Robert S. Kittel Director of Education, UPF - Asia

Two Paths to Peace

Dr. Robert S. Kittel Director of Education, UPF - Asia

Universal Peace Federation New York, USA II | Two paths A peace initiative of another kind | III IV | Two paths to peace

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements...... VI Abbreviations...... VII A Peace Initiative of Another Kind...... VIII Krishna V. Rajan, Former Ambassador of India to Nepal Purpose and Focus...... 1 The Basic Principles of Peace...... 6 I. PEACEMAKING: PARALLEL TRACKS...... 11 Building a Climate for Cooperation...... 12 General Elections...... 47 Birth of a Democratic Republic...... 53 Protecting the Peace Process...... 58 SUPPORTING THE PEACE PROCESS...... 82 The Challenges of Coalition...... 82 H.E. Madhav Nepal, Prime Minister of Nepal Inspiring Youth to Help Build Peace...... 84 Hon. Ek Nath Dhakal, Member of Parliament Need for Tolerance...... 86 Rt. Hon. Sher Bahadur Deuba, Prime Minister (1995-97, 2001-02) Peace Depends on Us...... 87 Hon. Sahana Pradhan, Minister of Foreign Affairs Promoting a Culture of Heart...... 88 Hon. Taranath Ranabhat, Former Speaker, House of Representatives Practicing the Principles of Peace...... 89 Hon. Chitralekha Yadav, Deputy Speaker of Parliament Rewriting the Constitution and Communism...... 92 Interview with Chandra Prakash Gajurel Member, Central Committee, Communist Party of Nepal-Maoists A peace initiative of another kind | V

II. PEACEBUIDING: CIVIL SOCIETY INITIATIVES...... 97 Teaching Universal Values...... 98 Reconciling Ethnic Divides...... 99 Educating for Peace...... 101 Learning Peace through Service...... 104 Youth Ambassadors for Peace...... 107 Climbing for National Unity...... 108 Summary of Service and Educational Programs...... 114 OUR NEXT STEPS...... 119 Drafting a New Constitution...... 120 Building Consensus...... 122

ABOUT THE AUTHER...... 126

APPENDIX...... 128 VI | Two paths to peace

Rev. Sun Myung Moon, the Founder of Universal Peace Federation, speaking in Kathmandu, Nepal on Nov. 22, 2005

Acknowledgements It is with sincere appreciation I would ing in the foreword for this book; Joy like to acknowledge the following peo- Pople along with her colleague Mike ple: the providence of God working in Balcomb for coming up this the idea Nepal; the founders of UPF interna- of the project, as well as helping with tional, Father and Mother Moon and editing, layout and design; for the Am- their entire family for their parental bassadors for Peace who made impor- heart and unconditional sacrifice for tant contributions featured in sections the sake of world peace; Drs. Chris- of this book; Dr. Shree Krishna Yadav topher and Julia Kim, the former Re- and Prof. Dr. Shree Ram Prasad Upad- gional Directors, for the nearly quarter haya for reviewing the draft and sug- of a century of investment in Asia; Dr. gesting beneficial changes; Mrs. Ginger and Mrs. Chung Sik Yong, the current Nicholls for the tedious job of editing; Regional Directors, for their practice Robert Brown who spent a month in of sincerity, devotion and true love Nepal laying out the book and falling education; Dr. Thomas G. Walsh, Sec- in love with Nepalese people; to the retary-General of UPF international, UPF team in New York that worked to for supporting this project; Hon. Ek produce this book; and Arjun Gaudel, Nath Dhakal, the Chairman of UPF- K.P. Bhatterai and the entire staff and Asia and Constituent Assembly mem- membership from the Peace Embassy ber, for his leadership and patriotism; in Kathmandu and throughout Nepal Amb. K.V. and Mrs. Geetha Rajan for for their selfless service, including the their love for Nepal from which came gate-keeper,Tek Bahadur Tamang—to valued guidance, advice and support of all, including those unnamed, my sin- these many years and especially in writ- cere and deep appreciation. II | Two paths VIII | Two paths to peace

