The government has invited two UN Special Rapporteurs to examine and report back to the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) and the UN General Assembly on Nepal’s situation on rights to food and violence against women.

Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Bharat Raj Poudyal said on Sunday that the ministry had written to UNHRC in Geneva, asking the UN body to send two special repporteurs on two different themes. The ministry also reiterated that Nepal is ready to welcome the UN special repporteurs on migration.

The UNHRC has been asking Nepal to send its designated special repporteurs on food and violence against women but the country could not approve their visit due to some  internal reasons.

According to UNHRC, the right to food is the right to have regular, permanent and unrestricted access—either directly or by means of financial purchases—to quantitatively and qualitatively adequate and sufficient food corresponding to the cultural traditions of the people to which the consumer belongs, and which ensure a physical and mental, individual and collective, fulfilling and dignified life free of fear. Hilai Elver is the current special rapporteur on rights to food.

The UN Special Rapporteur on violence against women will examine causes and consequences of violence against in Nepal. Continuing the tradition of its steadfast cooperation with the Special Procedures mechanism of the UNHRC, the government of Nepal has invited Special Rapporteur on Right to Food and Special Rapporteur on Violence against Women, its causes and consequences for a country visit to Nepal at a convenient time, the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.  

This will be conveyed to the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights through Nepal’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations Office and other international organisations in Geneva on Monday, the statement added.