Nepal elected as UNICEF's executive board member

Kathmandu: Nepal has been elected to the UNICEF Executive Board, representing the group of Asia-Pacific countries for the term 2016-2018.

Nepal's Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the UN Durga Prasad Bhattarai, has also been unanimously elected as Vice-President to the Bureau of the Executive Board yesterday, according to Nepal's Permanent Mission to the UN in New York.

With its election to the United Nations Children's Fund, Nepal has got another chance to contribute to the work of the UN, this time in providing strategic guidance to its agency specialising in the children's causes, Kathmandu Post reported on Sunday.

Nepal will help ensure, among other things that UNICEF activities are responsive to the needs and priorities of the recipient countries, particularly from the perspective of a country emerging from conflict and reeling under the humanitarian crisis as a result of natural disasters and the vulnerabilities of being least developed and land-locked country, it reported.

Nepal recently completed its terms as a member of the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) for 2013-2015 and as Vice-President from Asia-Pacific region at the Executive Board of UNDP/UNFPA/UNOPS for the year 2015.

Nepal had contributed to the UNICEF by remaining in the Executive Board in different times including 1982 to 1985, 1992 to 1995 and 2002 to 2004.