Institute of Foreign Affairs
    

Background

Founded in 1993 as an integral part of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA), the office of the Institute of Foreign Affairs (IFA) is located at Tripureshwor in Kathmandu, Nepal. In 1998, the Government of Nepal reconstituted IFA as a semi-autonomous body under the Development Committee Act 2013 B.S. The Institute was originally designed to cater to professional training needs of the Nepalese Foreign Service officials and personnel by providing them with background knowledge, information and professional skills as well as to serve as a catalyst for generating national consensus on foreign policy issues through interactions, discussions and deliberations. Under the new set-up, IFA now is also conceived as a 'think-tank' on foreign policy issues. Preserving the documents of historic importance as well as dissemination of information on foreign policy related issues is another major responsibility of the Institute.


Objectives

Generally, IFA works with its partner organizations in social, economic, political and other related areas, and executes all the activities and plans on an annual basis. The basic objectives of the Institute are as follows:
  • Providing suggestions and recommendations to the Government of Nepal on short and long-term foreign policy formulation.
  • Preparing concept papers, including strategic analysis on foreign affairs, and submit them to the Government of Nepal.
  • Organizing seminars, workshops, meetings and conferences to discuss and deliberate on foreign policy issues and come up with recommendations.
  • Undertake study and research programmes on more vital foreign policy related issues of the country.
  • Conducting briefing cum interaction programmes for Ambassadors designate.
  • Conducting training programmes for officials of MoFA and other ministries on foreign policy issues.
  • Updating and systematically compiling all historic documents and information on foreign policy issues and publishing them as required.
  • Establishing linkages with Foreign Governments, INGOs, NGOs, eminent personalities and stakeholders both at home and abroad to achieve common objectives and programmes.
Functions

  • Lectures, panel discussions, seminars/symposia and conferences.
  • Workshops, orientation, briefing cum interaction and training programmes.
  • Publication of research findings, seminar proceedings, reports on related issues, news bulletins, occasional papers, annual journals and
  • Action programmes.
Areas of Study

  • Foreign policy, planning and management
  • Foreign relations
  • Industrial relations and laws
  • WTO, globalisation, privatisation
  • Security-related issues
  • Conflict management and conflict resolution
  • Promotion of regional co-operation

Library

IFA has its own library with a good number of books and periodicals on international relations. These publications have been received from the embassies of India, China, the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, Thailand, France, Sri Lanka, Finland, Pakistan, etc. The Asia Foundation has also made available various publications to IFA.

Apart from these, IFA boasts a huge collection of documents on issues related to foreign affairs.

Activities of the Institute

Since its inception, IFA has closely been working together with various national and international organizations in Nepal. It joins hands with different organizations in holding conferences, talk programme, seminars, training programmes and workshops. The Institute has conducted researches and studies on a wide range of issues of national interest and provided necessary inputs to MoFA. Moreover, IFA has remained effortful to establish close relationship with a number of foreign organisations, institutes, academies etc. The Institute joins hands with different organisations to organize interaction and discussion programmes with prominent politicians, members of parliament, private sectors, public sectors, foreign policy experts, academicians and eminent scholars.

Training Programmes

IFA organizes special orientation-cum-briefing programme for Nepalese ambassadors (designate), Consul Generals, Economic Counselors, Deputy Consul Generals, Cultural Counselors, First and Second Secretaries, newly appointed Section Officers and other MoFA officials deputed to different Nepalese diplomatic missions abroad.

Besides, IFA has organised financial management and computer training programmes for MoFA officials.

Talk Programmes

IFA organises talk programmes on a wide range of issues and it invites eminent scholars from foreign as well as national scholars to deliver talks on contemporary issues.

