Kathmandu, Sept 16: Nepal’s Parliament has approved a proposal for the country to become a member of the Council of Asian Legislative Institutions, or CALI.
At Tuesday’s meeting of the House of Representatives, Minister for Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Sobita Gautam presented a proposal seeking approval of Nepal’s accession to CALI, along with the declaration clarifying the government’s position on the agreement. The House unanimously endorsed the proposal.
Minister Gautam had registered the proposal at the House on September 3. It was presented for a decision on Tuesday.
According to the proposal, CALI is an intergovernmental consultative body established through a memorandum of understanding to promote cooperation and exchange among Asian legislative institutions involved in lawmaking and legislative drafting.
Uzbekistan, Thailand, Mongolia and the Republic of Korea are the founding members, and the MoU has already entered into force.
The initiative to establish CALI was led by South Korea’s Ministry of Government Legislation to promote cooperation and coordination in lawmaking and legislative drafting, including through research and information technology, for the common development of Asian legal systems.
Nepal will join CALI as a member under Article 15 of the MoU, rather than as a founding member. Article 15 allows an additional legislative institution to join after obtaining the prior consent of all existing members and signing the MoU.
The MoU seeks to jointly address legislative challenges arising from global issues such as digital transformation, artificial intelligence and climate change. It also aims to strengthen the rule of law, promote legal culture and contribute to shared prosperity in Asia through cooperation among member institutions.
CALI will organise seminars, exchange legal information, expand digital access, facilitate visits and consultations among experts, and hold an annual general assembly and other meetings to coordinate its activities.
The agreement also provides for cooperation on legislative policy, legal information and law reform, along with provisions for membership and observer status. Its institutional structure will include a general assembly, a coordination committee, and a secretariat. The secretariat will be based in South Korea, with its operating costs covered by the host institution.
The MoU also includes provisions for resolving disputes through consultation and negotiation and for protecting intellectual property and confidentiality.
The government said Nepal’s membership would provide opportunities to cooperate and exchange experience with Asian countries in legislative and legal matters. It expects online and offline seminars, discussions and other activities under CALI to help improve legislative administration and promote public participation.
The Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs said the exchange of legislative drafting practices and experiences could also contribute to Nepal’s law reform and amendment process.
The proposal said Nepal’s participation in expert exchanges, joint research, consultations and other cooperative activities would strengthen the country’s legislative capacity and further institutionalise its legal and institutional relations with other Asian countries.
People’s News Monitoring Service
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