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The talks between the government and the agitating teachers ended without making a concrete decision on Thursday.

The meeting between the government side and the representatives of Nepal Teachers’ Federation was held at the office of the Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Narayankaji Shrestha in Singhadurbar this morning.

Though the meeting was held for around one hour, a teacher, who participated in the meeting, said that the talks ended inconclusively after the two sides could not  forge a consensus.

The protesting teachers said that they would continue the protest until their demands are met.

Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Shrestha, Education, Science and Technology Minister Ashok Rai and Secretary Suresh Adhikari from the government side and representatives from the Nepal Teachers’ Federation, the Nepal Teachers’ Association and the Nepal National Teachers Association on behalf of the agitating teachers were present in the meeting.

On Wednesday, hundreds of teachers associated with the Nepal Teachers’ Federation staged a protest in the Capital against the school education bill.

During the meeting, Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Shrestha said that the genuine demands of the teachers will be addressed and urged not to shut down the schools.

Earlier, the teachers had boycotted the meeting called by the Ministry of Education.

Foreign Minister NP Saud met with former US Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo at the United Nations headquarters in New York on Wednesday.

Minister Saud is currently in New York to attend the 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly.

During the meeting, matters related to mutual interest and cooperation between the two countries were discussed.

Nepali Ambassador to the US Sridhar Khatri was also present in the meeting.

Nepal has ratified the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) Treaty proposed by the United Nations.

Minister for Foreign Affairs NP Saud, who is in New York to attend the 78th General Assembly of the United Nations, signed the agreement on behalf of Nepal.

The BBNJ Treaty sets up a procedure to establish large-scale marine protected areas in the high seas. This facilitates the achievement of the target to effectively conserve and manage 30 percent of land and sea by 2030, which was agreed in December 2022 within the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.

The agreement is intended to ensure conservation and sustainable use of marine biodiversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction. The Treaty is reportedly key to protect the ocean, promote equity and fairness, tackle environmental degradation, fight climate change, and prevent biodiversity loss in the high seas.

The deadline for signing this Treaty is September 20, 2025, starting from September 20, 2023.

The Treaty is legally binding and will come into force after 60 state parties ratify it.

Minister for Foreign Affairs NP Saud has said that Nepal has given top priority to the Asian Cooperation Dialogue.

Nepal accords top priority to regional initiatives including the Asian Cooperation Dialogue (ACD). He was speaking at the conference of ministers of Asian countries held at the United Nations headquarters on Wednesday.

Minister Saud also added that Nepal is ready to work with all members of the ACD in accordance with its objectives and agree to successfully implement the key issues it has adopted.

Nepal became a member of the Asian Cooperation Dialogue in March 2016.

The ACD was established in June 2002 in Cha-Am, Thailand, where 18 Asian Foreign Ministers met together for the first time.

The ACD is a continent-wide forum, the first of its kind in Asia, which aims to constitute the missing link in Asia by incorporating every Asian country and building an Asian Community without duplicating other organizations or creating a bloc against others.

A key principle is to consolidate Asian strengths and fortify Asia's competitiveness by maximizing the diversity and rich resources evident in Asia.

The core values of the ACD are positive thinking; informality; voluntarism; non-institutionalization; openness; respect for diversity; the comfort level of member countries; and the evolving nature of the ACD process, it is stated in the official website of the regional body.