...... u Govt : Countdown? Focus: CNFN and Child Rights IMMIGRATION: ShaHered Dreams IITftlllru:••! Quest for Spanish Food iilt:Jrci ~iltse il oe ~ ft!f. NEPAL INVESTMENT BANK LTD. rtru{y a :Nepa{i CJ3ank, SPOTLIGHTNEWSMAGA ZINE Vol.: 03 No.- 19 Feb.l9-2010 (Falgun-07,2066)
Cover Photo:Aivaro NEWSNOTES 2
OPINION: Dipak Gyawali 4
PRESIDENT IN INDIA : New Precedent 5
IMMIGRATION: Shattered Dreams 6
) FORUM: Barry J. Hitchcock 12
GOVERNMENT: Shaky Grounds 7 Climate Negotiations: Frozen Path 14
ENCOUNTER: Govinda Raj Joshi 15
ANIMAl: call for Rights 17
PERSPECTIVE: MOHAN DAS MANANDHAR/ ROJAN BAJRACHARYA 18
BOOK: On CITES 19
ON FOCUS: CNFN 20 Restaurant: Quest for Spanish Food 24
Editor and Publisher : Keshab Poudel, Senior Correspondent: Saroj Dahal, Reporter: Pradipti Bhatta, Abijit Sharma, Aditi Pandey Marketing Manager: Madan Raj Poudel, Tel: 9841320517, Photographer: Sandesh Manandhar Guest writer :Alvaro Castrillo Schneiter Cover Design/Layout : Hari Krishna Bastakoti Editorial Office: Tel: 977-1-4430250 E-mail: [email protected], P.O.Box: 7256 Office: Kamal Pokhari, Thir Bom Marg, House No. 559/144 (Opposite to Himal Hospital) Printers : Pioneer Offset Printers (P.) Ltd., Dillibazar, Kathmandu. Ph: 4415687 Kathmandu DAO Regd. No. 148/11/063/64, Postal Regd. No. 07/066/067 US Library of Congress Catalogue No. 91-905060
NEW SPOTLIGHT NEWSMAGAZIN~ Feb. 19, 20101 1 NEWSNOTES
Carter's Open Letter to the decided to e\tend financial asststance. People of ~epal in Japan's fY 2009, of SC\ cnty-three Fonner U.S. Prestdcnt Jrmmy Carter thousand. li\ c hundred and eighty-eight in his open letter to the people of Nepal US Dollars ( U~D 71,5X8). equi\ alent to has hoped that the pence prot·css will approx imatclv li vc mi II ion, four hundred be back on track. tw..:lvc thousand, th ree hundred and "I have fo ll owed closely Nepa l's ninety seven Nepa li Rupees (NPR progress over the last several years, and 5.4 12.397). to Sam<~ Sewa Sudhar Yuwa I commend you f'or your continued Sangh (Committee for Helping the dedication to sustainable peace and Oi:::.ablc<.l) l'br the i mplementauon of' the Better 1\epai-Pak Ties Ahead: inclusi\e democraC)." he satd. ProJect I'm the Construction of a Em·o) "Based on reports Irom ( arter Center Rehabtlttation School for People \\ tth lntellectual Disabilities and other SeH:re \mbassador of Pak i!>tan to '\Jcpal ohseners throughout Nepal, my Di:sabiltttcs tn l\lechrnagar Sub Svcd Abrar llussain ha~ expressed his colleagues and I arc concerned by the Munictpa li ty. Thi!. linancwl assistance conlidcncc that Pakistan-Nepal n.:lntions current political deadlock and th..: slow is extended under the Grant Assistance will continue to grow stronger to the progress in mov ing the peace process for Umssrootl' I Iuman Security Projects mutual bcncl'i ts o f our tWO peoples. forward. However. J am ..:ncoumged by (GUP) ~c hcmc of' the Government of "System change and governments eome recent error!~ to promote dialogue Japan. and go but Pakistan-'\Jepal Fri~.:ndship among polit ical leaders. including the \\ill al\\ ays flourish." said ambassador J ligh I e\el Po li tical Mechanism. and llussam. hope that these wlks \\ill get the process • Addr~.:sstng a gathering of hack on tracl.." he added journalists, tntellectuals and oth~.:rs at .Japan's Food Aid th~o: I mhassy premises to obsen c the I' he GO\ ernmcnt ol .Iapan ha:-. agreed 1<-ashmir Sol idarity Day on"'" F~.:hruary, to e\lend a (Jrant ;\ssistancc of' si\ ambassador llussain strcsscd that hundred and eight y million yen _ Pakistan wa nts to maintain the r~.:giona l (YMHl.OOO,OOO). equr vu lcnt to Fiv..: pl.!tlt.:l.!. hundred Sixty-six mi ll ion, 11nu r hundred "l'hc Indian offer w hav~o: l'orcign and I orty Lhou:-.and \Jcpalese Rupees ~~.:nctarv l.evel talks as repo'tted by tlw 1\ Rs.566.4-IO.OOO Ill the ( 10\ Cl'l1l1H!nt or IV mcdta ts a \\elcomc deH.:Iopmcnt . Till' 1\cpal lor I nod 1\ td ( KR) 111 the Japan's stgn~:d and C\changcd betwc..:n l'atsuo tntcrnational communtl\ should I tscal 'I car 2001) \11/l l\0. \mbassador of Japan to cncour
NEW SPOTLIGHT NEWSMAGAZIN~ Feb. 19, 20101 2 NEWSNOTES The newly opened branch is in tunc present at this event. '' ith the Bank's pol icy to expand Its A Cultural troupe v.. as flown to Home Minister Clarifed hranch network and provide exceptional Kathmandu from Sn Lanka with the On The Jamim Shah l\lurder Case hank1ng services within all major courtesy ofV1inistry or Cultural Affairs !lome Mmistcr Bhim Rawal appeared before the State t\ ffatrs Committee of the pockets of the country, both inside and & National Heritage to perform at this legtslalurc parllamcnt to answer the queries nutside the Kathmandu valley. In the event. Distinguished guests were able over the murder or media magnate .Jamim coming days, the bank plans to extend to get a glimpse of traditiona I Sri Lankan Shah and the conce rn s over poor security its access through wider dcmogrnphy, dances that added color to the function. situation in the country. whercbyavailingthebanking Jl1ci lity for all. On the 5°' of February 20 I 0. Sri Lanka The commillcc members cri ticized the Sri Lanka Celebrates National Embassy in Kathmandu also organized govc1nmcnt. the !lome Minis ter in partil;ular. O\er the failure of policc a Sri Lankan Trad1t10nal Dance Day ttuthortties to avert the murder of u Performance l·mhassy ofSri Lanka 111 Kathmandu at the Russwn Cultural pron11nent figure like Shah in broad celebrated Sri Lanka's 6200 1\allonalDay Centre. Th1s public performance. da) hghttn one of the high securit) areas ol opened for all. sa\\ a larger the capital. 111 Nqnll on 4 h February 20 I 0. A flag gathcrmg of On the qucslion as to \\ hy the Jw1-.t111g ceremony was conducted at the Nepa lese who witnessed the C\ cnl. Embassy Premises with the pat1H.:ipation J>rogram For Youth or the Sri Lankan community 111 Nepal The British Cou ncil and the llllth.:r the guidance of H.E. Thosupnla Assoc iation of You th Organisations in llewage, Ambassador of ~ri La nl-.a in Nepal (AVON) prov1ded certi fit:utcs to Nepal. tht: 200 young Active C IIL..:cns at an A religwus program of al l bell e\ ers award ceremony rcccntl}. The 200 young people from Bhaktapur ''ere chosen as A ell\ e ( iti,rens Ill December 2009. rhey authoritil'S \\ere unable 10 track do\\ n the received tra1n111gs developed by British murdcrc1 s of Shah, llomc l'v1in1s1cr R;m al ( 'ouncil and AYON 1n January 20 I 0. The said thc govett ttnenl wou ld lcaye no slone training was f"ocused on arcus like t111ltu·ne< l to pruhl." the murder ;md bri ttg the ki llers Ill justicl'. leadership, commu ni et~ tion . udvocacy. Ill' ;d!.o datmed that police e iti,r c n ~ h i p; voluntcenng, social adion investigators wcre 'very close' to thosc project del1very f'und-rais 1ng. invohed in the murder, and l'xprcssed cntrcprencurslup. purtnerslup and eonildl'ncc that they would be ll
- Dipak Gymvali
In any normal economy, a crippling entrepreneurs to in ves t in highcr priced peak have fai led to lea rn dectricily shortage of crisis proporti ons electricity, either by encou rag ing bigger daily the ri gh t l essons I such us in today's Nepal would also hnve pondage in existing sehemcs or in new from the collapse of been a challenging opportu nity for the daring seasonal storagc sc hemes. This measure too Arun-3 or the liasco risk-takers to expand their market ~ hare. It docs not need any lo rcign aid or financia l ofMahakali. Playing ..,hould ha\'e produced the entrepreneurial outlay. the blame game of h>dro-man eager to meet the consumer While these t\\o measures ''ould one - upmanship, demand. Instead. we only see the control- ameliorate supply ~hortfall by managing they ha' e chosen to l freak hydrocrat stuck in procedural fetishism demand, it is the third las~ adding new measure the1r and ever more alert in issuing mcreasing generating capacity that needs to be success in the :.izc power cut schedules. this year as last year. initialed immediately i I' chron ic load shedding and numher ol' licenses awarded even i fthey as tho.! year before that nil th e way back to is to be banished l'or good wit hin three to are purcly for export and would do not hin g the 1970s. Wil at iswrongwith ourpolitical li veyears.Thanks tothepoli ticu l willshown to end load sheddin g in Nepa l. Why? economy? by late Sailaj a Ac lwryn nlmostthirtccn yea rs l lypnolit.ed by the fa ll acious hyd ro-dollar While there is no magic soluti on that is back, so me two dozen g ~.:nuine Nepali fanlHsy'! easy and instant. the s itu ~1tion can h.: companies havl.! sprung up with Govcmment power schemes arc two to • n.:vers~.:d within two years; and what needs demonstrated track record and capacity for three times more l.!