Kathmandu, December 12

The government will soon file its candidacy at the United Nations seeking non-permanent seat in the 15-member United Nations Security Council for 2037-38. UNSC has five permanent members and 10 non-permanent members who are elected for a period of two years.

The Security Council consists of five permanent members (China, France, Russian Federation, United Kingdom and United States of America) and 10 non-permanent members elected by the General Assembly for a term of two years. UNGA elects five non-permanent members of the Security Council every year.

Minister of Communications and Information Technology Gokul Prasad Baskota told mediapersons today that the government had directed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to rally support for Nepal’s candidature from today itself. Nepal had filed its candidacy in 2006 but could not win a seat in the most powerful body of the UN system.

Spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Bharat Raj Paudyal said the ministry would soon file its candidacy at the UN. Paudyal said often the countries that wanted to win non-permanent member seat in the UNSC needed 10-15 years to run their campaigns to win the seat. “Some countries have filed their candidacy for 2054-55. It is not unusual for us to file our candidacy for 2037-38,” he added. Nepal had served in the UNSC as a non-permanent member in 1969–1970 and 1988–1989.