As Nepal is in the process of institutionalizing new gains, including the federal and local setups, goodwill and support from the United States of America will be crucial.

The appointment of Randy Berry as the new U.S. Ambassador to Nepal is a good gesture. An old hand of U.S. State Department, Berry, who has a good understanding about Nepal, can play an important role in helping Nepal’s democratic process.

Celebrating seventy years of establishment of diplomatic relations last year, the U.S. has been continuously providing support to Nepal to establish all modern institutions in all sectors. Its technical support to Nepal to establish democratic institutions, education, energy and agriculture sector has played a very important role.

Resettling a large section of Bhutanese refugees, U.S. has helped Nepal reduce the burden and provided homeless and stateless Bhutanese refugees new homes and opportunities. Ambassador Berry knows all these realities of Nepal.

“I am very happy to be back in Nepal in a new role. I look forward to further strengthening the Nepal-America friendship and I hope our diplomatic engagements will promote continued partnership and cooperation between our two countries,” said Ambassador Berry.

Berry, the new U.S. Ambassador to Nepal, presented credentials to President Bidya Devi Bhandari at the President’s residence, Sheetal Niwas.

According to a press release issued by the U.S. Embassy in Nepal, the new Ambassador had previously worked in Nepal for two years (2007-2009) as the Deputy Chief of Mission of the U.S. Embassy.

Ambassador Berry’s Biography

Ambassador Berry is a career diplomat and member of the Senior Foreign Service, class of Minister-Counselor. He has served as a diplomat since 1993, and spent more than twenty years abroad on assignment for the U.S. State Department. Most recently, he served in Washington, DC, as Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia in the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor, a position he held since late 2016.

Prior to that, he was appointed as the State Department’s first Special Envoy for the Human Rights of LGBTI Persons (2015 – 2017). The Ambassador marks his second assignment in Nepal, having served previously as Deputy Chief of Mission of the U.S. Embassy in Kathmandu from 2007 – 2009. He was subsequently appointed twice as Principal Officer and Consul General, first at the U.S. Consulate General in Auckland, New Zealand (2009 -2012), and later at the U.S. Consulate General in Amsterdam, The Netherlands (2012 -2015). He served as Deputy Principal Officer/Consul General at the U.S. Consulate General in Cape Town, South Africa from 2003-2007.

Ambassador Berry’s early career took him to postings in Bangladesh (1993-1995), Egypt (1996-1998), and Uganda (1998-2002), as well as previous service in Washington DC in the State Department’s Bureau of African Affairs.

A rural Colorado native, Ambassador Berry earned his B.A. from Bethany College, Lindsborg, Kansas in 1987 and did graduate work at Adelaide University, Adelaide, Australia in 1988 as a Rotary Foundation Scholar. He is married and has two children.