The new office of the United Nations Regional Center for Peace and Disarmament in Asia and the Pacific (UNRCPD) has been formally set up in Nepali capital Kathmandu, according to local media Tuesday.

The Regional Center was relocated to Kathmandu, after the UN and Nepal signed a Host Country Agreement and a memorandum of understanding on July 20, 2007 on its relocation to Nepal, local newspaper The Kathmandu Post reported.

The Center serves 43 countries in the region and will rely on voluntary contributions from donors for its operations and activities.

Sending a congratulatory message, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki- moon said that the Regional Center would play its role in promoting openness, transparency and confidence-building, and in providing an arena for dialogue on regional security concerns on issues such as nuclear proliferation, the illicit trade in small arms and light weapons, the hazards of landmines and explosive remnants of war, the horrendous human and financial cost of armed conflicts, and the rise of organized crime and terrorism in the region.

According to a statement issued by the UN Information Center in Kathmandu on Monday, the Secretary-General called on all Asia- Pacific States to work closely with the Center in strengthening the capacity of governments and civil society to achieve disarmament goals.

He stressed that, in addition to promoting dialogue and confidence-building initiatives, the Center stands ready to assist States, upon request, in undertaking practical disarmament measures and implementing legal obligations under disarmament- related treaties.

During the opening ceremony, Nepali Speaker Subash Chandra Nembang, Chef de Cabinet of the UN Secretary-General Nambiar, senior government officials, members from the diplomatic corps and representatives from regional organization and civil society were present.

(Xinhua News Agency August 19, 2008)