>.pensh e than pri' ate ones to be doni.! is deceptively simple. First. the each to add two to ten Mega Watts within but the government and its financo.: ministry theH of electricity. galloping in leaps and twenty to thirty months. fhis indigenous ironically remain unconcerned and happy. bounds since Loktamra. has to be curbed. ability to mobili/e engineering. finance as When the construcuon cost ofKali Gandal..i While of'fic1al figures ofloss and leakage (or well as management w add some 60 'vfW or Middle Marsyangdi doubled, no efforts "unnu.:tercd consumption" in Worldbankesc) per year is perfectly sui ted to meeting Nepali were made to rein in the mismanagement. is massaged yea r after year to howr around demand fo r electricity risin g ut that s::t mc Why'? BecHuse tlwy cm1 th en on-lend even 25 'Y,,, th e uclufl l fi gure in places like annual ra te. Foreign in vestors. howso..:vcr grant-f'und ed projects to the NEA and Bhn kta pur have shot beyond 60'Y,,, In part ~ fim1n ciall y we ll -end owed. canno t do th ------POLITICS engagement of the Maoists-the largest party in the constituent assembly. Although major parties including the Maoists arc preparing for an extension of the deadline. they are also wary of the unforeseen consequences. Hence the pressure and urgency to draft the statute on time. This \\ill require the major non Maoist parties to be t1exible on the main opposit1on demand for a new government. Senior Nepalese Congress leader, Krishna Prasad Sitauta, rules out the immediate change or government as demanded by the Maoists. 13ut the prime minis t~::r's camp has begun to ominous signs ahead. Said sources close to the prime minister, key external powers arc getting disillusioned over their railure to gel somt.: things done through the present government. PM Nepal (left) and Khanal : Politics in the making Especially, the security concerns of the neighbouring countries arc said to GOVERNMENT have forced them to change their outlook towards the new government. 1 h1s was reflected in no uncertain Shaky Grounds terms dunng their recent 'visit of home minister l3him Rawal to Delhi and Beijing, according to sources. Ten months after it came into being the Madhav Kumar Nepal-led ll owever, wi th no viable alternative government is still ummre of its jitture to him in sight yet, Madhav Kumar Nepa l can look forward to the exten1:.ion of his innings at Singh Durbar - though on a BySARO.J DAllAL ------daily wage basis• · n th e latest in conc lu s ive In a bid to eli mb up to a li rm ground, meeting of the hi gh l evel prime minister Madhav Kumar Nepal politica l mechanism, Maoist sought lo get the II LPM to agree on the SPOTLIGHT I chairman PrachMda formally issue of th e integration of Maoi!'lt NEWSMAGAZINE proposed to c hange the combatants. In va in. Available at the following stands government as a way to end Prachanda shot back at the PM , "you 1. Bhatbhateni Supermarket: Bhatbhateni the present deadlock first clear the way for us to lead a new 2. Bhatbhaten1 Store: Maharajgunj -The Nepa li Congress did not agree, government and we wi ll discuss the other 3 Mandala Book Point: Kantipath, but was not opposed to a change of issues." Ph: 4227711 guards dissatisfied as it is over the Disappointed and angry, Prime 4. Vajra Book Store, Jyatha Ph.:4220562 "UM Lisation" of the government Minister left the meeting to attend a machinery. literacy programme in the capital. 6. Book Paradise, Jamal -The UML politburo threw its weight Clearl y, with the main opposition 7. Namaste Supermarket, Narayan1 behind the party leader Madhav Nepal adamant on its position, the political Complex Pulchwok led government, but many in the central stalemate appears un like ly to end 8. Namaste Supermarket, Maharjgunj committee arc nursing the idea of a new without some movements in the game (Opposite to American Embassy. "national government''. of making and break ing the government. 9. Himalayan Book, Bagbazar. Ten months into its ex istence, the Less than l 00 days remain for the 10. Bhaktapur Stationery, Nytapaul government still stands on s haky making a new constitution. The ta rget grounds. 11. Utsav Books and Stationers, Putalisada is impossible to meet without the Telephone:4220882 NEW SPOTLIGHT NEWSMAGAZIN~ Feb. 19, 20101 7 COVERSTORY BOP CRISIS Reigning In Or Petering Out? The curious case of sudden macro-economic imbalance e is getting curio user. The crisis in Balance of Payment (BoP), ifone believes the words ofthe Finance Minister, is petering out. Because? The finance minister believes that the control in gold import has done the trick. However, the majority of economists and analysts are of the opinion that without addressing the fundamental issue of growing trade imbalance-Nepal's total .exports declined by one-fifth while its total imports spiraled by one-third in the first five months of the current fiscal tJ year- the BoP crisis cannot be addressed, at least not in the long term. By SANJAYA DHAKAL In 1/te immediale C(/fe nnaf!t o.f Pandey said that th e BoP loss, which period ol' violent conflict - coincided govemmenl imposing res/ric/ions 011 had been in creasing si nce last few with un pn.:ccdcnred rise in the import of the imporl of gold, the ballooning months to reach to astounding Rs 20 gold. Balance ofPaymenl deficil has star/ed bi ll ion in the Jirst lour months of the The Finance Minister informed that to reverse. Is it a flash in the pan? The current fiscal year, has now 'stabilized' compared to the total gold import worth Finance Minister doesn ~ befle,•e so. and is ·on the retreat.' Rs 13 billion last year, the first four "We believe that this whole BoP The BoP crisis, which threatened to months of this year saw the import spiral problem was triggered by gold import envelop the entire economy in a serious toRs 35 billion. and that has now been checked,'' said macro-economic crisis something that The sudden increase in the gold FM Surcndra Pandey. has not even happened during the import which many say has to do with NEW SPOTLIGHT NEWSMAGAZIN~ Feb. 19, 20101 8 COVER STORY the profit margin the traders can gain from by re-exporting it to India - meant that the precious foreign exchange earned from meager exports and remittance had to be used to buy the r gold. "The rise in gold import itself shows where the root ofthe BoP loss lies. Once we checked the gold import, the BoP has shown signs of recovery," said the minister. Serious C risis The di ffcrence between the fore ign exchange a country ea rns from exports, tou ri sm and rem ittance and the foreign exchange it spends on imports is, in simple terms, the Ba lance of Payment. In the past several years includ ing during the period of violence, the BoP NRB : Grim economy was in favorofNepal. Positive Signs gold. But now with th e control in go\d • But, according to the Nepa l Rastra Amid the gloomy econom ic picture, import, the dol lar is coming into the Bank (NRB). in the first Jive months of which even forced the government to banki ng system," he said. 2009/ I 0, the overa ll BoP recorded a write an SOS letter to the International I Ie said that compared to weekly delicit ofRs. 19.60 billion compared to a Monetary Fund (IMF). the Finance three to four million dollars coming into surplus or Rs. 22.77 billion in the Minister claims he has some good news. the banking system a few weeks ago. corresponding period or the previous "The growth rate of rcmiuance has these days around one million dollars year. also started taking an upward turn. It has arc being handed over by the bank to The current account also registered reached to 18 percent in recent days," the central bank. a deficit of R!>. 19.64 billion in the first he said. The Root Problem five months of 2009/ 10 .as against a Another problem or dwin dling The economic crisis of the day has surplu s or Rs. 10.74 bi ll ion in the foreign exchange reserve is also causing gone long into the making. At the root corresponding period last year. The a severe headache to the ollicials. lies the continued expansion of trade increase in the trade de licit or goods by The NRB's latest report stated that deficit and gradua l decline or exports, 52.8 percent has resulted in the current gross foreign exchange reserve!