KATHMANDU, DECEMBER 6
Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Purna Bahadur Khadka has stated that Nepal is committed to preparing as many as 10,000 military personnel at the request of the UN for peacekeeping operations worldwide.
DPM Khadka mentioned that Nepal has fulfilled most of its commitments related to international peacekeeping and is actively working to fulfill the remaining ones. He made these remarks while addressing a UN ministerial-level conference on international peacekeeping in Ghana.
DPM Khadka extended gratitude to the Ghana government for hosting the summit and emphasized that Nepal has been supporting the 'Action for Peace' and 'Action for Peace Plus' programs launched by the UN Secretary-General. He viewed these programs as crucial for the security of military personnel and civilians.
"Nepal has kept its army on standby for any adversity, and we are confident that they adhere to the norms and disciplines of peacekeeping armies. We have adopted a zero-tolerance policy against sex abuse and exploitation," shared DPM Khadka during the mega meeting.
According to him, Nepal believes in an improved coordination mechanism among major stakeholders, including TPCC, to make peacekeeping more effective. He urged all concerned parties to unite for achieving targets through partnership.
Additionally, DPM Khadka shared that Nepal has increased the meaningful participation of women in military roles to align with the gender equality strategy put forth by the UN Secretary-General.
"We are committed to using and promoting renewable energy to reduce the environmental footprint in peacekeeping missions. We employ renewable energy in partnership with UNMISS and training centers," he mentioned.
Nepal has been contributing relentlessly to UN peacekeeping missions since 1958 and is the second-largest country in terms of the number of security personnel mobilized in peacekeeping missions globally.
The summit, which began on Tuesday under the theme 'peace begins with me,' saw the participation of representatives from approximately 90 countries.
