Nepali Congress Vice President Binod Chaudhary has been elected as a member of the Standing Committee of the International Conference of Asian Political Parties (ICAPP), one of Asia's foremost forums for inter-party cooperation. The election took place at ICAPP's 13th General Assembly, held in Seoul, South Korea, where Chaudhary represented the Nepali Congress and addressed delegates from across the continent on the role of the private sector in Nepal's overall economic development. His election hands Nepal a seat on a key body of a platform that brings together political parties of widely different ideologies from across Asia, as reported by Nepal Press and Pradeshkhabar.

Elected at the 13th General Assembly in Seoul

The 13th General Assembly of ICAPP convened in the South Korean capital, a fitting venue given that the organization has long maintained a strong presence there. The gathering drew political parties from across Asia and elected Chaudhary to the Standing Committee, a key decision-making body within the conference's structure that carries its work forward between the periodic general assemblies.

Chaudhary attended the assembly on behalf of the Nepali Congress, Nepal's oldest political party, and was among the leaders chosen for the committee at this session. For the party, the seat represents formal representation within an organization whose membership spans ruling parties and opposition parties alike, from Asia's largest economies to smaller states such as Nepal.

The milestone was reported by Nepali media on 5 November, with both outlets highlighting Chaudhary's dual role at the gathering as both an elected committee member and the Nepali Congress's voice on the assembly floor.

A platform built for dialogue across ideologies

ICAPP is a regional platform that promotes dialogue, cooperation and mutual understanding among political parties of various ideologies in Asia. Since its founding in 2000, it has grown into one of the continent's most inclusive political networks, offering a venue where parties of different persuasions can meet outside the formal constraints of state-to-state diplomacy.

What ICAPP works to achieve

  • Dialogue: creating regular opportunities for political parties from member countries to exchange views on regional and international issues
  • Cooperation: encouraging joint initiatives and engagement among parties that may otherwise have little direct contact
  • Mutual understanding: building trust across ideological and national divides in a region marked by political diversity

The General Assembly, of which the Seoul session was the thirteenth, is the platform's principal gathering, and the Standing Committee elected at such sessions helps sustain the organization's agenda in the years between meetings. Chaudhary's election therefore places him within the small group of political leaders entrusted with guiding the network's ongoing activities.

Chaudhary's message: development through the private sector

Speaking at the assembly on behalf of the Nepali Congress, Chaudhary focused his address on private sector involvement in Nepal's overall economic development. It was a theme that resonates naturally with his own career: long before holding senior positions in the party, Chaudhary built and continues to lead one of Nepal's largest business conglomerates, and he has been closely identified with the case for entrepreneurship, industry and investment as engines of national growth.

His speech placed Nepal's development priorities before an audience of senior political figures from across Asia, underlining how party-to-party platforms such as ICAPP allow leaders from smaller economies to make their case directly to regional counterparts. For the Nepali Congress, which has traditionally supported a market-oriented economic policy, the choice of theme reflected the party's broader outlook on how Nepal's economy should develop and integrate with the region.

The industrialist in politics

Binod Chaudhary holds one of the senior-most positions in the Nepali Congress, serving as a Vice President of the party. At the same time, he remains best known internationally as the chairman of Chaudhary Group (CG Corp Global), the conglomerate behind the Wai Wai instant noodle brand that has become a household name in Nepal and beyond. International business publications have widely described him as Nepal's first billionaire.

His presence in Seoul thus carried a double significance. He stood before the assembly as a leader of the Nepali Congress, yet the subject of his address, the private sector's role in development, drew directly on the business experience that made his reputation. That combination of political office and corporate leadership shaped both his message and the profile he takes into the Standing Committee, where he will now interact with party leaders from across the continent.

What it means for Nepal

Chaudhary's election secures Nepali representation on a committee of an organization that spans the continent, offering the Nepali Congress a regular channel into Asian political diplomacy. For Nepal, a country whose development ambitions depend heavily on foreign investment, trade ties and international goodwill, access to such networks carries practical value. Party-to-party forums like ICAPP do not replace formal diplomacy, but they help build the relationships that support it, and they give smaller nations a voice alongside their larger neighbours.

With the 13th General Assembly concluded in Seoul, Chaudhary begins his term on the Standing Committee carrying the message he delivered to delegates: that the private sector has a central role to play in Nepal's overall economic development, and that the country intends to remain an active participant in the political and economic conversations shaping Asia.