Honorable Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Home Affairs,
President of the INTERPOL Mr. MENG Hongwei,
Secretary General of the Interpol Mr. Jürgen Stock,
Participants, Delegates and observers to this conference,
Friends from the Media,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
A very good morning and Namaste to you all.
I am happy to be here at the inaugural function of the 23rd Asian regional Conference of INTERPOL.
Nepal feels honoured to have the opportunity of hosting this important regional conference. I appreciate the INTERPOL for choosing Kathmandu as the host of this conference. My appreciation also goes to the Nepal police for taking this initiative.
I am confident that all requisite arrangements are in order to make this event a success and make your stay in Kathmandu pleasant and comfortable.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
There is an intrinsic link between peace, security and development. Efficient and effective law enforcement, controlling of crimes and establishing tranquility and order in society create conducive atmosphere for the societies to grow and develop.
In the past quarter of a century, development in information and communications technology as well as advancement in modes of transportation has brought the world closer than ever before.
Horizontal spread of technology and swift mode of transportation have facilitated instant human interaction and helped thrive trade and commerce.
At the same time, easy access and affordability of technology and unfettered options for mobility have rendered societies more complex and difficult to govern.
New threats and challenges have emerged in the realm of law enforcement and crime control. With a click of a fingertip, crime can be committed from anonymous place with anonymity. Social media and technology can be manipulated to commit heinous acts from a distant place to the detriment of innocent people living in far flung areas.
Terrorist networks play on technological boon to expand and intensify terror regime and inflict harm to the human lives and properties.
Fanatics of all manifestations misuse technology to spread the messages of hatred and division.
These and similar many other challenges transcend national boundaries and have regional and international dimensions.
Today, no single country can remain complacent on its sole capacity to address the emerging threats and challenges of transnational and organized crimes.
While strengthening of national capacity for combating such crimes is a must, the complex nature of such crimes and potential misuse of information and communication technologies by criminal syndicates and networks call for cooperation and collaboration in the regional and international level.
I believe that the theme you have chosen for this conference- that is- “Law Enforcement in Asia, Current and Future Challenges”- carries special relevance to all countries in the Asia-Pacific region. It speaks of the collective challenges of law enforcement in Asian region and naturally calls for solution based on cooperation and collaboration. Cooperation in law enforcement and crime control can create a win-win situation to all countries and can potentially pose strong deterrence to the criminals.
There is no doubt that the current and future challenges surrounding law enforcement can only be addressed only if we remain coherent in our thoughts and action and broadly agree on the possible areas of cooperation.
At the same time, in a larger global context, we must consistently endeavor to plug the gap in capacity and resources for confronting the challenges in the arena of law enforcement and crime control. There is no alternative to collaboration. Those in possession of resources, technology and intelligence must come forward and collaborate with the law enforcement fraternity for realizing the common goal of safer world.
I believe your deliberations during this conference will be useful in finding ways and means for such cooperation among the law enforcement agencies across the Asia Pacific region. Sharing of your ideas and experiences in such a setting would be beneficial to all participating countries.
Ladies and gentlemen,
In Nepal, we have gone through political transformation of historic proportion in recent years. With flexibility and accommodation we have been able to resolve larger political issues through dialogues and have treaded towards the path of peaceful development.
The Constitution of Nepal promulgated last year by the elected Constituent Assembly has brought the peace process to the logical end. We are now geared to the implementation of the constitution and at the same time make necessary adjustments to further accommodate the aspirations of the people from all segments of Nepalese society.
I am happy to state that the constitution of Nepal incorporates comprehensive set of human rights and creates institutions for their realization.
Ensuring rule of law as enshrined in the Constitution would not be possible without effective law enforcement. Law enforcement agencies and police organization therefore have significant role in creating atmosphere for the prevalence of rule of law, controlling of crimes, and ensuring the perception of security among the ordinary citizens.
With this in mind, the Government of Nepal attaches importance to the capacity building of our law enforcement agencies and in enhancing the efficacy of their performance. It is a continuous process.
To conclude, I am confident that sharing of experiences and ideas among the law enforcement agencies through conference like this would help in identifying the common challenges and work out possible solutions.
I encourage you all for your active participation. Your deliberations would be useful to your mission of serving the country and the people as entrusted by the law.
18th January 2017
I thank you all