 84
11 Kathmandu, Nepal 2002 January 5-6 Sher Bdr. Deuwa 56
12 Islamabad, Pakistan 2004 January 4-6 Surya Bdr. Thapa 43
13 Dhaka, Bangladesh 2005 November 12-13 King Gyanendra 53
14 New Delhi, India 2007 April 3-4 Girija Pd. Koirala 30
15 Colombo, Srilanka 2008 August 2-3 Girija Pd. Koirala 41
16 Thimpu, Bhutan 2010 April 28-29 Madhav Kr. Nepal 37
17 Addu, Maldives 2011 November 10-11 Baburam Bhattarai 20
18 Kathmandu, Nepal 2014 November 26-27 Sushil koirala 36
Facts and Figures on Conferences:-
 Total number of conferences held: 18
 All the SAARC summits have been held in the capital cities of member countries except two summits i.e.
Summits held out of capital cities: 2 (2nd and 17th)
 The first city to host SAARC summit outside the capital is Bangalore (2 nd Summit)
 Conference that was held for a single day: 1991 December 21 (6th Colombo summit)
 Summits held in Nepal (3rd, 11th and 18th)
  The last summit was held in Kathmandu Nepal in 2014 November 26-27 (2071 Mangsir 10-11)
 19th summit was supposed to be held in Pakistan in 2016, but is yet to be held
18th summit:-
 Held in 2014 November 26 and 27 (2071 Mangsir 10 and 11)
 Theme “Deeper Integration for Peace and Prosperity”.
 The conference ended up with 36 point declaration.
 The conference decided to conduct summit at duration of 2 years in Pakistan in 2016 A.D.
 Decision made to reduce the Regional Centers from 11 to 5.
SAARC Regional Centers:-
 With a view to help promote regional cooperation through mandated works, currently there are 5 regional
centers.
 18th summit decided to reduce regional centers from 11 to 5
 The oldest regional center of SAARC is SAARC Agricultural Information Center, established in 1988 A.D. in
Bangladesh
 The last regional center of SAARC is Environment and Natural Disaster Management center formed by the
unification of four regional centers as decided by the 18th summit in 2014 A.D.
 Three regional centers have been dissolved
i. SAARC Documentation Center, India
ii. SAARC Human Resource Development Center, Pakistan
iii. SAARC Information Center, Nepal
 Four regional centers are as it is:
1. SAARC Agricultural Information Center Bangladesh 1988 A.D.
2. SAARC TB & HIV/AIDS Center Nepal 1992 A.D.
3. SAARC Energy Center Pakistan 2006 A.D.
4. SAARC Cultural Center Srilanka 2009 A.D
 Four Regional centers have been unified to form a single center as decided by the18th summit.
(i) SAARC Coastal Zone Management Center‚ Maldives 
(ii) SAARC Meteorological Research Center‚ Bangladesh
(iii) SAARC Forest Center‚ Bhutan  Environment and Natural Disaster
(iv) SAARC Disaster Management Center 
 Environment & Natural Disaster Management Center---- India -------- 2014 A.D.
Financial Management:-
Countries Contribution (%) Countries Contribution (%)
India 30.32% Srilanka 10.72%
Pakistan 22.52% Bhutan 5%
Nepal 10.72% Maldives 5%
Bangladesh 10.72% Afghanistan 5%
Observers of SAARC:-
 Australia, Japan, China, Mauritius, Iran, South Korea, United States of America, Myanmar, The European
Union.
