Speech of Foreign Secretary Mr. Amrit Bahadur Rai, at the Opening Session of the Training for Newly Recruited MoFA Officers

Executive Director of the Institute of Foreign Affairs,
Colleagues from the Ministry,
Dear Newly Recruited Officers,
 

Namaskar and Good Morning.

It gives me great pleasure to welcome you all to this Opening Session of the Basic Foreign Service Training Programme. Let me begin by congratulating each one of you again for securing your place in the Nepal Foreign Service.

Welcome to the MoFA family! We are so excited to have you join us and can't wait to see what we'll achieve together.

Your presence here today reflects merit, determination and a clear readiness to serve the nation.

I would also like to express my sincere appreciation to the Institute of Foreign Affairs and its Executive Director, Ambassador Prakash Kumar Suvedi,

for preparing this comprehensive one-month training programme in close coordination with the Ministry.

This collaboration reflects our shared understanding that effective diplomacy requires training that is practical, relevant and rooted in our current institutional realities.

This programme is historic in more ways than one. For the first time, nearly ninety officers, some newly recruited and others promoted from junior positions, are joining the Ministry at the same time.

This intake follows a successful O&M Survey, which addressed a long-standing institutional need to expand and strengthen MoFA.

This moment therefore marks not just the beginning of your individual careers, but a structural turning point in the evolution of our foreign service.

Allow me to outline five key messages.

1. First, let me briefly contextualize why such a large cohort of officers is sitting here today.

For years, it was widely recognized within the Government that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was operating under serious capacity constraints. On one hand, the scope of diplomacy has expanded dramatically,

while on the other, tools, technologies and expectations surrounding it have evolved at an unprecedented pace.

Today, almost every major issue has a geopolitical dimension, whether it is climate change, artificial intelligence, labour migration, water resources, supply chains or data governance.

Diplomacy is no longer confined to political dialogue for securing peace; it intersects economics, technology, trade, tourism and service delivery to the diaspora community.

The O&M Survey was undertaken last year because the Government acknowledged a hard reality: we were attempting to manage 21st-century challenges with understaffed institutions.

That gap is now being addressed, and you are a central part of that response.

As Harold Nicolson once observed, “Diplomacy is the management of international relations by negotiation; it is the method by which these relations are adjusted and managed.” 

Today, that management requires sharper skills, deeper knowledge and stronger institutions at home and abroad.

MoFA and its missions are changing, not for its own sake, but to protect and promote Nepal’s national interest and deliver results in a complex international environment.

2. Second, let me be clear about what the Ministry expects from you. Diplomacy is not just a job; it is a profession to enhance a nation's image.

It is an enduring dedication to serve the nation. Whether you are working at headquarters or serving abroad, you are on duty at all times. Your conduct, both professional and personal, reflects upon the State you represent.

You are expected to uphold the highest standards of professionalism, ethics and integrity. In diplomacy, credibility is your most valuable asset.

You must therefore act with honesty and discipline, while remaining accountable to the public trust placed in you.

At the same time, continuous learning is not optional, it is essential.

You must remain intellectually curious, technologically aware and analytically sharp.

Be deeply grounded in Nepal’s history, geography, economy and culture, while also possessing a nuanced understanding of our immediate neighbourhood, our development partners and the evolving multilateral system.

As the saying goes, “A diplomat who stops learning stops being useful.”

As Foreign Secretary, let me be clear with you from the outset: in the intricate and demanding arena of diplomacy, talent is not enough; persistence is the essential ingredient for success.

You have all been selected for your intellect and potential, but these alone will not see you through the midnight negotiations that stall, the delicate dialogues that fracture, or the years-long projects that require enduring persistence.

Diplomacy demands patience in negotiations that move slowly, resilience in postings far from comfort, and unwavering commitment in representing national interests even under pressure.

Those who endure setbacks, continue learning, and remain steadfast in purpose ultimately succeed. In foreign service, it is not the most gifted who go the farthest, but those who persist with discipline, humility, and an unwavering commitment to serve the nation.

3. Third, let me speak about confidence and professional presence. You must engage confidently, with colleagues across the Government, with partners abroad and with the public.

However, confidence in diplomacy is not about high pitch or contention; it is about substance. True confidence is built on due preparation, relevant facts, deep knowledge, command in language and clarity of thought.

Be bold - but be informed. Be articulate - but be measured. As it is said, “Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak; courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen.” Diplomacy demands both. Your training programme, with its emphasis on communication, negotiation, and drafting skills, is designed to help you cultivate this balanced confidence.

As a diplomatic representative of nearly 30 million Nepali people, you carry the voice, dignity, and aspirations of the nation on your shoulders.

You must therefore exude confidence—not arrogance, but quiet, principled confidence grounded in national interest. This confidence enables you to speak with clarity, negotiate with credibility, and defend Nepal’s interests with firmness and grace.

When you stand confident, Nepal stands confident with you.

4.    Fourth, our Constitution mandates us to safeguard Nepal’s sovereignty, independence and dignity in the community of nations. This is achieved by clearly identifying our national interests and advancing them through peaceful, principled and pragmatic diplomacy.

Nepal’s geopolitical location requires strategic clarity, prudence and consistency. Navigating relations in our immediate neighbourhood, engaging ruling and rising global powers, managing labour diplomacy, working for economic prosperity, and contributing meaningfully to multilateral forums are among our core priorities.

None of these can be achieved in isolation.

The era of working in silos is over. Diplomacy today requires a whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach.

We must build strong networks within the Government, engage constructively with the private sector, academia and media, and maintain meaningful links with the Nepali diaspora. Innovation and adaptability are no longer optional, they are indispensable.

You are not starting from a blank slate. Generations of Nepali diplomats before you steered the country through extraordinarily challenging periods, preserving sovereignty amid shifting regional and global power dynamics.

Today, that responsibility passes to you. The international environment is more complex, more competitive and more demanding than ever before, but it is also full of opportunity.

You must rigorously prepare yourself to safeguard the nation’s interests in an increasingly volatile, complex, and uncertain world.

5. Finally, a few words about this training programme.

This course has been carefully designed by IFA in close coordination with MoFA to reflect real institutional needs.

It places emphasis on practical skills, real-life situations, simulations, field visits and applied knowledge, delivered largely by senior officers who understand the Ministry from within, and some relevant resource persons who have deeper understanding of the needs of the time.

I urge you to engage actively. Ask questions. Participate fully. Learn, but also be prepared to unlearn. Listening was once considered a passive activity, but in diplomacy it is an important activity itself, perhaps more needed in certain situations.

Training is not merely about absorbing information; it is about developing judgement, perspective and professional maturity.  It is about developing discipline.

Discipline is the steel in your spine during crises, the clarity in your judgment amid chaos, and the unwavering compass that guides you when protocol ends and peril begins.

In a world of volatility, your disciplined mind and character will be the ultimate safeguard of our national interest. Discipline is destiny.

Let me conclude by returning to a simple but powerful reminder: “Diplomacy is the art of letting others have your way.” It requires understanding, patience, wisdom and restraint, but above all, it requires integrity and purpose.

You have chosen a profession that serves the nation quietly, often without recognition, but always with consequence.

I wish you every success in this training programme and in your future careers.

I encourage you all to build your career that is marked by competence in duty, courage in adversity and conviction in defending national interests.

Thank you, and I wish you all the very best.