Hon. Dr. Arzu Rana Deuba, assumed the office of the Foreign Minister of Nepal on 15th July 2024. Prior to this, she served as the Chairperson of the Parliamentary Committee on Agriculture, Cooperatives and Natural Resources. She is an elected member of the Nepali Congress Party Central Working Committee since 2021. She is currently Member of House of Representatives. This is her third tenure in the Parliament.
Dr. Rana Deuba has been a dedicated and passionate advocate for women’s rights and empowerment in Nepal. As a member of Constituent Assembly (2008-2017), she successfully pursued issues related to women’s rights, especially reproductive rights, equal citizenship rights & property rights, protection against violence against women, and women’s equitable and equal political representation at all levels while writing the Constitution of Nepal.
She was a member of the Constitution Drafting Committee and served as Coordinator of the Women Parliamentarians Coordination Committee. Dr. Rana Deuba is a gender activist and social worker and has established a number of women and children related NGOs in Nepal, including Rural Women’s Development and Unity Centre (RUWDUC), Saathi and Safe Motherhood Network Federation.
She has served on several national and international boards as office bearer and member. During her stint, she served as an elected Regional Councilor for South and East Asia for IUCN for two terms (2008-2016). She also served for two tenures (2013-2017) as Board Member of the Mahatma Gandhi Institute for Education on Peace and Sustainable Development. She was Governing Board Member of Poverty Alleviation Fund (PAF), Nepal (2007-2011). She was the first elected woman President of Management Association of Nepal for two terms (2002 to 2006). She has also successfully served as the Chairperson and Board Member of White Ribbon Alliance for Safe Motherhood (elected for the term 2010-2014).
She holds a Ph.D. in Organizational Psychology from Panjab University, Department of Psychology, Chandigarh, India. Dr. Rana Deuba has written numerous research papers, articles and books, and has lectured in different research and academic organizations of the Government of Nepal.
She is married to Hon. Sher Bahadur Deuba, President of the Nepali Congress Party and former Prime Minister.