UN appoints human rights representative in Nepal

United Nations, Oct 19: The United Nations has appointed Lena Sundh, a Swedish diplomat, the UN representative for human rights in Nepal, which endures abuses on both sides of a decade-long Maoist insurgency.

Ms Sundh, who has specialised in conflict management and peacekeeping during her 30-year international career, is expected to take up her position in the coming weeks for a period of six months, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour said while announcing the appointment yesterday.

She said her office was fortunate to benefit from Ms Sundh's considerable international and human rights experience during this most important period in Nepal's transition to peace.

''The Seven-Party Alliance government and the CPN-Maoist have made it clear that they seek the support of my office in the protection and promotion of human rights during the peace process,'' Ms Arbour said in a statement.

''I am confident that with Ms Sundh's leadership OHCHR will continue its role in strongly defending human rights in Nepal through this sensitive and critical period.'' Ms Sundh joined the Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1976 and has served in Thailand, Namibia, Morocco and at the UN in Geneva and New York. She was Ambassador of Sweden to Angola from 1995 to 2000 and also served as Director at the Departments of African Affairs and of Global Cooperation at Sweden's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

She also served in Cambodia with the UNHCR and was a member of the UN Monitoring Mechanism on Angola Sanctions. Most recently, Ms Sundh was appointed the Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General for the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and in this position was the Deputy Head of the UN peacekeeping mission, MONUC.

More than 12,000 people have been killed and more 100,000 have been displaced since Maoist rebels took up arms in 1996, seeking to set up a communist republic in the Himalayan country, which has had a hereditary monarchy for most of its known history.

UNI