London, United Kingdom—During a visit to London, Hon. Ganesh Prasad Timilsina, the chairman of Nepal’s National Assembly, paid a visit to the offices of UPF-UK.
Hon. Timilsina has spoken at UPF international events, including the Rallies of Hope. It was at the request of Hon. Ek Nath Dhakal, the Asia-Pacific regional chair of UPF’s International Association of Parliamentarians for Peace, that the meeting with UPF-UK took place on October 23, 2022.
During our conversation we were introduced to the inclusivity of the Nepalese constitution amid the diversity of the nation. We were not aware that 126 languages are spoken in Nepal. The constitution enables all sections of Nepal to feel included.
Hon. Puspa Raj Timilsina, a member of the National Commission on Inclusion who was accompanying Hon. Ganesh Prasad Timilsina, informed us of the constitutional requirements for inclusion. It includes a guaranteed 33 percent of the National Assembly to be women as well as the president and vice president to represent male and female.
Hon. Keith Best, chairman of UPF-UK’s Board of Trustees and a former member of the U.K. Parliament, reflected, "Although the UK likes to pride itself on being the mother of Parliaments, I believe that in all humility we should accept that we have much to learn from other legislatures.”
This meeting has revived the relationship with the UK Nepalese resident community. UPF-UK plans to meet and have a cultural program with this community in 2023.