The following erudite individuals from various countries have visited the Institute and delivered talks on pertinent issues:
  • Deshmanya Vernon LB Mendis, Director General, Bandaranaike Diplomatic Institute, Colombo
  • Prof. Joseph Y. Cheng and Prof. Herbert Yee, Hong Kong Baptist University, Dr. Paramananda, a prominent Indian scholar
  • Ambassador Urachata Rodprasert, Executive Director, Thai Institute of Foreign Affairs
  • Ambassador A. Peter Burleigh, Former US envoy to Sri Lanka
  • Talk Programme on "The SAARC Process and Poverty Eradication in South Asia"
  • Talk Programme on "Nepal –Japan Relations", 2005
  • Talk Programme on "Nepal-Russia Relations", 2006
  • Talk Programme on "Economic Relations between Nepal and TAR of China"
  • Talk Programme on UN Reforms by Lt. Gen. (retd) Satish K. Nambiar
  • Talk Programme on "Nepal-China Contemporary Dialogue", by Li Shaoxian, Vice-President of the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations (CICIR),2007
  • Talk Programme on "Nepal-Egypt Relations", 2007
  • Talk Programme on "Civil-Military Relations in a Modernising Democracy" by Prof. Dr. Thomas Meyer, Chairman, Department of Political Science, Dortmund University, Germany, 2007
  • Talk Programme on " Russian-Chinese Relations and the Development of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation" by Dr. Alexander Lukin, Director of the Centre for East Asian and Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Studies under the Moscow State Institute of International Relations, 2007
  • Prof. Mahendra P. Lama, Chairman of the School of International Studies, Jawaharalal Nehru University, New Delhi, have taken part in the seminars organized by IFA.

Seminars/Conferences

  • Nepal's Foreign Policy: Issue and Options, 1999
  • Security in South Asia, 2001
  • Nepal-India open border: Positive and Negative Aspects, 2002
  • Follow-up of the Eleventh SAARC Summit, 2003
  • Future of South Asia: A New Generational Perspective, 2004
  • Trade Facilitation: Nepal's Priorities, 2005
  • Nepal-China Relations, 2005
  • Nepal and the United Nations, 2005
  • New Life Within SAARC, 2005
  • Comprehensive Security in South Asia, 2006
  • Nepal as a Transit State: Emerging Possibilities, 2006
  • Nepal-Japan Relations, 2006
  • SAARC: A Vision for the Future and Nepalese Perspective, 2007
  • Different Dimensions of Bhutanese Refugee Problem: Its Implications and Lasting Solutions, 2007
  • Water Resource Management: Viable Means for Sustainable National Development, 2007
International Link

One of the major objectives of the Institute is to establish organisational links with similar institutes of the friendly countries. IFA has already established its links with the Institute of Foreign Affairs of Japan, Russia, China, India, Thailand, Bangladesh, Pakistan, etc. The Presidents of the Japanese, Russian and Chinese Institutes of Foreign Affairs have visited IFA office. Similarly, probationers from the Indian Foreign Service and the Bangladesh Foreign Academy have visited the Institute. They have also held interactions with the MoFA officials and expressed their keen interest to promote relations between the Institutes. Similarly, IFA officials have visited the foreign affairs institutes of different friendly countries.

Moreover, several internationally renowned scholars such as Vice-President of the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations (CICIR), Mr. Li Shaoxian, Prof. Dr. Thomas Meyer, the Chairman of the Department of Political Science, Dortmund University, Germany, Prof. Dr. Alexander Lukin, the Director of the Centre for East Asian and Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Studies under the Moscow State Institute of International Relations, and Prof. Mahendra P. Lama, the Chairman of the School of International Studies, Jawaharalal Nehru University, New Delhi, have taken part in the seminars organized by IFA.

IFA's Financial Sources

  • Financial assistance from the Government of Nepal
  • Contributions from individuals and organisations;
  • Donations from International Organisations, Foreign Governments or Foreign Nationals;
  • Income from other sources
Organizational Structure

At the core of the institution is a Board of Director that governs and directs its activities. An Advisory Board guides the policy of the Institution. A Research panel of consultants with expertise in diverse disciplines assists the organisation in planning and executing projects.

