The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) Nepal enters a wrap up period as its term extended by six months in June expires on Thursday.

While extending its term last time, the government had allowed its automatic six-month extension for wrapping up if the December 8 mandate is not extended.

On Wednesday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) had sent separate letters to the OHCHR headquarters in Geneva and Nepal office in Kathmandu asking them to prepare for packing up within six months. However, the possibility of term extension still remains as the political parties are divided on the decision of the government not to extend the term of the UN rights body.

President of main opposition party Nepali Congress Sushil Koirala Thursday assured the envoys of the European Union that the term of the OHCHR will be extended by one more year.

His party is against the decision of the government to end OHCHR’s operations in Nepal within six months.

The mandate of the OHCHR in Nepal was set out in April 2005. The renewed agreement was signed by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and the government of Nepal on June 9, 2010 in Geneva.

The agreement allows the OHCHR to exercise its mandate to independently monitor and report on the human rights situation in Nepal.

Currently, Jyoti Sanghera heads the Nepal office of the OHCHR. nepalnews.com