• Country/entity

  Nepal
  

• Region

  Asia and Pacific
  

• Agreement name

  Understanding on Interim Task Force (documented in identical letters from the dated 9 August 2006 from the Chairman of the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) and the Prime Minister of Nepal to the UN Secretary-General)

• Date

  22 Nov 2006

• Agreement status

  Multiparty signed/agreed

• Interim arrangement

  Yes

• Agreement/conflict level

  Intrastate/intrastate conflict ( Nepalese Insurgency (1996 - 2006) )

• Stage

  Pre-negotiation/process

• Conflict nature

  Government

• Peace process

  Nepal peace process

• Parties

  (Signed) Girija Prasad Koirala (Prime Minister of Nepal)
  (Signed) Prachanda Chairman, Central Committee CPN (Maoist)
  (Signed) K. P. Sharma Oli
  (Signed) Kofi A. Annan

• Third parties

  -

• Description

  This agreement is a series of letters regarding UN assistance for the peace process in Nepal. The first two identical letters dated 09 August 2006 are sent separately from the Prime Minister of Nepal and the leader of the CPN Maoist to the UN Secretary General requesting UN Assistance. The third letter is sent to the UN Secretary General on 16 November 2006 by the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs of Nepal further requesting UN Assistance. The final letter dated 22 November 2006 is from the UN Secretary General to the President of the UN Security Council outlining the UN's plans for assisting the peace process in Nepal.

• Agreement document

  NP_061122_Interim taskforce.pdf | Download PDF

Groups

Gender

State definition

Governance

Power sharing

Human rights and equality

Rights related issues

Rights institutions

Justice sector reform

Socio-economic reconstruction

Land, property and environment

Security sector

Transitional justice

Implementation

Letter dated 9 August 2006 from the Prime Minister of Nepal to the Secretary-General

I have the honour to refer to my letter dated 2 July 2006 requesting the cooperation of the United Nations in the ongoing peace process in Nepal.

In this context, I am happy to inform you that the United Nations team, which left Kathmandu a week ago, held extensive yet fruitful consultations with all concerned stakeholders of the peace process here in Nepal.

The United Nations team, as I understand, is to submit its report to you on Nepal.

In the meantime, I wish to inform you that further to the Eight-Point Understanding between the Seven Party Alliance and the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) of 16 June 2006 and the commitment expressed by the Government of Nepal to the Agreement, the Government and the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) hereby request the United Nations to provide its assistance as follows with a view to creating a free and fair atmosphere for the election of a Constituent Assembly and the entire peace process:

1. Continue its human rights monitoring through the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights in Nepal;

2. Assist the monitoring of the code of conduct during the ceasefire;

3. On the basis of the agreement to seek United Nations assistance in “the management of arms and armed personnel of both the sides”, deploy qualified civilian personnel to monitor and verify the confinement of Community Party of Nepal (Maoist) combatants and their weapons within designated cantonment areas.

Later the modalities for all arrangements, including of arms and munitions, will be worked out among the parties and the United Nations;

4. Monitor the Nepal Army to ensure that it remains in its barracks and its weapons are not used for or against any side.

The modalities will be worked out among the parties and the United Nations;

5. Provide election observation for the election of the Constituent Assembly in consultation with the parties.

(Signed) Girija Prasad Koirala

Letter dated 9 August 2006 from the Chairman of the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) to the Secretary-General

I have the honour to refer to my letter dated 24 July 2006 requesting the cooperation of the United Nations in the ongoing peace process in Nepal.

In this context, I am happy to inform you that the United Nations team, which left Kathmandu a week ago, held extensive yet fruitful consultations with all concerned stakeholders of the peace process here in Nepal.

The United Nations team, as I understand, is to submit its report to you on Nepal.

In the meantime, I wish to inform you that further to the Eight-Point Understanding between the Seven Party Alliance and the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) of 16 June 2006 and the commitment expressed by the Government of Nepal to the Agreement, the Government and the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) hereby request the United Nations to provide its assistance as follows with a view to creating a free and fair atmosphere for the election of a Constituent Assembly and the entire peace process:

1. Continue its human rights monitoring through the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights in Nepal;

2. Assist the monitoring of the code of conduct during the ceasefire;

3. On the basis of the agreement to seek United Nations assistance in “the management of arms and armed personnel of both the sides”, deploy qualified civilian personnel to monitor and verify the confinement of Community Party of Nepal (Maoist) combatants and their weapons within designated cantonment areas.

