Himal Press 
Officiating Foreign Secretary Sewa Lamsal.
KATHMANDU: A female officer has attained the highest administrative position in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for the first time in the ministry’s history. Sewa Lamsal, the senior-most joint secretary at the ministry, took on the role of officiating foreign secretary starting Wednesday. The formal process to elevate her to the post of Secretary has already begun. She is also the third Nepali woman to hold an ambassadorial position.
Bindeshwari Shah was the first Nepali woman to serve as the ambassador. She was appointed as ambassador to India in 1987 by the Panchyat government. She returned to Nepal after the political change of 1990 but took retirement after completing 30 years of service. It took Shah, who joined foreign service in 1960, 27 years to become an ambassador.
Ambika Luitel, who joined the foreign service in 1986, was appointed Nepals’ ambassador to France in 2014. Luitel was entrusted ambassadorial position after 24 years in foreign service. Lamsal, who had already been promoted to joint secretary, had the opportunity for an ambassadorial appointment as early as 2014. However, she opted to first serve as the deputy chief at Nepal’s permanent mission in New York. Lamsal later served as Nepali ambassador to Pakistan.
With nearly a decade and a half of experience in the foreign service, Lamsal has honed her skills in dealing with diverse issues while serving as the ministry’s spokesperson. “The initial years in the foreign service were challenging; there was confusion on certain matters. The ongoing complexities of the passport printing process only aggravated the situation,” she shared. “Over time, as I gained a better understanding of these issues, things gradually became more manageable. Leading the administration of the foreign ministry is indeed a matter of pride
Lamsal entered civil service with general administration service in 1998. She later shifted to foreign service as an undersecretary in 2010. Within a year, she applied for the post of joint secretary and secured the position surpassing other officers with longer tenures in the foreign service. After completing her term in New York, she was appointed Nepal’s ambassador to Pakistan. She has also assumed leadership of two crucial divisions in the ministry handling the United Nations and other international affairs.
“The increasing participation of women in foreign service is both encouraging in terms of numbers and quality,” Lamsal remarked.
Lamsal, who served as Nepal’s ambassador to Pakistan for four years, is recognized as an officer without any controversy in foreign affairs. Her colleagues at the foreign ministry praise her ambassadorial stint in Pakistan.
Women constitute 21% of the workforce in foreign service
Women constitute 21% of the foreign service workforce a notable shift in the sector dominated by men in the past. This includes one joint secretary, ten under secretaries, over two dozen section officers, and over two dozen non-gazetted officers. Some women are in officiating roles as heads of Nepali missions, such as Rojina Tamrakar in Canada.
The surge in women’s participation in foreign service began in 2007 when the government introduced a 45% reservation in civil service. Three years later, 14 out of 28 new section officers joining the foreign service were women. All of these women have now been promoted to undersecretary. Several are on the verge of promotion to joint secretary, and others are officiating in leadership roles in Nepali missions abroad. These women officers are poised to assume significant roles within the ministry’s administration in the coming days.
Foreign service personnel play a crucial role in representing Nepal as diplomats, engaging in bilateral, regional, and multilateral negotiations abroad. The attractiveness of foreign service has grown, with competitive salary packages, allowances, and facilities for those appointed to foreign missions compared to other government services in Nepal.