> stood agree most economists. account dclicil. at Rs. 245.94 bi llion in mid-December The latest NRB report provides a "Sim il arl y, while grants dec li ned by 2009, a decline of 12.2 percent compared chi ll ing reading about the fast depleting 25 .7 percent in the first fi ve months or to that of'm id-.Ju ly 2009. ll owcvcr, these exports of' Ncpa l- a cause for long term 2009/ I 0, workers' remitt ances went up reserves we nt up by l 0.8 percent in the concern. only by I 0.4 percent compared to its corresponding peri od or the preced ing The report states that in the first live significant growth of65.8 percent in the yea r. In US dollar terms, gross fore ign months or 2009/ l 0, tota I exports corresponding period last year," the exchange reserves decreased by 7. 9 declined by 18.7 percent compared to a N RB report added. percent to US$ 3.30 billion in mid growth or 28.3 percent in the The trend of decreasing in growth December 2009. During the same period corresponding period of2008/09. Of the of remittance income has also send last year, such reserves had decreased total exports, exports to India declined shivers down the spine of Finance by 1.8 percent. by 12.3 percent as against a growth of Ministry and NRB officials. The current level of reserves is 6.4 percent in the same period last year. "The inward remittance remained sufficient for financing merchandise Exports ro other countries went down the only solid pillar of Nepali economy imports of 8.2 months and merchandise by 27.4 percent as against a substantial in the last one decade. Despite the and service imports of 7.0 months. growth of 77.8 percent in the retreating trend in all other aspects of Earlier. the total forex reserves used to corresponding period last year. economy, the remittance helped to hold be sufficient to finance merchandise and Exports to India fell considerably the economy together. But now as a service imports of over II months. arising from the decune in the exports of fallout of global recession, there are However, according to the Finance rcadymade garments, zinc sheet, marble signs that remillanee income could Minister, this problem, too, is showing slab, thread and pulses among o thers. stagnate or even dec! in e. wh ich can signs of recovery. Likewise, exports to other countries have severe repercussions to the "Earlier, the doll ar earned by decreased due mainly to the decline in economy," said one omcial. remittance was being used to import the export of pulses, woolen carpels, NEW SPOTLIGHT NEWSMAGAZIN~ Feb. 19, 2010j 9 r COVER STORY other countries grew by 34.3 percent compared to a sharp growth of 61. I percent in the corresponding period last year. Growth in the import of M.S. billet. \chicles and spare parts. M.S. ''ire and rods. electrical equipment and other machinery and par1s. among others. li·om India and gold . telecommunication equipment and parts, spare parts or The swift and grndual decline or make rash remarks on such a serious ond e:\ports to India cornciding with sensitive issue." s~ud an economist. ballooning rmports from the southern Man) econonu~ts reel that 1\(' neighbor, which is the largest trading needs to be deprcciuted marginal!). partner of Nepal, has naturally caused <;omc evt:n suggc:-t t hal rate of Rs 170 a strain in the long-established will be more realistic. exchange rate between Indian and Rut there nrc equal numbt:r or Nepalese currency. economists who believe that Given the huge trade deficit. many depreciating Nepalese currency wrll economists had been suggesting lor ha\e far \\Orse consequence~ than long that Nepale~e currency needs to leurng it reman\ what they call a!> be depreciated as its current exchange 'marginally overva lued ' rate (IRs I00 equiva lent to NRs 160) i~ The Indian c urre ncy is full y unrea I istic. convertible. which means the NRB hu~ Adding fuel to the lire, even some lo provide as much Indian currency as officials blurted out that Nepalese demanded by the people and currency could be depreciated leading businessmen. Minister Pandey: Crisis maker? to a sudden loss in confidence over ''And we arc committed to do that," the Nepalese rupees. says deputy governor ofNRB, Krishna misreported. So this is an issue that is The worst consequences were seen Bahadur Manandhar. just a rumor," said Manandbar. in border areas where overnight lC was "Often we sec in media some officials He also rejected reports that there in severe shortage with rife black are quoted (as saying the need for is a shortage of I C. "Perhaps in certain marketing where people started paying depreciating Nepalese currency). But places there is difference between more to get JCs. they have, without fail. corrected supply and demand. but that is limited ·'Tt was foolish for the officials to themselves and said that they have been to certain area and certain time."• NEW SPOTLIGHT NEWSMAGAZINE ! Feb. 19, 2010 110 COVER STORY Crisis of Liquidity and Balance of Payment By RAJENDRAKIIETAN fhe country's economy is facing have long lasting impacts. There arc some challenges due to the industrial rumors in the society that epal has unrest seen over the last six years. been beading to face major econom ic Although the facts and ligures are yet crisis and then finally Nepal will turn into to come. the economy indicated lhatthc a rai led state. l don't th ink Nepal is current low level of industrial production head ing towards a failed stale due to is a major reason behind the current the present economic situation. or economic problems. !'he last six months· course, it may go towards that direction liscal data sho"' the picture ofNepalese in the future. economy with some mixed tn.:nds. Crisis of Two Dimensions During the first hal I' ol'lhc current lis cal The present crisis is related to the year, Nepal imported goods worth of Rs. shortage of liquidity. This has two 153 billion and we exported goods worth dimensions. 'I he first dimension is Rs. 25.1 billion. There is a deficit ofRs. related to crisis of'liquidity in the banking 128 billion in balance of payment. sector. In the last six months, for llowever. tourism and remittance~ example, the banks were able to collect con tributed Rs. l 07 bi llion to close the Rs. 40 billi on deposits bu t the banks I gap. There is a net Rs. l9.60 billion loss invested Rs. 75 bi llion a:> loans. There is in the balance o l' payment. Nepal a shortage or Rs. 35 billion. This also imported Rs. 82 billion worth of goods shows that there is an increase in the efforts to high I ight the economic alone from India but exported just Rs. demands lor cash. On the other hand, scenario. Despite our over involvement 17 billion worth of goods. Nepal has Nepa l has seen the trade delicit of Rs. in constitution making. we have moved trade deficit ofRs.67 billion. with India. I 9.6 billion or loss of ba lance of severa l proposals. With the initiation of All these data indicated that Nepal is payment. This situation appears due to Dr. Prakash Chandra Lohani, I lari Rokka required to increase its export to India. the shoot or import and export that has nnd I, we handed over a public motion The country needs to diversify trade tremendously gone down. The six to the speaker of Legislature Pari iament activities with India including tourism. month's economic performance has Subhas Chndra Nembang. If speaker remittances and others. Despite all these shown whether the country can achieve Nembang thinks th(ltthis is a matter of dim indicators, there are also some the export target. One of the reasons public importance. our motion will be positive signs. For the ti rst time in the beh ind the hu ge deficit in the balance put in the coming session of the house. couple of years, Nepa l has seen a of payment is due to the over export or Although po li tica l parties expressed declining level of inflation. The inflation gold. The ba lance or payment loss is their commi tments to stop industria I and was lowered from 14.1 percent to I 1.3 19.60 billion and the import of gold is labor unrest. they arc unable to translate percent during the five months. over 30 billion in the last six months. In their commitments in reality. Even the Searching the Product of this scenario, we can correct our industrialists just remain a silent Competitive Advantage economic situation by deciding which spectator. I think that education, health and industry should be included in the The fact is that Nepal doesn' t have products we need to export and which minimum program. As long as pol itical competitive sector and it needs to focus products to import. parties failed to sho"" their strong its attemion on other comparative Crisis of Liquidity commitment. it is impossible to l!nd the sectors. Tourism, agro-based product So far as the demand of liquidity of industrial unrest. and hydro power can have comparative over Rs.35 billion is concerned, we can The overall economic indicators advantage. I don't want to say the manage it by diversifying the sector. The showed that Nepa I 's present cri sis is present economic ups and downs are a present crisis is not an econom ic and related to the cri s is of balance of crisis. Within coming two to three years, financial crisis but a crisis of liquidity payment and liquidity crisis. We need Nepal's economy will show the real face. and balance of payment. l don't think to concentrate on our efforts in financial No one can deny the fact that the Nepal's economy will collapse just by management and liquidity. outcome has declined and economy has looking at these two indicators. As a (Excerpts based on conversation with suffered a lot. This industrial parl iamentarian, I have made my best unrest will Industrialist and CA member Rqjendra Kheum) NEW SPOTLIGHT NEWSMAGAZINE ! Feb. 19, 2010 111 FORUM Strongest Year for Development By BARRYJ. HITCH COCK. For the Asian Development Bani-.. ow. returning [ (/\DB) in NepaL 2009 proved to be the to our ongoin g <;I t< ) \\ ~1!