Hon’ble Minister Dr. Bimala Rai Paudyal
Dr. Bimala Rai Paudyal assumed the Office of the Foreign Minister of Nepal on 17 January, 2023. She is the third woman to hold the high Office of the Foreign Minister in Nepal. She is a Member of the National Assembly of the Federal Parliament since February 2018. Hon. Foreign Minister treasures rich and diverse experiences in policy-making architectures, ranging from the apex policy body such as the National Planning Commission to the grassroots level organizations. Earlier, she has contributed as a Member of the Commission from April 2014 to October 2015 and has also worked as an Expert at the Personal Secretariat to the Office of the President of Nepal from 2016 to 2018.
She is a policy expert, an academic, program designer, and an impact evaluator in the field of development policies. She has over 25 years of experience in mainstreaming Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI) in development cooperation and public policy, especially in the areas of rural livelihoods, natural resource governance, climate-smart agriculture, social protection, and post disaster management.
Dr. Rai Paudyal holds a PhD in Development Studies from the Institute of Social Studies (ISS) of the Netherlands and an MA in Economics and Management of Rural Development from the University of Manchester, UK. She has worked with government agencies, development partners, and INGOs. She was a board member of RECOFTC Center for Peoples and Forest in Bangkok from 2011 to 2018 and a member of the Civil Society Advisory group for UN Women in Nepal.
She is serving as an adjunct professor of Development Studies at Agriculture and Forestry University (AFU) Nepal. She has authored several publications and is an occasional peer reviewer of international journals including the European Journal of Development Research (EJDR).
The Honourable Foreign Minister has led the delegation of Nepal at the national and international forums, including in the United Nations, in different capacities.
Born in 1966, to mother Indramaya Paudyal and late father Krishnalal Paudyal, Honorable Minister grew up in Chunibari, Kalyanpur of Morang district– a village in Eastern Terai of Nepal. She is married to Dr. Uddhav Prasad Rai from Bhojpur district, and they have two children– son, Ar. Abhishek Hang Rai and daughter, Ms. Anusuya Rai.