Governing Body

The Governing Body includes the following officials and personalities as Members:

Hon'ble Mrs. Sahana Pradhan, Minister for Foreign Affairs Chairman
Chairman of the International Committee, House of Representatives (Legislature- Parliament) Member
Foreign Secretary, Mr. Gyan Chandra Acharya Member
Former Foreign Secretary Member
Former Ambassador, Mr. Kedar Bhakta Mathema Member
Foreign Policy Experts, Prof. Dr. Novel Kishor Rai Member
Foreign Policy Experts, Prof. Dr. Yogendra Prasad Yadav (Linguistic) Member
Representative from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Suresh Prasad Pradhan, Joint Secretary, MoFA Member
Representative from Industrial and Business Community, Mr. Lokmanya Golcha Member
President, The Nepal Council of World Affairs, Mr. Tika Jung Thapa Member
President, The UN Association of Nepal, Prof. Dr. Biswa Keshar Maskey Member
Representative of TU, Prof. Dr. Madan Kumar Dahal Member
Representative from amongst the Consular Generals Member
Representative from women Member
Prof. Dr. Gopal Prasad Pokharel, Executive Director, Institute of Foreign Affairs Member-Secretary


Member-Secretary

Executive Director, Institute of Foreign Affairs


IFA Core Staff

Prof. Gopal Prasad Pokharel
Prof. Dr. Gopal Pokharel
Executive Director 		Mrs. Anjan Shakya
Mrs. Anjan Shakya
Deputy Executive Director


Supporting Staff

  • Mr. Mahendra Prasad Joshi
  • Mr. Subhash Lohani
  • Ms. Binita Nepal
  • Ms. Binita Shrestha
  • Mr. Rajendra Magar
  • Ms. Meena Magar
  • Ms. Sanu Maiya Shrestha
  • Mr. Nish Magar
List of IFA Publications

1993
  • Report on the National Seminar of Nepal's Foreign Policy
1994
  • Report of the Seminar on The Uruguay Round of Multilateral Trade Negotiations and their Implications for the Nepalese Economy
  • Nepal's Participation in the United Nations Peace Keeping Operations (Report of the Seminar organised in cooperation with UN Association of Nepal)
1999
  • Nepal's Foreign Policy: Issues and Options (Report of the National Seminar organised in cooperation with FES)
  • The SAARC Process and Poverty Eradication in South Asia (Report of the talk programme organised in cooperation with SAPROS-Nepal)
2000
  • Policy Study Series-I (Nepal-India, Nepal-China and UN, LDC and Nepal)
2001
  • Policy Study Series-II (Security in South Asia)
2002
  • Report of the Seminar on Indo-Nepal Open Border: Positive and Negative Aspects (for Nepal)
2003
  • Report of the Seminar on Follow-up of the Eleventh SAARC Summit
  • Policy Study Series-III (Nepal's Relations with Bangladesh, Pakistan and Sri Lanka)
2004
  • Future of South Asia: A New Generational Perspective
  • Policy study Series-IV (Nepal's Relations with United States of America)
  • Report on Nepal's Foreign Affairs (2002-2003)
2005
  • Trade Facilitation: Nepal's Priorities
  • Policy Study Series-V: Labour Issues and Foreign Policy
  • Nepal-China Relations
  • Nepal and the United Nations in cooperation with NCWA and UNAN
  • New Life Within SAARC in cooperation with FES
2006
  • Comprehensive Security in South Asia in cooperation with FES
  • Nepal as a Transit State: Emerging Possibilities
  • Nepal-Japan Relations
2007
  • Issue Brief-IV, V and VI
  • Publication on Different Dimensions of Bhutanese Refugee Problem: Its Implications and Lasting Solutions
  • Publication on Water Resource Management: Viable Means for Sustainable National Development
  • Report on Special Orientation Programme for Nepalese Foreign Service Officials (Deputed) in different missions abroad, 2007.
  • Report on Briefing cum Interaction Programme for Nepalese Ambassadors (designate), 2007.
Contact Address

Institute of Foreign Affairs (IFA)
Tripureshwor, Kathmandu, Nepal
P. O. Box: 23674
Tel.: 4266954, 4266955
Fax: 977-1-14266956
E-mail: ifa@mail.com.np
Website: www.ifa.org.np