<;\. '!e. a~ 'jcl in terms or record \)H)\!,t ams am\ lc\el of disbursements and contract projects in the awards. with the va lue of assistance country let me surpassing previous years and including provide some significant contributions in the spcci lies. ag ri cu ltu re a nd natural resources, The new cclucalion, fi nance. govern ance. water i nvcstm<.:n t supply. sanitation and urban projects approved development, transport and in 2009 a rc as communicati on sectors. 2009 proved to fo ll ows. be a record year in terms of new Emergency initi a1ives. New projects worth $347 Flood Da mages mi llion (including Technica l Assistance Rchabi litat ion wi II and Japan Fund for Poverty Reduction rchabi Iitatc and projects) were a pproved: th e highest res tore damage ca used by the 200~ accou ntable urba n wa ter supp ly a nd commitment ever fo r Nepal! monsoon lloods in the eastern and far sanitation sector by establishing and This scaling up of A DB's assistance western regions. It will enable people to impll!ment ing po licies, establ ish ing tes tifi es to ADB's continuing strong rcsumc their normal li ves by restoring service standards, and enhancing sector commitment to supporting the efforts of access to livelihoods and basic coordination. The project will entail the Government or Nepal in redUCing in lhtstructur<.:. dcvclopmcn t or safe, accessible, and poverty and achieving its deve lopment l ~d uea li o n Sector Cluster Program adequate water supply and san itation goals. We arc all very pleascd£specially (subprogram. 3) supports the facilities in about 20 small tO\\'ns. The w1th the tangible development resu lts Government in the implementation orthc project wi ll also strengthen governance 0 11 tlw ground as seen in the successful School Sector Rcf'orm program fi·om 2009 and capacity for project management implementation of ADB-assistcd onward. The program will cover the and operation. projects. pcriod from rY20 I0 to FY20 12, during In add ition to the above mentioned In terms of portfolio perfo rmance, which the Govern ment wi ll f'ocus onlhc projects, we also have a regional project ADS's contract a"ards and implementation or basic education which is the South Asia 'I ourism disbursement to Nepal reac hed record restructuri ng, whi le model bui lding lnfra!:.tructu re Development Project. lcvds of$232.4mill ion and $199.5 mi llion activ ities wi ll be initiated for sccondary This Project wi ll develop and improve respectively for 2009, with projects at education and technical education and tOurism-related infrastructure in cpal, ri~k decli ning to their lowes t levels at vocational tra ining. India, and Bangladesh. It will fbcus on the same time. Energy Access and Efficiency improving connectivity to and This also demonstrates Improvement Project I will provide destination infrastructure and services commendable perfo rmance by the increased access to electricity across in key nature and culture based to urism Govern ment agenci<.:s which the country and promote reliable and sites on selected high-priority implemented ADB-financed projects. I energy efficient power supply with subregional circuits. Infrastructure would li ke to take this o pportu ni ty to inc reased access and operational int <.: rve nti ons wi ll include airport thank the Governmen t of Nepal for its efficiency in the project areas. upgrading, last mile road connectivity, partnership and providing strong J\ ir Transport Capacity environmental improvements of ownership fo r ADB 's assistance to the Enhancement Project will enhance sa fety destinations, such as water supply, country. and capacity at Tribhuvan International sanitation, and solid waste management; ADB's ongoing portfolio as of 31 Airport (Til\) in Kathmandu and three and visitor management infrastructure December 2009 totals $ 1.13 bill ion remote domes ti c a irports-Lukla, Rara, and services. comprising 17 loans worth a net $638 and Simikot. I would also like to take this million, 15 investment grants worth $495 Second Small Towns Water Supply opportunity to talk about ADB's new mill ion, and 39 ongoing tec hnical and Sanitation Sector Project wi ll Country Partnership Strategy for Nepal assistance projects, totaling $38 million. develop an efficient, effective, and for 20 I 0-2012. Jointly developed NEW SPOTLIGHT NEWSMAGAZINE I Feb. 19, 2010 112 FORUM following intensive consu ltati ons with focusing operations on a wide spectrum six priority areas: ADB to revise both the peace filter of stakeholders led by (i) agriculture and and natural resources; (i i) cHmate change and disaster the GovernmentofNepal. along with civil management education~ (iii) energy~ (iv) the finance checklists, based on society, community groups and the implementation sec tor~ (v) transport~ (vi) municipal results to maximize private sector, the Country Partnership the quality of infrastructure and serv propo Strategy wi II guide A ices. sed interventions. The new CPS DB's development Strengthening agenda of gende r equity. also promotes Governance Ri fo r Nepal in the next three years. governance, sk environmental Assessment Methodology The thrust of the new strategy is to that is sustai nabi Iity. regional cooperation expected help Nepal sustain the and to provide a clearer picture of hard-won gains integration, the privat o the country's e sector, along the various vu lne rabi lities in the r peace process by with greater engagement of civil society program/project which promoting broad-based in clu s ive will help the and NGOs. will support these Government and economic growth, inclusive social ADB better address operations. th em prior development, governance and capacity to. nnd during, th e Let me also highlight some of the implemlJntation phase. building, as we ll as climate change unique features which we have ADB's adaptation and environmental total indicative assistance for introduced for the li rst time in the CPS 20 l 0- 20 12 inc sustai nability. We wi ll continue to assist ludes $67 I .4 million from for l\epal. Given the importance of th e Asian Developmen the Government of Nepal to sustain t Fund. $45 climate change and disaster risks peace through reconstruction for million from ordinary capital resources, and Nepa l, adaptation and ris economic development. k mitigation wi ll $92 mill ion for the regional cooperation he included in ADB's new investments program, $15 t These four pi liars support improved million in Lc c hni ca l to ensure environmental sustainability. assistance governance and stronger grants and $9.8 million from social and IJevclopmcnl projec econom ie ts will be screened tbe Japan fund lor Poverty Reduction. growth, which wi II lead to using the cl imate cha nge and disaster Cofi nan c in g. improved public services and a better pub I ic- private risks check list. A peace filter, developed partnerships, a standard ofliving for poor and excluded nd nonsovereign loans l() r the CPS jointly with DFID and the wi ll add to the people. More environment-fri endly resources. World Bank, wi II ensure that concerns llitchcock, i approaches and help lo counter the s a country director or are addressed within the projec Asian effect of cl imnte change ts, Developmllnl Bank Nepal. will ensure that helping to mitigate economic the risk of Excerpts of his statement recently growth is sustainable. exace rbat in g socia l and politica l delivered LO press CPS objectives will be met by • tensions. Annual CPS reviews will allow (S'2Jjj1 ~ffi1Cb cffl.:rdiC1d11 cr~01C1CJt cffl.:rdiC1 x:>. 