A Peace Initiative of Another Kind

itarianism by the state and police justified? Is Maoist violence itself justified when there is proven mal-governance, corruption, and insensitivity in the parliamentary system leading to exclusion, marginalization, deprivation, and human rights abuse on a massive, institutional scale? Is there any point (as The Washington Times recently questioned Krishna V. Rajan about peace deals with Nepal’s Mao- Former Ambassador of India to Nepal ists) in trying to sign a peace treaty with violent, ideologically motivated groups The tiny kingdom of Nepal, nest- which believe in armed confronta- ling at the foot of Mount Everest, has tion to bring about their definition of caught the attention of the world by change? the manner in which it has been trying, And, was the Universal Peace Fed- for more than a decade, to grapple with eration (UPF) right in investing so an ideologically anachronistic, often much hope, energy, and resources in brutally violent, and increasingly wor- an open-ended peace initiative in Ne- rying (for many in Nepal and much of pal which pitched “irresistible force” the outside world) extremist left-wing (faith) against an apparently “immov- insurgency. able object” (the Maoists)? The Maoist insurgency in Nepal has I vividly recall the moment when raised many questions. Some at least we—a small group from the UPF in- would have a degree of relevance to cluding Robert Kittel, Ursula Amala other nations aspiring for peace, de- McLackland, Ek Nath Dhakal, then mocracy and economic progress. It has leader of UPF-Nepal (now an Hon- been said that there is no such thing orable Member of Nepal’s first Con- as a perfect democracy; democracy is stituent Assembly), and myself—first a utopia where the perennial challenge discussed, on the margin of an Inter- is how to manage the inevitable disap- national Leadership Conference in pointments, frustrations, grievances, Seoul, Korea in March 2005, UPF’s and resentments of those who feel that growing success in Nepal despite the they deserve a bigger share of the cake. great political turbulence sweeping that Is a democratic state left with any country. other option but to deal with such a Ek Nath and I had the same thought threat by the use of force? When it almost simultaneously: the UPF mes- seems to be failing, is a dose of author- sage must be urgently applied to ease A peace initiative of another kind | IX

