President Bhandari: laws for mountainous and island countries needed

President Bidya Devi Bhandari has stated that there is a need for adequate international laws for the best interest of mountainous and island countries.

Addressing the inaugural session of the Asian regional conference on International Law here today, President Bhandari pointed out the need for international laws to address the challenges, posed by climate change.

The event was organized by the Nepalese Society of International Law Society and Asian Society of International Law in Lalitpur today. "I am mentioning this because it occurs to me that there international laws to protect the interest of the mountainous and island countries were not enough although many international conferences on climate changes were held over three decades," the President said.

She viewed that only a world order based on justice would help really understand the specific needs of developing countries like Nepal and the need to formulate policies accordingly.

Furthermore, the Head of the State said, "We have been strongly advocating for non-aligned foreign policy for the past seven decades because we believe that this would lay basis for protection of the sovereignty and national integrity of the country."

Stating that Nepal was against wars in all manifestations and upheld the view that resolution to any disputes between countries should be sought through peaceful means, President Bhandari shared that Nepal also strongly held the belief that the unhealthy competition among the countries for nuclear weapons should be stopped.

President Bhandari further said, "Nepal has a clear viewpoint that only policy of peaceful co-existence, sense of fraternity, non-aggression and non-intervention would contribute to the development and compliance of the existing international laws."

 She drew the attention of the conference to concrete contributions of Nepal to the development of international laws based on specialised historic experiences and unique context of the dimension of international relations and topography.

Nepal had played a historic role in the formulation and development of the law of the sea that ensures right of unhindered transportation for landlocked countries, she said.

Nepal had advocated right to transportation for all landlocked countries in the globe based on the guidelines of the international law apart from taking concrete initiatives to ensure its access to sea through the friendly nation, she stated while thanking all friendly nations for their support in this regard.

 "Today's world order should be based on rules. Moreover, it should be based on justice. I want the conference to discuss the issue substantially" , she mentioned.

Nepal is committed to the United Nations Charter, Universal Declaration of Human Rights and bilateral and multilateral treaties and conventions it has signed and their implementation, the president reminded.