0000/- CJff?f ISO 900 I : 2000 lWlmT 1JlTC(f Cf.flfrfi NEW SPOTLIGHT NEWSMAGAZINE' Feb. 19, 2010 j13 ENVIRONMENT providing information on their (carbon emission) mitigation actions, they referred to several UN conventi ons and did not refer to the Copenhagen Accord," says 'vtartin Khor, a noted climate negotiation analyst who heads the South Centre. International climate campaigners too have noticed the shift in the major regional players' position. " I think India and China have reali7ed they have either been misled or cheated. There is a definite rethink on whut the accord is going to achieve - nothing,"' Raman Mehta ofCiimatc Action Network South Asia told The II industan Times. "They huve re:1liscd that the UN is the best way to move forward.'' The privilege they enjoy under the U'l climate regime may have outweighed their delight of ha' ing become key players alongside the US in the "new geor olitical order" post Copenhagen. The Kyoto rrotocol of the UN climate framework. for instance, exempts Nepalis Cabinet : Frozen mountain C\en fast developing countries like Climate Negotiations China and India from mandatory emission reduction. Whatever the reason, bu t their yet aga in-found love for the UN is already confronted by rich countries, Frozen Path particularly the US. American media has largely been Emerging economies re-embracing the UN process detested by rich gunning lor the UN climate framework. "Accept that the 192 nations ones memts rough weather ahead roped together by the UN wi ll not agree on a meaningful climate· treaty this year By NAV IN SINGH KHAOKA either," the Newsweek quoted David in London Victor a climate diplomacy expert of the Un iversity ofCalifornia as saying. he new influential club of existing climate treaty, the Kyoto Whi le the stage is set for four fast developing protocol. confrontation over how should negotiations go, countries main ly driven by When they emerged with the US spotli ghts arc on d isputcs surrounding the science itself. T China and India continue to hav ing s igned a deal outside the UN Leaked climate data cmails from the surprise intern ati onal c limate framework, more than I 00 East Anglia Uni versity, the admittance negoti ations for a new countries gave them cold shoulders. The of a UN body that it wrongly predicted global climate treaty. Copenhagen conference therefore disappearance ofHimalayan glaciers by The two Asian giants joined by Brazil simply took note of the controve rsial 2035, among other controversies have and South Africa to form the BAS IC acco rd. bolstered climate skeptics. grouping had taken aback many when Barely two months since, the BASlC All this may mean serious climate they out of the blue joined hands with countries are back supporting the UN negotiations could take a back scat, the US and came up with the negotiations again. freezing the 30 billion dollars fast fund Copenhagen Accord in the deadlocked A follow- up to Copenhagen they did created in Copenhagen for least climate summit last December. in Delhi recently s tressed on frequent developed and developing countries. These were the same regional powers meets under the UN regime in the run up While the climate continues to that had led developing and l east to global climate summit in Mexico. change, wreaking havoc in these very developed nations against rich "When China and lnctia recently sent vulnerable countries. countries' bid to get rid of the already in letters to the UN cl imate secretariat Khadka is a BBC journalist NEW SPOTLIGHT NEWSMAGAZINE j Feb. 19, 2010 j14 ENCOUNTER My Memories by GOVINDA RAJ JOSHI h ·cn if someone reminds them of it. their target was am1cd police force. I lad many people simply want to forget the all the forces supported 'lepal Police. past e\ ents. They sreak three Maoist '>\'Ould not have achieved the generations. Many people write their present success. After thcDunai own biography and som~: even ask to incident G irijaBabu had an audience write their biography. No body wants to with the then king. The King told listen to whal other have to say. This is Girijababu that Nepal police wen.: unable a natural character or human beings. to tight against Maoist. lie suggesh:d Past arc the experiences as we ll as to remove home min ister Govinda Raj education. It is also gu idance. No one Joshi, home secretary Padma Prasad can succeed forget ting his or her pas t. Pokharel and Po li ce chi cfAchut Krishn n It is said that history cannot be removed. Kharel so tha t he would get the support Don't try Lo l"orget the pnsl. Ifsomebody from Nepal Army . Why d id the king tries to tlo so, he wil l ruin. Th~.: person suggested G iri j a Ba bu to remove the who is not honest to the present has to ch icfofsecurity agencies is also a ma tte r live in painful situation. of study why these three people were of' negotiations also held in De lhi. I llcre I am narrat ing one incident of targeled when !here wa~ a plan to launch myself and Dr. Shekhar Koirala took part the past. One day I was watching the massive operation against Maoist. inlhe meeting. Our team discussed with kanlipur tclevif. ion and there was a Girijababu compromised with the King Dr. Babur:un Bhallarai, Krishna Bahadur broadcasting of personal memoir of regarding this issue and he lircd alllhrce Mahara and Dcv Gurung about 12 hours Girijababu. I am concentraling on his of us. Before hand111g over resignalion and 'arious issues. An understanding program when he '""s elaborating the to him. I told him that this is his '' rong ''as made between us on folfo,\ing Dunai incident. lie was saying that he decision. I told him that this decision issue: to pul army under parliamentary asked me to resign following the non will not benefit him. his party democracy control. the executive power in cabinet cooperation ot' security agencies. I was and country. lie tried to woo me saying and amendment of certain articles shocked \\hen I heard such lie from that I will be reAppointed as a home ( 'onstitution of Kingdom ofNI.!pal 1990 leaders like Girijababu. 'I hen, I thought minister afler Dashain. That duy never with acceptable to Y1aoist. An agreement that I have to speak truth and high light came .I told him that my resignation will was made between both the team to the rea lity behind the inciden t. prolong his tenure six more months. cl1<1nge then Deuba 's gov~.:rnment which Dolpa incident was one of the major Sim ilar things happen. lie resigned we considered was going to be a hurdle conspiracies aga inst the democratic when Nepal Army did no t support him to implemen t our understanding. system. Aller becoming prime ministur, in llolcri incident. One of the objectives Although we had decided to do al l Girij ahabu prom ised to send back his behind our remova l was to dismiss Girija negotiations in secret, Gi rijababu to ld worke rs to thei r honu.! ti ll Dashain. On Babu from priminstcr. King Gya n<.! ndra that he wo uld sclllc the ca pacity of home mi nister, I visited Mao ist agitati on was not directed Maoist problems through dialogue. Kn l ikot, Rolpa, Rukum Salyan, Puthan to strengthen people and establishment Ki ng did not li ke to sec the sclllemcnt and .lajarkot A l'tcr my visit the ministry of multi-party dernact·acy. J\s long as the of Maoist problems through NC. King of home affa irs prepared a plan of leaders or Nepali ('ongre)>S and CPN held the view that Maoist movement was action to control maoist movement . The UML do not understand th is, Nepal's to downsi;:c Nepa li Congress. cabinet took the decision to launch an politics remain uncerlain. In the lirst XXX operation aga inst Maoist in six Maoist phase, Nepali Congress was the main During that period, political parties affected districts. At !hat time all the target of Maoist mO\ ement and the fight did not have any ideological stand to decisions were sent to King. At the same seemed to between NC and Maoist. All make alliances. All the political forces time Maoist attacked Dunai, capital of other forces maintained silent "hen it were united against Nepali Congress. waging war from outside Dolpa but they failed to capture it. was directed against 1\IC. Aller Dunai Maoists were and CPN-UML and other opposition Maoist looted 30 million rupees from attack, Girija Prasad Koirala thought that Nepal Army would support him to fight parties blocked the parliament for 57 bank. The King had his plan to visit days. The continued two months long against Maoist When Nepal Army did Dunai next