Ms. Monique Sokhan takes office as UNHCR’s new Representative in Nepal

Kathmandu– UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is pleased to announce that Ms. Monique Sokhan has taken up her duties as the UNHCR Representative in Nepal, after presenting the letter of credence to the Honourable Minister for Foreign Affairs, Dr. Arzu Rana Deuba, on 22 October 2024. Upon taking up her new role, Ms. Sokhan said, “I am greatly honoured to serve as UNHCR Representative in Nepal. UNHCR and Nepal have a long history of close cooperation on refugee matters since the 1960’s. Over these years, in a spirit of humanity and compassion, we have worked together tirelessly to bring a better life for hundreds of thousands of people uprooted by conflict and persecution. The people of Nepal have set an exemplary tradition of hospitality, and of protecting refugees and finding solutions to their plight, despite many challenges. I am deeply committed to continue the constructive dialogue and collaboration with the Government of Nepal and all partners to solve outstanding issues pertaining to the wellbeing of refugees and other people with and for whom UNHCR works.” A national of Cambodia and France, Ms. Sokhan arrives from UNHCR Regional Bureau for Asia and the Pacific in Bangkok, Thailand, after a successful tenure as the Regional Senior Protection Coordinator. Ms. Sokhan has worked on humanitarian and refugee issues for over 25 years, in Thailand, Cambodia, West Timor (Indonesia), Mongolia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Sudan, Ivory Coast, Hong Kong, Ethiopia, Haiti, and Lebanon. She has also served at the Regional Bureau for Africa at UNHCR’s Headquarters in Geneva and the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia. Throughout her career with UNHCR, Ms. Sokhan has focused on protecting refugees and stateless people and finding durable solutions to forced displacement.