The two rival groups of the Non-Resident Nepali Association (NRNA), led by presidents Badri KC and Mahesh Kumar Shrestha, agreed to set aside their differences and recognise each other’s leadership.

Both sides signed a ten-point unity agreement in the presence of Prime Minister Sushila Karki on Sunday.

The NRNA had been embroiled in disputes since January 15, 2022. With the new agreement, the executive committee led by Shrestha, which was elected from the unity general convention held on May 3–4, 2023, under the coordination of former president Shesh Ghale, has now gained entry into the NRNA secretariat at Baluwatar.

Likewise, the Shrestha faction has also formally recognised the committee elected from the eleventh general convention held from October 17–20, 2023, led by Badri KC. Both sides had earlier challenged each other’s legitimacy in the Supreme Court, where the cases remain pending.

The two factions have agreed to hold the twelfth general convention as a unity convention by April 17. The elected committee from that event will be treated as having a full mandate.

To ensure transparency, an eleven-member steering committee has been formed to oversee the unity convention. Members of the steering committee will not be allowed to contest in the upcoming election. A separate system management committee will be set up, giving full authority to general secretaries Gauriraj Joshi and Baburam Lama to manage membership records.

Both sides have agreed to record committees formed under various presidents in recent years, including those led by Dr Badri KC, Kul Acharya, Rabina Thapa, Binod Kunwar and Rajendra Kumar Sharma, as former office bearers.

The two general secretaries and treasurers will present their reports to the twelfth convention for authentication, after which KC will hand over responsibilities to Shrestha.

The agreement states that all court cases concerning leadership disputes will either be withdrawn or resolved through mutual understanding.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will archive the agreement and support dispute resolution if needed. An independent third-party audit will be conducted to ensure financial transparency. A supplementary agreement will outline mechanisms for fully implementing the deal and safeguarding the fairness of the twelfth convention.

Signing the agreement, KC and Shrestha pledged to move the NRNA forward as a unified, autonomous and non-political institution representing Nepali communities around the world.