Kathmandu, February 27

Minister of Foreign Affairs Pradeep Kumar Gyawali reiterated yesterday that there would be no blanket amnesty in cases of serious violations of human rights during the decade-long Maoist insurgency.

Addressing the 40th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva, Switzerland, Gyawali said Nepal was a uniquely successful case of nationally-owned and nationally-led peace process.

“To conclude the last leg of this process, term of the two independent commissions have been recently extended to allow time to complete their mandates,” he said. “In doing so, we will be guided by Comprehensive Peace Accord, directives of the Supreme Court, relevant international commitments, concerns of the victims and ground realities.”

Gyawali  also said that Nepal firmly believed in the universality, indivisibility, inter-relatedness, interdependence and mutually reinforcing nature of human rights, including the right to development. He said all human rights must be treated in a fair and equal manner on the same footing and with the same emphasis.

The approach must remain balanced and all human rights must be operational at national, regional and international levels. The rule of law must work at all levels, according to Gyawali.

“Peace and human rights cannot be achieved without attaining inclusive development. We consider that the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and Global Compact on Migration provide wider platforms to advance inclusive human rights agenda everywhere,” he said.

Gyawali said Nepal’s commitment to the universal values of human rights was total. “We are a party to all major international human rights instruments, including seven of the nine core human rights conventions. We have internalised those values into our national laws, policies and practices,” he said.

The Constitution of Nepal is founded on universally recognised human rights and fundamental freedoms. Equality and non-discrimination lie at the core of it, according to Gyawali.

Stating that Nepal represented a uniquely successful case of democratic political transformation, he said Nepal was resolutely focused on economic agenda with a long term vision of ‘Prosperous Nepal, Happy Nepali’ having firmly set the political course in place.