day. However, I visited Dunai secret negotiations between this writer in I loleri Girija Prasad cancelling King's visit. Why did King not support and Subhas Nemabang helped to end wanted to visit Dolpa? This may be Koirala initiated dialogue with Maoist. the dead lock. Tbe negotiations were another inciden t to study. The King is The dialogue was iniriaced by Girijababu !inalizcd following the meeting between in no mood to launch any offensive himself meeting CPN-Mao isl leader Girijababu and Madhav Kumar Nepal. aga inst the Maoist. I Je was soft towards Prachanda and Dr. Baburam Bhauarai in Accordin g to agreement, Nepali the Maoist. Even Maoists were afraid of Delhi in 2001. Both parties agreed to Congress leader Girijababu would put with armed police than Nepal Army and maintain top secrecy. The second round vole of no-confidence against Deuba in NEW SPOTLIGHT NEWSMAGAZINE ! Feb. 19, 2010 115 ENCOUNTER parliamentary party and NC would power. l was arrested in Damauli. Aller in his name. The first day the protest choose a new leader. Then, CPN-UML two weeks, 1 was released. Tilll returned ralley was led by NC leader Chirinjibi would end the resumption of house. In to capital, no political parties issued any Tewary and Suresh Malia. The agitation the main time, the s ignature campaign statement against Roya l move. Even was lasted for two months till the release was initiated against Sher Bahadur Girijababu who was in House arrest of Girijababu f'rom his house arrest. Deuba and 61 members signed in the remained silent. General Secretary and Girijababu never asked the question who signature. However, Girijababu did not party president were in house arrest. I asked to launch the agitation and why. put vote of no-confidence against was joint general secretary oft he patty. However, l fell in pressure throughout Deuba in parliamentary party to avoid I met our leaders like K.B. Gurung, Bal the period. Had the agitation failed, what possible recommendation of dissolution Bahadur Rai, Bal Dcv Majgaiyaa, Dr Ram would be my position? of house by Deuba. It was wrong Sharan Mahat and Arjun Narsbing K.C I have come to realize now that the decision of Girijababu. Due to this. and Oil Bahad ur Gharti and discussed as piration for r ower make a person bl ind. Nepa li Congress also split and our to launch the agitation from February This is the reason they do not mind to efforts foil. 14 or national democratic day. We sacrifice party workers at the cost of their XXX decided to put K.B. Gurung in chair. The day when party workers I want to mention another incident underground. Thorough Girijababu 's realized that they are used by their leaders and it was about the split ofCPN-UML. personal secretary Krishna Chandra Jha, they will leave the leaders. So it is always I don't want to talk who split it. After we informed that we arc launching mention in politics one who forget his div is ion in CPN- UML, a coalition agitation with the statement issued in workers is also forgcltcn by the time . government was formed between NC th e name ofGirijababu. Girijababu docs {The writer is the ewe memher of and CPN-ML. Nepali Congress wan ted not know what was happening outside NC} to give longitivity to this coalition. Even there was secret agreement that CPN will be given 20 scats in the coming general elections. Longer the CPN-ML in power, looser the CPN-U ML will be. The efforts was mudc to brake this all iance. However, some leaders ofCPN ML and Nepali Congress were used to ~~ dislodge this alliance. CPN-ML leader Bam Dev Gautam demanded to remove police chief Achut Krishna Kharel and + •lome minister Govinda Raj Jos hi to give co ntinuity to the coal ifi on. Arter G irijababu declined to accept this fi::\ demand, CPN-M L leader Gaulam threatened to withdraw support. At the time when ewe informal meeting was held ~ at priminsters residence in Baluater a delegation was sent to discuss with Bam Dcv Gautam . NC leader Khum Bahadur Kbadka and Arjun Narshing KC were among the member to participate in the dialogue with CPM ML Leaders. They repeated the same demand to remove ~ Jlffl"\l ~ m-nfllnrorrt police chief Achut Krishna Kharel and lllA'Il rnb 1 "' 31'!> ord'l I lome ~~ qq ~ 1J I ~ftml ~ I want to mention another incident ~ ...._..._ --... ._...... •n411Wt; -..., uOfiiJI'n c:" IJ~ .-, l!>f?11 N WI.« ' P« ..~ ~ •twftloll " tNk'nA ~ '""'" "' • U Wln of February I, 2005 when King p ~""" lfl~ ~~;,"~~"r ve:~-;::.;~~ ~ •;:;:, ~=.c":;V::: :'J;::.=. ~.= ~t-:::lonV::::l Gyanendra directly took control of NEW SPOTLIGHT NEWSMAGAZINE ! Feb. 19, 2010 116 RIGHTS subject to daily torture. yet there is no law to protect them, help them and lind them homes. There is no consequence even if someone ki lis a street clog. To our bew i lclerment, there arc other animals that su rlcr a worse fate than that of the street dogs. These are mostl} domestic animals that provide us milk, meat and eggs. Amongst these the chicken. the goat and the buffalo arc the most abused. They are fi rst in the 'kill list' or any butcher for their meal is consumed by 'lcpalese in ma.ximum quantity. Killing lor lood is acceptable but Nepalese tend to be dri\en mon.: by social religious reasons. An e\amplc wou ld be the 'Gadimaya Mela' where thousands or animals were sacriliccd. Despite el1orls li·om many an imal wclllm.: e roded Animals: Suffocating in silence organizations the mda took place taking • away the li\es of millions of animals. ANIMAL These domcst1c animals arc ~ubjcct to abuse as they arc transported rrom one place to other. They arc stnck~.: tl on Call for Rights lop of ench other in mobi le vehicles which is the worst example or inhuman act. Their com li.H·t. safety and health is Animal activists are pressing CA memb ers to put animal rights to emf no \\herem consideration a::. there 1s no animal cruelty law in our country that speci lies a proper method of an imal transport. ___;,:,1 3y~:.,;.i\..:..:I..:....:.)IT I P.;..A...:..N.....:D.....:ll:=-Y__ _ As an allcmpl to help protect lhe~e animals the AWNN organized a rom crow to cow, dog and to persuntlc the ('A members to include workshop !hal aimed to persuade the 60 I horses. Nepalese cullu re ·protection of animal rights' in the CA members who were invited to include teaches us to worship all upcoming epalese Constitution. protection of animals in the constitution. F kinds of nnimals. llowcvcr Nepal with its three distinct Alas, only 5 mcmhers turned up amongst in practice. one can sec geographica lli.:atures is home to a wide whom only 3 remained till the end. This rampant violati ons ofanimal range or terrestrial animals. birds and behav ior proves that the members of' the rights. When il co mes to Nepa lese insects. ;\It hough the government of CA seem to have other important things respect or an imals, there arc enough Nepal has formed certain laws along to do than to :lllcnd a workshop that cases or cruelty like animal sacrifice in with the help of International will help them enhance their knowledge the name of God, that proves otherwise. organizations like the U ESCO to of existing animal abuse in Nepal. As Nepal is in the process of ensure protection of wild animals, there The AWNN is working to make Nepal const itution making, an anima l rights exist loopholes making it possible for a healthier place for anima ls to live in. II group has made efforts to raise the poachers lo continue kill ing 11nd has taken the initiative to introduce question pressing CA members lo place exp011ing. Nepal to the Un iversal Declaration of certain artic as le an animal rights. However. the wild animals seem much Animal Rights (UDAR). The UDAR is The greatly awaited constitution of more safer in their wildlife reserves than supported by many countries across the epal which is currently in the making those that freely ""alk the streets of cities world and will be tabled at the U is believed to have promises of peace and vi ll ages of Nepal. The General Assembly. Nepal shou ld be and prosperity for the citizens of Nepa l. overpopu lated street dogs that as their inspired by such countries li ke Ind ia, On the contrary, the An imal Welfare name su ggests live in the streets suffer Germany, France, Serbi a, USA and Network Nepal argues that the from much graver danger than wi ld Argentina that have successfully constitution of any country is animals from poachers. Street dogs of ensured rights of animals in their responsible for not only the humans but Nepal have become accustomed to being constitution. • all other animals in the country. beaten or hit by stones j ust for laying