Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Nepal

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Nepal is the government body responsible for formulating and implementing the country’s foreign policy. It manages Nepal’s diplomatic relations with other states, oversees the operation of embassies and consulates abroad, and provides consular services to Nepali citizens living or traveling overseas. The ministry also promotes Nepal’s economic interests by facilitating trade, investment, and tourism initiatives, and it represents the nation in international organisations such as the United Nations, the World Trade Organization, and various regional forums. Through these functions, it seeks to safeguard Nepal’s sovereignty, advance its development goals, and enhance its global standing.

As a central ministry within the Government of Nepal, the organisation operates under the executive branch and is headed by the Minister for Foreign Affairs. Its organisational structure includes various divisions dealing with political affairs, economic cooperation, consular services, protocol, and administrative support. While specific staffing figures or budgetary details are not disclosed in the available sources, the ministry maintains a network of diplomatic missions across multiple continents, reflecting Nepal’s commitment to engaging with the international community. This institutional placement enables it to coordinate closely with other government departments on matters that have external implications, such as security, development aid, and humanitarian assistance.

A notable aspect of the ministry’s recent experience is its targeting by the SideWinder advanced persistent threat group in December 2020. The attackers used credential‑phishing emails, malicious email attachments delivering backdoors, and compromised mobile applications to infiltrate the ministry’s networks, aiming to steal sensitive diplomatic and military information. This incident, which exploited regional territorial disputes as social‑engineering lures, underscores the ministry’s exposure to sophisticated cyberespionage campaigns and highlights the growing importance of robust cybersecurity defences for governmental foreign affairs entities. The episode serves as a concrete example of how geopolitical tensions can translate into direct cyber threats against national institutions.