London –  The government of Nepal has appointed Mrs Sewa Lamsal, as Foreign Secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. She is the first female foreign secretary in the seven-decade-old Nepal’s foreign service.

A career diplomat, she had been heading the Foreign Ministry’s ‘UN, international organisations, and international law division’ and also served as the Ministry’s spokesperson.

She joined the foreign service in 2010 as an under-secretary and served as Nepal’s ambassador to Pakistan from 2016 to 2020. She also served as  Deputy Permanent Representative at the Permanent Mission of Nepal to the United Nations in New York from May 2012 till June 2016. She was Chair to the 52^ndand 53^rdSessions of the Commission for Social Development (CSocD ) in 2013 and 2014. She also served as a Member of UNDP/UNFPA/UNOPS Executive Board and Vice-chair in the Bureau representing the Asia and Pacific Group. She served as the Bureau Member of LLDCs and LDCs and Chair of LDCs in 2012.

A civil servant since June 1998, Ms. Lamsal joined Foreign Service as Under Secretary in May 2010.  Ms. Lamsal holds an M. Phil Degree in Social Change from Norwegian University of Science and Technology and Master’s Degree in Public Administration from Tribhuvan University.

She was born in a remote hilly area of Dingla in Bhojpur district of Nepal, and has three daughters and a grandson, a statement by the Foreign Ministry said.

The post of Foreign Secretary had fallen vacant after her predecessor, retired from his post last week. He has been appointed Nepal’s ambassador to Canada and is awaiting agreemo.