A meeting of stakeholders convened by Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal at his office on Sunday afternoon reached a conclusion on extending the term, a senior minister told myrepublica.com. [break]
"The next cabinet meeting on Wednesday is likely to take a formal decision on OHCHR-N´s term extension," said the minister, "The Foreign Ministry has been directed to send a proposal in this regard to the cabinet."
Acting Foreign Minister Dr Prakash Sharan Mahat refused to comment on the details of the stakeholders´ meeting.
This will be the fifth extension of the term of the UN human rights body. Since its establishment in 2005, initially for a two-year term, OHCHR-Nepal´s tenure was extended for two years in 2007, for three months in May, 2009 and for nine months in September last year.
OHCHR-N is the largest of Geneva-based OHCHR´s field offices. It believes that the extension of its term attaches significance during Nepal´s transition and has been seeking its term extension.
The minister, who wants to be unnamed because the decision is yet to be endorsed by the cabinet, said that the meeting also concluded that the terms and reference of the UN rights body would be reviewed in the new mandate.
"OHCHR-N will be asked to present their exit strategy once it gets its mandate extended," said the minister.
Even till last week, senior ministers held the view that the government should ask OHCHR-N to pack up after the expiry of the current mandate beyond June 9. The cabinet meeting last week and an informal meeting of senior ministers representing all the parties in the government in the same week had discussed the mandate extension issue. In both the meetings, the ministers had made up their mind to discontinue the OHCHR-N mandate.
"But the pressure from the donors, especially from the EU countries forced the ministers to change their minds," said another knowledgeable source.
In Sunday´s meeting, representatives from the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) were also invited. NHRC members Gauri Pradhan, Ram Nagina Singh and Secretary Bishal Khanal suggested to the government to have a new terms and reference with OHCHR-N, requiring the rights body to work in coordination with the NHRC.
Last year, NHRC had criticized the government decision to extend the OHCHR-N term till June 9. But NHRC did not oppose term extension at Sunday´s meeting, saying that it was up to the government to decide whether an extension is necessary.
Last week, EU envoys had called on NHRC commissioners to lobby for the latter´s support to see the continuation of the OHCHR-N´s office.
As per an agreement with the OHCHR, the government is required to inform OHCHR about any decision on OHCHR-N´s mandate three months before, and by Tuesday in present case.
kiran@myrepublica.com
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