Later the modalities for all arrangements, including of arms and munitions, will be worked out among the parties and the United Nations;

4. Monitor the Nepal Army to ensure that it remains in its barracks and its weapons are not used for or against any side.

The modalities will be worked out among the parties and the United Nations;

5. Provide election observation for the election of the Constituent Assembly in consultation with the parties.

(Signed) Prachanda, Chairman, Central Committee CPN (Maoist)

Letter dated 16 November 2006 from the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs of Nepal to the Secretary-General

I have the honour to refer to the identical letters of 9 August 2006 addressed to you by the Prime Minister of Nepal and the Chairman of the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) requesting the United Nations to assist in the following areas with a view to creating a free and fair atmosphere for the election of the Constituent Assembly:

1. Continue its human rights monitoring through the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights in Nepal;

2. Assist the monitoring of the code of conduct during the ceasefire;

3. On the basis of the agreement to seek United Nations assistance in “the management of arms and armed personnel of both the sides”, deploy qualified civilian personnel to monitor and verify the confinement of Community Party of Nepal (Maoist) combatants and their weapons within designated cantonment areas.

Later the modalities for all agreements, including arms and munitions, would be worked out among the parties and the United Nations;

4. Monitor the Nepal Army to ensure that it remains in its barracks and its weapons are not used for or against any side.

The modalities will be worked out among the parties and the United Nations;

5. Provide election observation for the election of the Constituent Assembly in consultation with the parties.

The Government of Nepal sincerely appreciates the appointment of your Personal Representative in response to these requests.

Since then, the Government of Nepal and the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) have been working with your Personal Representative on these issues.

I have further the honour to inform you that in accordance with the agreement reached between the Seven Party Alliance and the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) on 8 November 2006, and subsequently endorsed by the Government of Nepal, the assistance of the United Nations is required in the following specific areas in addition to the five points mentioned in the identical letters of 9 August 2006:

1. A per the commitments expressed in the letters sent to the United Nations by the Government of Nepal and the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) on 9 August 2006, the Maoist combatants shall be sent to cantonments located in the following districts:

Kailali, Surkhet, Rolpa, Palpa, Kabhre, Sindhuli and Ilam.

There shall be three smaller camps located in the periphery of each of these main cantonments.

The United Nations shall do the necessary verification and monitoring of them;

2. All the arms and ammunition held by the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) shall be securely stored in the camps except those needed for providing security to the camps after the Maoist combatants are sent to the cantonments.

The arms and ammunition shall be locked with a single padlock and the side concerned shall keep the key to it.

For the United Nations to monitor it, a device with a siren as well as recording facility shall be installed.

The United Nations shall make necessary inspections of the stored arms in the presence of the side concerned.

The details of technology including cameras for monitoring as per the agreement shall be prepared among the Government of Nepal, the Community Party of Nepal (Maoist) and the United Nations;

3. The Nepal Army shall be confined to the barracks as per the commitments of the letter sent to the United Nations.

It will be guaranteed that its arms shall not be used for or against any side.

An equal number of arms of the Nepal Army shall be kept in the store under a single-lock system and the key shall be kept by the side concerned.

For the United Nations to monitor it, a device with a siren as well as a recording facility shall be installed.

The United Nations shall make necessary inspections of the stored arms in the presence of the side concerned.

The details of technology, including cameras for monitoring as per the agreement shall be prepared among the Government of Nepal, the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) and the United Nations.

4. Monitoring of the election of the Constituent Assembly, to be held by mid-June 2007, shall be done by the United Nations.

I also have the honour to request you to provide the requested assistance as quickly as possible to meet the sequence of events leading up to the election of the Constituent Assembly.

Details of the scope of the activities of the United Nations support, including for the electoral assistance, are being worked out among the Government of Nepal, the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) and the United Nations, which will be communicated to you shortly.

As per the agreed time schedules, the verification and monitoring of the cantonments and combatants of the Maoists by the United Nations would begin once they are confined to the camps by 21 November 2006.

By that time, the Nepal Army will also be confined to the barracks, keeping the specified number of arms in the store for United Nations monitoring.

It is also scheduled that the interim constitution would be promulgated and an interim legislature would be in place by 26 November, which would be followed by the formation of an interim cabinet by 1 December 2006.

On behalf of the Government of Nepal, I take this opportunity to express sincere appreciation for your personal support for the assistance provided by the United Nations through the Secretariat and your Personal Representative to Nepal in this process.

(Signed) K. P. Sharma Oli