Singer new UNICEF Nepal chief

KATHMANDU, July 22: Hanaa Singer has been appointed as the new representative of UNICEF, Nepal. She presented her credentials to Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Upendra Yadav on July 19.



An Egyptian national, Singer has served in UNICEF for over 21 years in both the development and the humanitarian fields. [break]



Before her latest assignment in Nepal, she was working as a UNICEF representative in Kazakhstan. She has also worked in CEE/CIS Regional Office in Geneva, Haiti, Burundi and Maldives.



The draft provisions on citizenship for Nepal´s new constitution are likely to create significant risks of statelessness, especially for Nepali children.



"We would like to urge you to please ensure that everyone takes this issue seriously so that Nepali children do not lose their right to be citizens of this country," said Ms Singer in a statement.



Deputy Prime Minister Yadav appreciated the role played by UNICEF over the decades in Nepal, and also highlighted the need for collective effort to tackle challenges in the development sector for a country in transition.

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