Govinda Prasad Sharma Koirala, peace and human rights advisor to Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal, has represented Nepal in the 52nd Session of the United Nations Human Rights Council.

Koirala, also known as Govinda Bandi, attended the opening session of the annual meeting of the human rights council, according to the Permanent Mission of Nepal to the United Nations.

The opening session was followed by the address from the high dignitaries comprising of heads of state or government as well as ministers and dignitaries from over 125 member states of the United Nations.

Koirala is scheduled to address the High-level Segment of the Council today.

A Cabinet meeting on February 16 had decided to send a delegation to Geneva headed by the then Foreign Minister Bimala Rai Paudyal, but as per the instructions of the prime minister, she was forced to drop her travel plans hours before she was to take a flight to Geneva.

When the proposal to send a Nepali delegation to Geneva was tabled in the Cabinet a few days ago, Koirala had been included as an expert member of the delegation.

Although Prime Minister Dahal claimed that Paudyal’s visit was stopped because he feared that she might lose the ministerial post while abroad, foreign ministry officials said there are several such instances of government change in Kathmandu when the foreign ministers were abroad to attend international functions.

Along with Koirala, Secretary of the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers Udaya Raj Sapkota, Joint Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Sewa Lamsal have also reached Geneva to participate in the Council meeting.