Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal’s visits to the 78th Session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York and China were a remarkable success despite considerable skepticism in the public domain.
This success came in the midst of a discourse in the media on how PM Dahal will deal with the issue of Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC), a continuous pressure from the ‘elite communities’ busy creating a buzz through their social media posts, petitions on issues under the jurisdiction of TRC and Dahal’s own political statements.
By the way, these petitions will attain nothing beyond “show cause orders” from the judiciary. The petitioners, it appears, intend to create confusion amongst the general public and unintentionally clog the already clogged justice system. These opponents would have expected that PM Dahal won’t be able to cash in on the opportunity to engage the United Nations and its platforms.
Unsurprisingly, Dahal, known for his penchant and proclivity for unexpected political maneuvers, went ahead and not only attended the UNGA in New York, but also engaged in bilateral relations with several world leaders and high-level UN delegates. The message from the UN visit was clear: Dahal, the only signatory alive of the Comprehensive Peace Accord signed between the government of Nepal and the then Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) on 22 Nov 2006, remains committed to taking the peace process to a lawful and peaceful conclusion. Reiteration of his commitment to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, 1948, and international humanitarian laws and fundamental principles and values related to human rights should be read in this context.
As the PM of Nepal, currently the chair of the Group of Least Developed Countries, Dahal used his address to the UNGA to not only raise issues facing LDCs like climate change, Sustainable Development Goals and development cooperation but also to touch upon Nepal’s peace process and TRC. His address, summarized on the UN homepage, clearly shows how tactfully he started it. In particular, his opening statement gave a powerful message to the international community.
Furthermore, Dahal demonstrated humility and sought help from the international community, which reiterates his commitment to the international community and his readiness to work together.
He also called upon the United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres at the United Nations headquarters. His message was clear again: Commitment to ensuring that Nepal’s peace process abides by the “peace accord”.
Dahal also met with the UN High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States, Rabab Fatima.
There’s a phrase from the Greek story “Daedalus and Icarus”—Kill two birds with one stone—this is exactly what Dahal did. He not only won the trust of international communities in Nepal’s peace process, but also raised pressing issues facing the LDCs as its chairperson.
Mission accomplished.
A warm welcome
The American diplomat and political scientist, Madeleine Albright, once famously said, “Diplomacy is not just about negotiations; it’s about understanding cultures and building bridges.”
After all the rush, hustle and bustle of such a hectic schedule in New York, Dahal knew the importance of his Sept 23-30 visit to China—the roaring neighbor, which has always been supportive of him. Notably, during his visit, Dahal also held a one-on-one meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, apart from talks with Premier Li Quant and Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress Zhao Leji. These engagements were crucial in strengthening mutual trust and signing of several memorandums of understanding (MOUs). The relationship building anchored on mutual social and economic development of peoples of the two nations was crucial in the context of delayed or postponed engagement on account of Covid-19.
Let’s focus on the outcome of the China visit. Some politicians, self-proclaimed elites and several media outlets have called it a ‘refreshment visit’. But all in all, PM Dahal’s China visit was a success.
To understand the importance of this visit, we need to get rid of this mindset--that success entails getting something instantly.
It’s true that the visit did not yield anything right away; it also fell short of people’s expectations.
But the Chinese side accorded Dahal a warm welcome and gave due importance to the visit. This is something to take note of against the backdrop of Dahal’s recent visit to India, in which the host country came under our criticism for a “low-level welcome” accorded to our PM. Our core objective should be to build on relationships and work for tangible results gradually. In diplomacy, the most important tool is “relationship,” and clearly Dahal has outdone all his predecessors on this front. His body language throughout the China trip made it clear that he came out as a “reliable leader and a trusted neighbor”.
The author is an expert on diplomacy and international relations with a background in law. He has worked with the UN for 15 years in Asia, Africa and Europe
