The Persistent Himalayan Peacemaker

Padma Ratna Tuladhar is a member of the Peace Appeal Foundation's Advisory Board. Better known in Nepal as a Human Rights activist, Civil Society leader, and Independent Left politician, Mr Tuladhar has been a facilitator and mediator of Nepal's democratic, peace and negotiations processes since the inception of the country's transition to democracy for more than two decades. He became a member of Nepal's National Assembly (Rashtriya Panchayat) under the party-less political system  in 1986, elected from Kathmandu District. During his decades-long fight from inside and outside the assembly for the restoration of multi-party democracy, he was arrested, detained and jailed several times during the pro-democracy movements from 1981 to 1990, and then again in 2006.

During the period before the adoption of the country's first democratic constitution in 1990, he brought the 12 Communist Groups together to form a Left Front to fight against the party-less authoritarian Royal Regime and restore the multi-party democracy. As a result, the United Left Front was formed by seven communist parties in 1990 and he became an independent member and prominent leader of the front. Following the formation of the Left Front, he facilitated meetings between the Left Front and the democratic party, Nepali Congress that led to sevel joint understandings and the historic 1990 Peoples' Movement for Democracy. The joint Movement succeeded within two months and he was asked to facilitate talks between the party-less Royal Government and the opposition Left and Democratic forces. Multi-party democracy was eventually restored and a General Election held in 1991.

Elected to the House of Representatives from Kathmandu in 1991 and 1995 as independent member, backed and supported by the CPN (UML), Mr Tuladhar became the Minister for Health and Labour in the first ever communist government of Nepal in 1996. When the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) declared its 10-year People's War in 1996 he played the role of contact person and "messenger" between the Nepal Government and the Maoist Rebels. In 2000 he facilitated secret talks between the a Government Cabinet Minister and the Maoists' leader in Kathmandu that set a president the on-going talks that followed. Mr Tuladhar was appointed as one of the official facilitators in the subsequent peace talks between the Nepal Government and the Maoist Party in 2001 and 2003. He continued his role as informal facilitator during most of the political turbulent times that eventually led to the Peaceful People's Movement of April 2006 that saw the king handing-over power to the "people" and restoring parliament. After the unbanning of the Maoist Party and the start of formal talks, Mr Tuladhar was appointed as one of the observers and advisors for the recent peace talks which produced a ceasefire agreement, arms management agreement, and led to the signing of the comprehensive Peace Accord and several other agreements. These agreements prepared the way for the recently successful election for a Constituent Assembly.

More recently, Mr Tuladhar worked as one of key leaders of the Consultative Committee in the Peace Ministry and one of the co-conveners of the Peace and Conflict Management Committee formed by the government. In the past month he received several awards and facilitations for his groundbreaking work as peace activist, facilitator and leader of the Newar people.