Therefore theAWNN is putting its effort their paw on a human shelter. They arc NEW SPOTLIGHT NEWSMAGAZINE ! Feb. 19, 2010 j 17 PERSPECTIVE Poverty and Education in Nepal By MOHANDAS MANANDHAR ROJANBAJRACHARYA' I. Background success in poverty reduction \\ ith poor bemg taken as a state responsibility. Before Economic growth and development will human development and h1gh poverty 1972, most of the schools were fully managed have no meaning if poverty continues and incidence: the countr} is presently ranl..cd and financed hy the communities except fe\\ people live "ithout htn ing enough food to 138 among 177 countries in UN DP's Human schools fully financed and managed by the eat, and basic education and health services Development Report 2006 with J I percent government and few others receiving a small for their capacity building. As such, of the nation's population living hclow amount of government grants. Public countries have targeted for its reduction. poverty line. Likewise. gender and ethnic mvcstmcnt was minimal then. fhis is relle<.tcd in the Millcnn1um Summit exclusion prevailed in the country with the In 1972, government introduced a new of 2000 where I 89 countries had agreed to poorest quintiles being mainly f'romthc lower l~ducallon System Plan. The Plan set targets known as the Mill ennium (Dalits) and marginalized ethnic groups. The rwti omllit.ed a lithe communi ty schools. and Development (Jo(lls (MOOs). Nepa l is slow prO!,'fi!SS in poverty reduction and limited thi s changed th e modality of school fi nanc ing aware of the need for poverty reduction, social and gender inclusion is partially resrxmsiblc with an a ll out respons ib ility to th e and is stri ving for its all eviation. Nepal, a tor the recently ended armed con tli ct in th e government to meet the cost of school low-income C(lll ll try of' South Asia, is one or country. So Govcmmenl has dcmth to minimit.c educati on. ll owevcr. the government the signatory countries of MDCi s. poverty and deprivati on fi>r wh ich delivery or belatedly real ized it to be a disastrous pol icy 2. Poverty and l'lnnning in Nepul basic education is important. whi ch ki lled the community initiatives in The prcv<~lcnl povl.!rty situation in thl.! J. Education ancll'ovc•·ty cd ucnt ion dcvclopmcnl. country has motivated Government of Nepal In 2001. the Chwcrnrncnt of Nepal Higher levels of educational to locus on its mitigation- which had been amend ed th~.: education law allowing the attainment reduce poverty levels. mitiated as ll1r hack as 1n 1980 with the start community and private schools to operate. The access to education leads to or the country's sixth live-year plan ( 1980/ Even the government schools are planned to RI to 1984/RS). fhc Eighth Plan ( 1992-97), higher levels of education al he handed over to the communities for their attainment and a more productive formulated ;~fter the restoration of management though government w1ll remam and skilled employment; this in turn democracy in 1991, continued the tradition the sole financier f(>r the primary education lead to employment opportunities of declaring poverty alleviation as one or NEW SPOTUGHT NEWSMAGAZINE' Feb. 19, 2010 119 ON FOCUS CNFN Securing Rights For Children The Child NGO Federation Nepal (CNFN), an umbrella organization of NGOs working for children, has made a positive contribution to more than 10 million school-going children by undertaking an initiative to free schools from frequent strikes and closures. As Nepal has made much progress in the areas of child rights following the signing of the international child rights convention two decades ago, CNFN's success in enlisting support of major political parties, UCPN-Maoist, Nepali Congress, and CPN-UML for its campaign deserves kudos. By ACORRI<:SSPONOENT Ramesh Limbu, I 0, a •>es iden t of Pradhan sa id th e federation wo uld to the grassroots level. Whatever the 0~11na k ofJhapa district, spends most of push for securi11 g written commitments namesofgeneralslrikes,schoolchi ldrcn have his time at home. Due to frequent general from the leaders first and then their been the lirst victim ol'such actions so lltr. strikes, ca Il ed by various poI i tic a I cadres. "As an umbrella organization, we parties, their sister organizations and Signing a commitment paper, entitled want to make tangible contribution in the ethnic groups, schools in the eastern ''Delinitc Child Rights, Basis for New areas of child rights through this kind or part of Nepal are ollen shut down. Nepal," leaders Girija Prasad Koirala of ac tivities," said Ramesh Dhamala, According to the Regio na l Nepali Congres, Pushpa Ka mal Oahal advisor ofCNrN. ''Ofcourse, it is very Ed ucati on Office o f Eastern Ner al, Prachanda of UC PN-Maoist, Jhalnath difficult to translate th ese kinds of' ch ildren went to school for fewer than Khana l oi' CPN-UM L, Mahanta Thaku r comm itments at the grassroots level; the 90 days last year. Chi ldren like Limbu of Terai Madhcsh Loktantrik Party. moralcommitmentexprcsscdbysuchtall abstained more often because of Surya Bahadur Thapa and Pashupati leaders through their written signatures uncertainties about whether the school Sumsher JBR of RPP, Shyam Sunder will have a moral pressure." wou ld open or close on a particular day. Gupta of Nepal Sadbhavana Party, CP CNFN is the common forum lor its A student of class 5, Limbu docs not Maina li ofCPN-M L, Prahla d Budhathok i m em ber organ i.a1 tions where they share know how many days he will be able to of Na ti o na l Peopl e's Forum and info rmation a nd cxpe11ise, collecti vely attend school in the coming year. llaricharan Shah of Nepali Janta Dal l obby the state and legislature for much "At a time when all of us are talking expressed that they highly respected needed policy change and commit to a about the need to protect the rights of children's rights to go to school. principle of harmonious consensus on the children, the frequent general strikes Urging all to follow suit, the leaders all issues relating to the pursuit, arc a sure violation oft he basic rights of expressed the commitment that in every protection and promotion of the rights the children to acquire education," sa id general strike or bandh, the school buses or the children. Prachanda R. Pradhan, Chairperson of will be allowed to ply un hi ndered and "Established in 1994, CNFN is the Ch ild NGO Federation Nepal (CNFN). children's ri ght to participate play ing only umbrella organization of NGOs "To prevent th is, we have ini tiated a and learning will be ensured. working in the field of child rights and campaign urging top leaders of political Although it was signed in August child development in Nepal," said parties to express their commitment not 2008. during the National Children's Dhamala.'' We have already contributed to close the education institutions Day, the message signed by the top to bring a number of pro-children during the period of general strikes." leaders is yet to be disseminated down legislations and poli cies." NEW SPOTLIGHT NEWSMAGAZINE I Feb. 19, 2010 120 ON FOCUS "Complete Package Must For Children" -UPENDRA KESHARI NEUPANE Advocate UPEN ORA KESHARI As long as the state fails to put child NEU PANE has a long experience of development as its priority and allocates working for child rights. Immediate past adequate resources. nothing is going to president of Child NGO Federation change. The state needs to offer a Nepal (C FN). a common fomm ofchild complete package including nutrition. related non-governmental organiLations health. education and other in Nepal. ath ocate Neupane spoke to opportunities. All these nel!d to be NEW SPOTLIG IIT on various issues of de lined in the package of social Sl!Ctt rity. ch il dren. Excerpts: As long as the state is unable to In the Nepalese context, how do you guarantee tl1e minimum we ll'are to the look at <·hild rights'! children, we cannot say that the state is The history of child rights is j ust two fulfi lli ng its commitments towards the decades old. Prev iously, the support and children. We need to do a big jum p here. to enh ance the transparency in the he lp given to children were part or We have adequate good p olicies and expenditure or the resources allocated welfare programs. roll ow ing lJN's Child laws to implement these packages. Of' to the c hil dren. We stressed the need Ri ghts Convention in 1989, Nepal co urse, there is no need Lo ex press ror social auditing. There a re several immediately endorsed it in 1990. After dissati sCacti on now. l lowcvcr, these NGOs and we have to look