Mr. Kim Won-soo, Under Secretary General of the United Nations and High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, Ms.Valerie Julliand, Resident Coordinator of the UN, Excellencies,
Distinguished Guests
Friends from Media,
It is indeed a pleasure to attend this important ceremony to reassume the work of the United Nations Regional Centre for Peace and Disarmament for Asia and the Pacific (UNRCPD) in Kathmandu.
I welcome you all to this function.
Specially, I would like to thank Under Secretary General Mr. Kim for his personal interest and presence here amongst us in the resumption of the center and revival of the Kathmandu Process for disarmament.
Last year, a devastating earthquake struck Nepal on 25 April 2015. In the aftermath of that earthquake, the office of UNRCPD was temporarily relocated to Bangkok.
The April earthquake caused irreparable loss of lives and properties. The quake brought wreckage –to lives of people, to economy of the country, which we have gradually overcome with resilience.
Nevertheless, the destructive earthquake was beyond our control. It was a disaster ordained by nature.
Intense and severe than the April Earthquake; scary and frightening than all the natural disasters combined; there exist a threating menace to humanity and our future.
The threat from the increasing stockpiles of armament.
The threat from weapons of mass destruction –nuclear, chemical and biological.
The menace of incessant armament is confined not only to few nations and societies, it transcends national borders as well as continental frontiers.
Nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction jeopardize the present as well as future of humanity. The prospect for peace remains elusive if quest for armament continues.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
It is the threat posed by the weapons of mass destruction that implores us to put our commitments together; to put our efforts together –for championing the cause for disarmament and non-proliferation.
In one of the important quests towards peace and disarmament, UNGA decided in 1987 to establish UN Regional Centre in Kathmandu. On 18th of the August 2008, the UNRCPD in Asia and the Pacific began its operation to promote discussion and dialogue on disarmament agenda in the Asia-Pacific Region.
To create conducive environment for disarmament and non-proliferation; regional dialogue, engagement and confidence building are the essentials.
Such deliberations contribute to make strides toward global disarmament and non-proliferation.
UNRCPD has a useful role towards this end by providing the permanent platform to the UN Member States for constant dialogue and exchange of views.
The Centre is better poised to create a platform conducive for initiating and intensifying such initiatives.
The success of UNRCPD in Kathmandu, will not only be the achievement for our region but for the world at large.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
As the host country, Nepal reiterates its commitment to providing its fullest support to the strengthening of the Centre. This is consistent to our policy of promoting peace, disarmament and non-proliferation.
An effective UNRCPD can consolidate the “Kathmandu Process” as a continuum of constructive process of dialogue and confidence-building measures in disarmament.
Nepal has been contributing in our own way in the maintenance of international peace and security. Our hosting of UNRCPD in Kathmandu is a testimony to this.
Our engagements in disarmament initiatives, substantive contribution to UN peacekeeping operations, and consistent and unambiguous stand against terrorism in all forms and manifestations have remained firm.
Our troops and police have rendered best of the services to implement the mandate of the United Nations in critical conflict situations and 73 of them have laid their lives in the line of duty.
With the UNRCPD’s resumption in Kathmandu, I am confident the Centre would be able to carry on its mandate of promoting dialogues and discussions on issues of disarmament and continue to be useful to our common aspiration of establishing safer and secure world.
I thank you all.