Kathmandu- Amrit Bahadur Rai, currently the Spokesperson and Joint Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, is all set to take charge as Nepal’s Foreign Secretary. With experience in the United Nations and South Africa, Rai is a seasoned diplomat.
Foreign Secretary Sewa Lamsal is likely to be appointed as an ambassador in Europe. Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli’s government has not yet finalized nominations made by the previous administration, pending intra-party consultations.
Parliamentary hearings for ambassadorial appointments have been stalled due to the change in government. Former Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ had recalled ambassadors from 11 countries and nominated new ones for eight.
Despite this, Rai’s appointment as Foreign Secretary has been confirmed by Oli’s government. Sources indicate that Krishna Dhakal and Durga Subedi were also considered for the position.
Rai recently served as Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Nepal to the United Nations from March 2019 to August 2023. A career civil servant since 1996, Rai has held numerous positions in the Foreign Ministry and abroad, including serving as Ambassador to South Africa from December 2014 to December 2018 with concurrent accreditation to 18 other countries.
From August 2013 to December 2014, Rai was the Joint Secretary of the Foreign Ministry’s South Asia Division. He also served as Under Secretary for the Europe/America Division from March to August 2013, and for the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation and the Multilateral Economic Diplomacy Division from 2012 to 2013.
Among his other foreign postings, Rai was Minister Counsellor at Nepal’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations in New York from 2008 to 2012. He had earlier served as Under Secretary in the Foreign Ministry’s United Nations and International Organizations Division.
Rai’s government service includes roles as Under Secretary in the Planning Division of the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation from 2003 to 2005, and in the Ministry of General Administration from 2002 to 2003. He began his career in 1996 as a Section Officer in the Ministry of Women, Child and Social Welfare.
He holds three master’s degrees: in public management from the University of Potsdam in Berlin, and in business administration and public administration from Tribhuvan University in Kathmandu, Nepal.
The new coalition government led by KP Sharma Oli is yet to make an official announcement on his appointment.
