Deputy Prime Minister Prakash Man Singh called on the international community to respect the rights of transit of Least Developed and Land Locked Countries (LLDCs) in his address to the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Thursday.

 At a time when Nepal is facing transit obstruction from India, Singh stressed that transit rights of the LLDCs should not be constrained under any circumstances or pretexts to disrupt the flow of goods and services.

Stating that the UN at 70 remains a strong pillar of the international system as well as the institution of hope and trust, Singh called for a stronger UN capable of delivering results based on the wider respect for and observance of the principles of sovereignty, territorial integrity, political independence and non-interference as well as of preserving the universal values of peace, justice, equality, freedom and human dignity.

He emphasised the need of effective implementation of the Vienna Programme of Action to make a difference in the lives of about 450 million people living in the LLDCs and urged for an enhanced level of international collaboration which, he said, was essential to conserve and promote the mountain ecosystems.

Deputy Prime Minister Singh also informed the world leaders about the historic political transformation of Nepal that culminated in the promulgation of the new constitution on 20 September after about eight years of rigorous democratic exercise conducted in an inclusive, transparent and participatory manner.

The new constitution exemplifies the victory of peace and non-violence as inspired by the teachings of the Buddha and reflected the best of democratic principles, norms and values, Singh told the assembly.

He added that the new constitution will open new avenues of empowerment, progress and wellbeing for all disadvantaged groups, including women, Tharus, Madhesis, indigenous people, Muslims and Dalits, to create an egalitarian society by ending all discriminations.

He underlined the belief of Nepal in an integrated approach to democracy, development and human rights by adding that democracy was indispensable for development as well as for the enjoyment of political, cultural and social rights and the right to development.

Singh also said that reforms were required to strengthen and revitalise the works of the UN to better respond to the increasingly complex and profound challenges facing the world.

While highlighting Nepal’s contributions to the peacekeeping, he informed the august gathering of the Heads of States/Governments of Nepal’s willingness and ability to contribute from senior level leadership positions in the UN peace architecture.

Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Mahendra Bahadur Pandey participated in the Annual Ministerial Meeting of the Group of LDCs organised on the sidelines of the assembly. Addressing the meeting, he said that the LDCs continued to face multiple problems such as poverty, unemployment, poor infrastructure, scarce resources, etc and emphasised that the Istanbul Programme of Action, which aims at halving the current LDCs by 2022, should be implemented in its letter and spirit.

Pandey said that the marginalisation of LDCs in the global trading system hindered their capacity to utilise the trade-induced growth for the socio-economic development.

He also said that the recent adoption of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development had generated optimism for a better future across the world. He stressed the need of embracing everyone and implementing it in its entirety for the goals to be truly transformative.