President Ramchandra Paudel welcoming the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani to Nepal in April, 2024.
President Ram Chandra Paudel is set to make the first high-level foreign visit following the political changes brought about by the Gen Z uprising. He will travel to Qatar in the first week of November at the invitation of the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.
The visit is timed to coincide with the Second World Summit for Social Development being organized by the UN's Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) from November 4 to 6.
President Paudel’s planned visit has two notable points. The Emir Al Thani had invited President Paudel to visit Qatar during his two-day trip to Nepal (April 23–24, 2024). This invitation is now materializing in the context of the social development conference.
Nepal currently holds the presidency of the important UN body, ECOSOC. Nepal's Permanent Representative to the UN (New York), Lok Bahadur Thapa, was elected to the post on July 31, 2025.
The political context of the visit
The opportunity for President Paudel to lead the delegation comes directly from Nepal's recent political upheaval. Had the Gen Z uprising not forced a change in government, the former Prime Minister, KP Sharma Oli, would likely have attended the Summit.
During his 14-month tenure, Oli seldom missed an opportunity to attend international forums. For instance, he later chose to attend the 'Financing for Development' conference in Spain in July, despite initial preparations for the President to go. The only major international conference Oli decided not to attend was the Women Political Leaders (WPL) Summit in Montenegro, citing that it was inappropriate for a male Prime Minister to attend a women's leadership summit.
Oli was also preparing to attend the 80th session of the UN General Assembly but was forced to resign on September 9 due to the Gen Z uprising, losing both opportunities.
Then Prime Minister Man Mohan Adhikari (sixth from the left in the third row) at the first World Summit for Social Development held in Copenhagen.
Why the President is attending
The decision for President Paudel to lead the delegation to the UN Social Summit is based on three main factors. Since the Emir, as the host nation's leader, invited President Paudel during his Nepal visit, the President's participation is considered appropriate.
The current interim Prime Minister, Sushila Karki, is reportedly reluctant to travel abroad due to the formation of an interim government, the incomplete cabinet, fluid political situation, and the need to focus on election preparations.
The most critical reason is to mitigate the negative international perception created by the violence and destruction following the September 9 uprising.
An official from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that the President's presence at a significant UN conference will send a message to the international community that Nepal is "not in such a disastrous state" as has been widely reported.
The upcoming summit, only the second of its kind since the first 30 years ago in Copenhagen (March 1995), aims to re-affirm global commitment to social development, including poverty eradication, full employment, and social inclusion, and to accelerate the implementation of the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda. The then Prime Minister Man Mohan Adhikari had participated in the first summit.
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