Foreign Secretary
Ms. Sewa Lamsal assumed the office of Foreign Secretary on 15 December 2023. She is the first female to assume the post of foreign secretary of Nepal.
Before assuming the responsibility of Foreign Secretary, she was Joint-Secretary and Head of United Nations, International Organizations, and International Law Division. She was the official Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs from 09 October 2020 to 14 December 2023.
From September 2016 till September 2020, Ms. Lamsal was Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Nepal to the Islamic Republic of Pakistan with concurrent accreditation as Nepal’s non-residential ambassador to the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Republic of Turkey, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.
Prior to that, she served as Charge d’ Affairs (ad interim)/Minister Plenipotentiary and 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 52ndand 53rdSessions 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.
While in the headquarters, she worked as Joint-Secretary and Head of Northeast Asia and South-East Division from March 2011- April 2012. Ms. Lamsal also served in the capacity of Deputy-Director in Department of Passports and Under-Secretary at the United Nations, International Organizations, and International Law Division of the Ministry from May 2010 till February 2011.Ms. Lamsal led Nepali delegation to various multilateral, regional and bilateral meetings and conferences.
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.