political tensions and end the growing sake of others was thus heard with violence in Nepal. We agreed to launch interest and attention but also some a series of conferences devoted to skepticism—these lofty ideals must common challenges to peace and de- have seemed to be somewhat far re- velopment in the South Asian region, moved from the reality of the situation deliberately inviting leaders from all in Nepal, marked by tremendous ten- the political parties with whom I had sion, bitterness, and hatred, with con- closely worked as India’s Ambassador flicts being reported regularly in differ- to Nepal, in the hope that the existing ent parts of the country. As one senior trust and communication deficit could Nepalese politicians told me, shaking be eased progressively in a positive and his head in disbelief, “Why are you politically neutral environment. We had walking in where angels fear to tread?” no illusions about the complexities of the subtext in this being, “Don’t do the task that lay ahead. The situation this. It will fail. It will discredit you as looked hopeless then, and there ap- an organization, however well meaning peared to be no light at the end of the you might be.” tunnel. But the UPF persisted in its efforts: There was complete paralysis in gov- between July 2005 and the time of ernance in Nepal because of a three- writing, more than eight major peace way confrontation between the mon- conferences have been organized; each archy, the seven “democratic” political has been more meaningful, more sig- parties (Seven-Party Alliance) and the nificant than the earlier one. In addi- Maoist insurgency. The King had as- tion, as the book chronicles, there were sumed absolute powers and was having dozens of other activities, high-profile a confrontation with democracy even visits, service projects, education, and as his Army tried unsuccessfully to take youth mobilization programs. on the Maoists. I recall a chance remark I made in Participants at the first conferences one of the earlier conferences, suggest- consisted of representatives from par- ing that since all the parties—the King, ties close to the palace as well as the political parties, and the Maoists had Seven-Party Alliance; the Maoists, con- made mistakes, it was better to avoid sidered political untouchables, were finger-pointing and go for uncondi- not invited. There was no point in tional talks. I was surprised the follow- talking to them, so the conventional ing morning to see that this innocuous wisdom went, since their commitment statement was a front-page headline in to the ideology of installing a people’s all the papers! Similarly, a resolution republic through class struggle did not passed unanimously at the next con- leave any room for negotiation or com- ference in which we urged that direct promise. communication should be established The UPF message of love, forgive- with the Maoists and expressed some ness, reconciliation, and living for the appreciation for their social and eco- X | Two paths to peace nomic agenda seemed to make a much proach towards the Maoists encour- bigger impact than we had imagined. aged them to participate in our next On another occasion, after UPF had few conferences at a fairly high level launched a “Movement for the Under- and for their leaders to receive us in privileged” in partnership with Indian their highly guarded and rarely visited and Nepalese companies to empower offices. The Maoists seemed anxious poor families, a high-level UPF team to reassure us and through us, the civil called on the senior Maoist leaders, society and political leaders attending Prachanda and Baburam Bhattarai, in our meetings, about their benign inten- their heavily guarded office. I explained tions in regard to building a peaceful that one of the purposes of South Asia and prosperous Nepal. As for the po- Peace Initiative was to make people re- litical establishment, the government, alize that Maoists were not “the oth- and the Army, there was a genuine de- er”—no demons but normal human sire to end the conflict but also a basic beings. Bhattarai interjected apprecia- resentment that the outside world was tively, “actually, better than normal hu- oversimplifying the situation to the re- man beings.” spective disadvantage of each, and When the concept of “One Fam- therefore a willingness to state their ily Under God” was explained, with a points of view in a “neutral” environ- caveat that we invited even those who ment. might not believe in God to commit Thus, there was a remarkable “qual- themselves to the idea that “We are one ity” in the cross-party participation in family,” Prachanda said, “This is a very UPF’s various activities. The spontane- interesting principle. We have followed ous reception that was given to Father a different path so far, but we believe in and Mother Moon on their extraordi- the same principle. Our methods have narily successful visits (all political par- so far been different. But after the elec- ties and the Maoists actually decided to tion, you will see … we would like to suspend a strike which had paralyzed work closely with the Universal Peace the country for a day, out of deference Federation.” to Father Moon) speaks volumes for In order to make the army and gov- the respect in which they are held. ernment comfortable, we brought in A series of developments occurred one of India’s top police officers and a between 2005 and 2009, at times deeply human rights expert to discuss human disappointing, at other moments defy- rights issues in the widest perspective ing the most daringly optimistic expec- and frankly acknowledge the mistakes tations, culminating in the end of the and learning process India had to go insurgency, the “mainstreaming” of through in tackling its own insurgen- the Maoists in a multiparty democratic cies. framework, a comprehensive peace I have no doubt