Arzu Rana Deuba | |
|---|---|
आरजु राणा देउवा | |
.jpg) Deuba in 2021 | |
| Minister of Foreign Affairs of Nepal | |
| In office 15 July 2024 – 9 September 2025 | |
| President | Ram Chandra Poudel |
| Prime Minister | KP Sharma Oli |
| Preceded by | Narayan Kaji Shrestha |
| Member of theHouse of Representatives (PR) | |
| In office 22 December 2022 – 12 September 2025 | |
| Constituency | Party List (Nepali Congress) |
| Member of theConstituent Assembly of Nepal | |
| In office 2008–2017 | |
| Constituency | Party List (Nepali Congress) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1962-01-26)26 January 1962 (age 64) |
| Nationality | Nepali |
| Party | Nepali Congress |
| Spouse | Sher Bahadur Deuba |
| Alma mater | Himachal Pradesh University,Punjab University |
Arzu Rana Deuba (born 26 January 1962)[1] is a Nepalipolitician, who previously served as theMinister of Foreign Affairs.[2] She served as the Chairperson of the Parliamentary Committee on Agriculture, Cooperatives and Natural Resources from August 2023 to July 2024.[3]
Dr.Deuba joined the Nepali Congress in 1996 and was elected Central Committee member of the party in December 2010. In the2022 Nepalese general election she was elected as a proportional representative from theKhas people category.[4] She is the wife of former Prime Minister of Nepal,Sher Bahadur Deuba.
Deuba has pursued issues such as women's rights, reproductive rights, equal citizenship rights, property rights, violence against women, and equitable political representation while writing theConstitution of Nepal.
She was a member of the Constitution Drafting Committee and served as Chair of the Women Parliamentarians Coordination Committee.Deuba has established a number of NGOs in Nepal, including RUWDUC,[5] Saathi,[6] SMNF,[7] and SAMANTA, a research-based institute for social and gender equality. She has also served as an elected regional councilor for South and East Asia forIUCN and sits on boards includingIpas and theMahatma Gandhi Institute of Education for Peace and Sustainable Development.
Deuba graduated from Padmakanya College,Bagmati Province. She obtained her master's degree fromPunjab University. She also obtained her PhD in Organizational Psychology in 1990 fromPunjab University inIndia.[8]
Deuba has been a member of the Nepali Congress Party since 1996.[9] Since 2000, she has been a member of the Nepali Congress Party convention and Central Leadership Voting Committee. She was a member of the Constituent Assembly and Parliament of Nepal for ten years (2008–2017). She worked extensively on constitutional provisions for women's rights and representation.
Deuba has established several NGOs in Nepal focused on women and children, including Saathi (1992), the Rural Women's Development and Unity Centre (1995), the Safe Motherhood Network Federation (1996), and Samanata – Institute for Social & Gender Equality (1997).[10]
Deuba has faced allegations of corruption and abuse of authority. Reports inThe Kathmandu Post claimed she benefited from public contracts and exerted influence over government transfers and appointments, and her name has been linked to the Bhutanese refugee scam and land irregularities in Tikapur, though she has not been formally charged.[11] In August 2024, activist Yubraj Safal filed a complaint against her at the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA).[12]
During the 2025Gen Z protests in Nepal, Deuba and her husband, former Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba, were physically attacked by protesters.
She is married toSher Bahadur Deuba, former Prime Minister of Nepal and current president of the Nepali Congress Party.[9] During the 2025 Gen Z protests, the couple were injured and taken into police custody after their house was attacked and set on fire on 9 September.[13]
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