Deputy PM Khadka returns home

KATHMANDU: Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence, Purna Bahadur Khadka, returned home on Sunday after attending the United Nations Peacekeeping Ministerial meeting held in Accra, Ghana.

Khadka led a Nepali delegation, which included senior officials from the Ministry of Defence, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Nepal Army in the event held on December 5-6.

The meeting discussed various aspects of international peacekeeping and reviewed achievements thus far, pledging to strengthen UN peacekeeping operations. Themed ‘Peace Begins with Me,’ the event was attended by high-level delegations from 90 countries, with participating ministers expressing their commitment and political support to UN peacekeeping.

Nepal has been contributing to UN peacekeeping missions since 1958, aiming to establish international peace and stability. Currently, 6,278 Nepali soldiers serve in 16 UN peacekeeping missions, making Nepal the second-largest contributor and the first country to send female peacekeepers. To date, 86 Nepalis have sacrificed their lives, and 66 have been injured while serving in UN peacekeeping missions.