KATHMANDU, OCTOBER 6

Newly-appointed UNHCR Representative in Nepal Carolin Spannuth Verma, presented her Letter of Credentials to the Minister of Foreign Affairs Pradeep Kumar Gyawali today.

Verma, a German national, arrived in Kathmandu on September 15 to take up her new assignment as UN- HCR Representative in Nepal.

Upon resuming Office, Verma said, “The government and people of Nepal have an impressive tradition of protecting those who are forced to flee persecution. The generosity of Nepal is acknowledged by the international community, especially in the light of its own challenges of resources.

I look forward to advancing with the Government and other UN- HCR partners this important agenda in a spirit of collaboration, law and compassion”.

Verma’s journey of serving the cause of refugee protection through UN High Commission for Refugees has now spanned almost 25 years.

She has served in various international protection and legal positions in Morocco, Malaysia, Indonesia, Republic of Northern Macedonia, Bulgaria and at UNHCR Headquarters in Geneva in the Division of International Protection, Asia and Africa Bureaus, read a press release issued by the UNHCR, Nepal.

During her service with UNHCR, her thematic focus has included but was not limited to international refugee Protection, resettlement, integration, voluntary repatriation, refugee status determination, international humanitarian law, protection of civilians, child protection, gender issues, LGBTIQ inclusion, capacity development, refugee law training and staff welfare, it said.

Verma practised law in the courts of Hamburg, Lübeck and Schwerin in Germany before taking her expertise to the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in New York.

She attained her higher and post-graduate Law Degree from the University of Freiburg and Hamburg, Germany, and in 1995, obtained her license to practise as a Judge in Germany.

A version of this article appears in e-paper on October 7, 2020, of The Himalayan Times.