The government has recently registered the Inter-governmental Agreement on Dry Ports (IADP) in the Parliament for its approval.
According to media reports, Minister for Industry, Commerce and Supplies Matrika Prasad Yadav registered the IADP in line with the provisions of Nepal Treaty Act, 1990. The agreement will gain international recognition with its registration in the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and Pacific (UNESCAP) after it is ratified by the Parliament.
With its ratification, Nepal’s five dry ports- Bhairahawa ICD, Biratnagar ICD, Birgunj ICD, Kakarbhitta ICD, and Tatopani ICD- will be listed in the international map. This is expected to encourage the large international companies to establish their office in the country, thereby facilitating third-country trade. Such ports will have transport connection with more than 150 dry ports, border ports/land customs stations, integrated check posts, seaports, inland waterway terminals and airports of the aforementioned countries.
Once Nepal gets the membership of the Inter-governmental Dry Ports, the country will also be able to directly receive cargo through its inland clearance depots (ICDs).
The IADP, which Nepal signed in 2016, aims to promote ‘international recognition of dry ports, facilitate investment in dry port infrastructure, improve operational efficiency and enhance the environmental sustainability of transport’.
The agreement was adopted in Bangkok on May 1, 2013, by a resolution of UNESCAP and was opened for signature on November 7, 2013.