at whether the ratification of the convention. child policies. laws and regu lations need to be th ese NGOs are fo ll owi ng NGOs • rights are regarded as inherent rights of implemented ho nestly and wi th prior it y. character or not. children. Child rights are recognized by Despite all these achievements and What do yo u mean by this? the international community to support progress in child l'ights sector Some NGOs rescue children from the growth ofn:sponsible chi ldren. including t·he growth of NGOs working st rcet and provide them support. Just Arc child rights specifically defin ed in the areas, we still see a lot of child ren giving shelter and support to an orphan for Nepal'! in the street and violation of child right'>. is not enough what we need to do is to Present child rights in Nepal arc a How do you look at the situation '! make children capable. Will he or she fusion of international conventions and You cannot measure the outcome integrate in society after the age of 16'? traditional rights given to children by without knowing hov.. non- Some NGOs bring children from street Nepal. This is the beauty of the existing governmental organi7ations arc working. and enroll them but children come to situation. There is a sayin·g in Nepal that Frankly speaking, we have to do some streetagain. Thcyarenotenough.CNrN today's children arc tomorrow's capable study to know what the status or NGO~ was established to launch coordinated cititens. The international convention in the society is. Whether people see approach to bring tangible changes in aims to make ch il dren capable through them positively or negatively? There arc oil these processes. the protection or their certain inherent many nega tive views about NGOs. What role did you play? rights. The timl! has come now to Why did the CNFN come about'? 1worked in UCEP where we tried to cvalw1te whether the children arc able CNFN was set up to establish the give non-tormaleducationandvoeational to exercise their righ ts without uny va lues and dignity oft he NGOs. Another Lmining. You can li nd that hundreds of obstruction . aim of CNFN is to make correc ti ons in children, who grew up in UCEP, are now 'lwo decades after Ne J>HI signed the policies and br ing all NGOs work ing in integrated in society. 1have not seen any • lntcrnatillnlll Child Rights Convention, the chi ld deve lopment and chi ld rights NGO which can claim that il has done how is the state of children lil NEW SPOTLIGHT NEWSMAGAZINE I Feb. 19, 2010 121 ON FOCUS "Our Activities are Directed Towards the Wellbeing of Children" PRACHANDA R. PRADHAN PI{ACHANDA R. I'RADI-I AN, th..: areas chairperson of Ch il d NGO Federation- decide . ..:pal (C~FN), is a ''ell known person used to say '' ork111g in the areas of child rights. t h I S Ad\ocate Pradhan hac; been long phenomenon 1nvoh cd in the an:a. Pradhan spoke to as me fi rst, New Spotlight on various issues not child rega rding thu slate or chi ld ri ghts. firs t. In this Fxccrpts: si tu ation. W hat is the status of your initiative th..:re are to make the !>Chuoh free from unrest'! n:a!>ons to be \llhough the country has allocated susp1cious . .r bug..: amoun t or' budget 111 tf1c \s an education sector. it has little u~e. umbrella lkcause of rrcqucnl strikes and oq~anize~tion d i ~tu rbunccs. many Nupnlcse send th uir of children, 1-,.....,...... ,. _____ children lor stud ies abroad. The quality what do you of education is len' and there io; no s ug ~est fo r com petit!\ cncss Our Ill\ cstmcnt 111 ending ~ u ch education is bcmg "astcd. Educatwn 1s a 'ituation'! I am walking on the path shown by our • a s1gn ofhope. In the name ofstnkcs, all ro be a mcm h..:r of CN FN, a child rounders and form..:r 1.!:\CCUti\C~ \\ llll the organization~ arc ta rgetin g organ11ati on must prove lhtll it IS have shown hO\\ to a~:hi..:vc our goals. education ins ti tutions. This is a na tional a..:co untablc to Lh l! pcoplu a11d its llow mnny orgnnizations arc I o~s. tra nsactions arc lranspurcnt. Except lill affiliated with C'iFN'! What is your current priority'! '11111e so-call ed big child nghts More than t\\O hundn:d children We will push for legislations and organi1Ht1011S, 1110~t of the organil NEW SPOTLIGHT NEWSMAGAZINE I Feb. 19, 2010 122 " Certain basic things still need change for the better. I or tnstancc. children like Subba \ fundamental right:-. to acquire education I!> not l'ullilled. "I want to I.W to school and I don't "ant to wa!>te 1.;;, tune lying idle at home:· said Subba. · Subha is not the on I) cluld faced\\ 1th the situation. I here are millions of children\\ ho arc compelled to sta) back home.: because of obstructions at schools created by' arious polllical parties.thc1r sister organiznt10ns and ethnic groups. "Until we change the "ituation. claims of achie' emcnt that child nghts IClJlllres having a varied menu otTering Restaurant tli rtcrent specialties." he said. adding. "!h ts international public also remams very satt!>ficd with the local cutsinc, Quest for Spanish Food which in most cases is what they have been seeking ... Although llllllll lll~l' more than twen(v thousand Spanish tourists Mtxcd menu range for a mtxcd visit Nepal, there is no Spa11ish restaurant in the town audiencc is Pandey's secret of success for a restaurant in Thamcl. But in some By ALVA RO CASTRILLO hotels that Pandey manages in the city. if it is possible to cat a typical dish, it is such as Spanish "Paella". or Spanish touri::.ts. they mostly Asian, and also French, ll ct li:t n There arc indeed restaura nts in fin d everything i n Nepa l. or Mexican. rhamcl sr ecializing in foreign foods. In r rom hi gh mountains to ''But there is not a Spanish restaurant Chaksi Bari Mnrg. just20 meters fro m Le F cultural and historical sites, spcc i f'ica ll y," said a Spani sh tourist Bistro, is located the tlalian restaura nt th e choices arc varied. hanging around Thamel in search of one. !Ja Dolce Vito. ltali a'n food is pa rt of' ll owcvcr. what is lucking is Spanish cuisine is one or the most Meditcrrttncan cuisine. The man ager Spa nish restaurant which ca n provide appreciated or the plane t. Fo rbes ex plains that the audiences that tlock lo Spanish dish. magazine in 2009 amoun ted to l.'crn1n this place arc main ly froTm abroad. he Neo pal is ne ol' the popular tourist Adria, Ca talan chef, as the most mai n overlap between the Spanish and destinat ions for Spanish tourists. From inn uential chefs fi·om around the world; llalian food is the olive oil used as a basis King o r Spa in to many comm oner his restaurant El13ulli has a wa iting list for prepMing the dishes. In fact, oli ve Spa niards,i Nepa l s not un know n to fo r the next two years. Anoth er niI is prized by both the navour that them. This is the reason a large nu mber intern ationall y renowned Spanish chef gives hea lth y d ishes suc h as their Spanish tourists visit Nepal. The is Juan Mari Arzac. lie has a coll ect ton nutritional properties making it a very present Spanish King Juan Carlos I and of spices with around 1600 navours. popu lar item in many restaura nts in the Queen Sofia, who came to Nepa l for However. Thamel r estauran ts seem world. In La Dolce Vita a random menu average around 500 rupees. honeymoon as crown prince and unaware of Spanish cuisine. Some of the costs an is celebrating the year 20 II princess, performed their state visit in reasons why the Spanish cuisine has not As Nepal Nepal Tourism Year with ambitious 1985. be permeated in Thamel is that Nepal is as the plans to bring a mi ll ion tourists, opening Despite such long relations between outs ide the area of a historica l Spanish ora Spanish restaurant in the capital may two coun tries, nobody understands in fluence or cultural limitati ons to be important. why there is no Spanish Restaurant in Spanish dishes made with beef. Ganesh B . Pandey, manager or Le The lovers of Spanish cuisine in Thamcl, a promi nen t tourist centre o f Thamel have it difficul t to eat typical Katmandtt, which ofTcrs widest range of Bistro restaurant in Thamcl, who in 3 I years expanded space from 20 to 250 dishes from the Iberian Peninsula, which cuisine from across the world. Its streets is furthermore a good oppottunity for oiTewr a ide variety or restaurants with chairs, gives other reasons. "A concrete Kathm andu and Thamel have many entre pre neurs w ho have bu siness specialties f rom around th e world, tourists fro m all over the world and th is possibility still untapped. Bon appetiL • .. NEW SPOTLIGHT NEWSMAGAZINE I Feb. 19, 2010 124 Hove o to ste of ~';[::::I:. Opportunity '