The opposition parties -- the Nepali Congress and the CPN-UML - at a meeting at Gokarna on Sunday exerted pressure on the ruling UCPN (Maoist) to renew the term of the UN human rights office.[break]
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs Narayankaji Shrestha on Thursday had communicated to OHCHR-N that the government would not renew its term after December 8, when its current term expires.
"We asked the government to not terminate the OHCHR-N term," said Nepali Congress leader Ram Sharan Mahat, "We strongly feel OHCHR-N´s mandate should be continued until the next election.”
Mahat said OHCHR-N´s mandate has not yet been completed and its presence is necessary to address impunity in the country.
At the meeting, the CPN-UML also opposed termination of OHCHR-N term and insisted any decision on the renewal of its term be taken only after consulting the UN rights body.
“The OHCHR-N is not here for an indefinite period. But the decision on termination of its term should be taken after consultation with the rights body,” said CPN-UML leader Bhim Rawal.
In response, UCPN (Maoist) leaders said at the meeting that the UN human rights office is no longer needed in the "changed context". According to Mahat, Minister Shrestha told the meeting that the OHCHR-N term should not be renewed but should be given six more months to close down operations.
But Shrestha was not available for comments. His personal secretary said Shrestha would be at a meeting till late Sunday evening.
Following pressure from the opposition, the meeting concluded that the OHCHR-N´s future should be determined only after holding consultations with the UN rights body.
Meanwhile, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has suggested to the government to renew the OHCHR term for one more year on the condition that the UN human rights office works with it in collaboration.
"The OHCHR-N should give a plan of action for a year and the government should renew OHCHR-N mandate for a year," said NHRC Commissioner and Spokesperson Gauri Pradhan.
The constitutional human rights watchdog wrote a letter to the government to this effect on Friday surprising many. In the past, NHRC had stood against continuation of the mandate of the UN human rights office and had even written to the government not to extend the term.
"We had maintained in the past that OHCHR-N should work in collaboration with the NHRC but OHCHR-N was not doing so. But, in the meantime, we signed a memorandum of collaboration and the OHCHR-N is working accordingly," said Pradhan.
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