Foreign Minister Khanal presents Nepal's peace process at the UN

Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal addressed a ministerial-level meeting of the Peace-Building Commission (PBC) at United Nations Headquarters in New York on Thursday, on the margins of the 81st session of the UNGA. He argued that durable peace rests on a country owning the process, on inclusive institutions of the state and on accountable government. When a society leads its own peace process, he said, "reconciliation takes deep root". Khanal offered Nepal as an example. He said the Comprehensive Peace Accord (CPA), which the government of the day and the CPN (Maoist) signed in 2006, ended a decade-long armed conflict through a process owned at home, and led to an inclusive federal democratic Constitution. The accord included arms management and election support with United Nations assistance. He described peacebuilding as a social contract that carries on across generations rather than a task with an end date. A new generation that has not lived through conflict and organises online wants governance that is transparent, systems based on merit and institutions that answer for their actions, he said, and the state must adapt to those expectations. Referring to the Gen Z movement of 8 September 2025, Khanal said democratic institutions had responded with flexibility and tolerance. Public demands were addressed through dialogue, he said, and power was handed to an elected government after parliamentary elections held peacefully within six months. The minister called for stronger inclusive representation and local ownership, and for institutions that uphold transitional justice, human rights and the rule of law. He said international peacebuilding support should match national priorities, noting that UN support for Nepal's peace process has focused on building national capacity. He urged the commission to promote resolving differences through dialogue.