Areas of Cooperation: SAARC has identified 16 areas of Cooperation

Different Agreements and Conventions of SAARC:-

 SAPTA (South Asian Preferential Trade Agreement)
 SAPTA was signed in Dhaka on 11th April, 1993 during the 7th SAARC summit held in Dhaka
 The agreement entered into force from 7th December 1995
  SAPTA was proposed by Srilanka during the 6th SAARC summit held in Colombo
 The first country to ratify SAPTA is Nepal and the last country to ratify SAPTA is Bangladesh in 1995
November 5
 SAFTA (South Asian Free Trade Area):
 With the objective of moving towards a South Asian Economic Union (SAEU), the agreement on SAFTA
was signed during 12th summit held in Islamabad in 2004 January 6
 SAFTA was brought into operation in 2006 January 1
 Bhesh Bahadur Thapa from Nepal signed the charter of SAFTA
 There are 25 articles in the charter of SAFTA
SAARC Offices in Nepal:-
 SAARC TB and HIV/AIDS center--------------------------1992 A.D
 Office of the Economic Union of the SAARC-------------1995 A.D
 Office of the Federation of Culture of SAARC-------------1990 A.D
Facts and Figures on SAARC countries:-
 Order of SAARC nations on the basis of Geographical area (Largest to Smallest): India- Pakistan-
Afghanistan- Nepal- Bangladesh- Srilanka- Bhutan- Maldives
 Land locked countries of SAARC: Nepal, Bhutan and Afghanistan.
 SAARC University is situated in India, established in 2007A.D.
 SAARC Country that has no written constitution: Bhutan.
 Country to introduce VAT system in SAARC: Pakistan in 1992 A.D.
 SAARC country to prohibit the use of Plastic / polythene: Bangladesh
 Country to introduce controlled tourism: Bhutan
 SAARC country to provide E – Passport to its citizens: Maldives
 The SAARC nation India has the largest constitution of the world.
 SAARC Development Fund is in Bhutan
 India provided the constitutional status to Nepalese language in 1992 A.D.
 Nepal decaled the zone of peace in 1975 February 25 (2031 Falgun 13)
BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Co-operation)
 Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Co-operation is a regional group of seven
countries in South Asia and South East Asia lying in Bay of Bengal region.
 This was established as BISTEC (Bangladesh, India, Srilanka, Thailand Economic Corporation) in 1997 June 6
 After the addition of Myanmar, BISTEC was transformed into BIMSTEC in 1997 December 22 through
Bangkok declaration.
 BIMSTEC- Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Srilanka, Thailand Economic Corporation.
 Its Secretariat is situated in Dhaka, Bangladesh established in 2014 A.D.
 Nepal attained membership of BIMSTEC in 2004 February 8 along with Bhutan
 Total member countries: - 7
 It has 16 areas of cooperation. Newly added areas of cooperation by 4 th summit include mountain economy
and blue economy.
 Conferences/ summits:-
 Till now four summits have been accomplished.
 Summits are held at a duration of four years but can be held according to the need and demand of the
member states
 Currently Srilanka chairs BIMSTEC, Nepal handed the chairmanship to Srilanka after the fourth summit.
 First summit:-
  2004 July 31-August 1, Thailand, Bangkok.
 This summit changed the meaning of BIMSTEC into its current name
 Fourth summit:-
 2018 August 30-31(2075 Bhadra 14 -15) Nepal, Kathmandu
 The summit ended up with 18 point Kathmandu declaration
 Theme: "Towards a peaceful, prosperous and sustainable Bay of Bengal Region"
 Srilanka will be hosting the fifth summit in 2022 A.D.
 BIMSTEC free trade agreement was signed in 2004 February 8
 Ministerial meeting of BIMSTEC held in 2011 January 22 decided to place the secretariat in Bangladesh
 Secretary General:
 Total number of secretary general of BIMSTEC: 2
 Current/ second secretary general: Sahidul Islam (Bangladesh) from 2017 August 12
 The secretariat was inaugurated in 2014 September 13 in Bangladesh.
 Sumith Nakandawala (Srilanka), the first secretary started his office from 2014 A.D.
 The term of office of secretary general of BIMSTEC is 3 years
MILEX-18: First military exercise of BIMSTEC Countries held in Pune, India
 The first field training military exercise MILEX-18, as a part of the BIMSTEC commenced at Foreign
Training Node at Aundh in Pune, Maharastra from September 10 to 16, 2018
 All member countries except Nepal and Thailand actively participated in the exercise
 Nepal refused to participate in the joint military exercise MILEX-18 due to stringent criticism from ruling
party and opposition party in the country