in my mind that agreement, the holding of elections to what was at that time an inclusive ap- a Constituent Assembly, and the emer- A peace initiative of another kind | XI gence of a democratically elected coali- anywhere in South Asia. The down- tion with the Maoists heading it. trodden Dalits (“untouchables” in the In the process, the country that the caste system of the subcontinent now) world used to know as Nepal trans- had more than 50 Parliamentarians; formed its fundamental identity. The women had nearly 200 (one third of world’s only Hindu kingdom officially the Constituent Assembly’s total mem- ceased to be “Hindu” and, with the bership). abolition of the monarchy by a formal The Maoists were quick to claim that decision of the Constituent Assembly, they had a mandate from the people became a federal, democratic republic. for effecting change. But once in gov- Even hardboiled diplomatic observers ernment, they had to confront the were struck by the pace, fundamen- difficult task of delivering on several tal nature, and apparent irreversibility fronts. The onus was on them to cre- of these positive changes, and some ate a sense of trust and confidence in frankly described it as something of a their intentions, by ending the tactics “miracle.” For some at least in the UPF of violence, intimidation, brinksman- family, there is a temptation to say, ship, and aggressive rhetoric that had “and thereby hangs a tale!” admittedly been a cause of their suc- The holding of the April 10, 2008 cess so far. The resentment and bitter- election to the Constituent Assembly ness created among other parties had was itself undoubtedly an achievement to be healed by a demonstration of for Nepal and opened up the possibil- Maoist moderation, accommodation ity of creating a new, inclusive demo- of diverging views, and respect for the cratic Nepal. The results were most need for consensus on all important is- unexpected—even by the Maoists. sues. Translating the objective of fed- Not entirely free and fair but undoubt- eration—an aspiration towards which edly credible, they represented a man- they had contributed immensely during date for change: the Maoists won an the insurgency—into reality was bound emphatic victory, although they were to be a difficult and divisive exercise. short of a simple majority. In fact, the Maoists did little to re- Most old leaders from mainstream assure the world about their real in- parties were defeated. The monarchy tentions. They shifted their goalposts was also rejected—leaders and parties every now and then. Even when they standing for even a ceremonial role for were in government, they frequently it were defeated. New power centers indulged in brinksmanship, threatening emerged: communities which had tra- to pull out of the government when ditionally been excluded, suppressed, one or other of their demands was not or marginalized were suddenly thrown met, usually managing to have their into the power structure. The Constit- way until May 2009, when the other uent Assembly was the most inclusive parties (backed by public opinion and body in the history of Nepal, indeed most of the international community) XII | Two paths to peace refused to go along with the Maoist de- statements do not inspire confidence cision to sack the Army Chief in what that they have decisively given up vi- was clearly an attempt to assert control olence and intimidation. On present over the security sector. They have also evidence, it seems that they may have tried to explain away, occasionally even changed their strategy and tactics, but to justify, the intimidation and violence not their ideological goals. being in indulged by their cadres and Many experts believe that for the the much feared youth front, the Youth Maoists, with their confrontation with Communist League. the Army unable to produce a positive Overall, sad to say, there is a culture outcome, the peace process was simply of impunity and violence in Nepal to- a means to abolish the monarchy and day. The much-touted “New Nepal” is overcome international hostility af- currently a republic of uncertainty, and ter 9/11. Prachanda acknowledged as may well become republic of fear. The much when he said he “did not foresee absence of trust between political lead- the possibility of capturing the state ers and parties; political opportunism, power at the center through armed shifting alliances, absence of leaders revolution alone.” But it was amply with vision and stature is compounded clear that abandoning armed struggle by the poor institutional underpin- in favor of “competitive politics” was nings—a politicized bureaucracy, de- at best a tactical move. moralized police, disliked army, and Maoist leaders themselves empha- partisan media. The Maoists are now size that their present success is due to on the streets. Bandhs (shutdowns) and “fusion of ballot and bullet” and insist strikes organized by different revolu- that they have not abandoned armed tionary ethnic group affiliated with the struggle. There is no regret for past Communist Party of Nepal-Maoists violence, and present violence is eas- have become a virtual reality. Parlia- ily rationalized. The highly publicized mentary proceedings have stopped. video recording which surfaced in May The country, by common description 2009, showing Prachanda addressing of the Nepalese themselves, is falling his cadres in January 2008 and bragging into chaos. about how the Maoists had successful- So, was the UPF initiative in orga- ly duped the international community nizing the South Asia Peace Initiative and the Nepalese people on a whole programs worth the energy and ef- range of issues in order to get into a fort, when the peace process is already peace process which they intended to so frayed within a few months of the undermine from within, has come as historic Constituent Assembly elec- grim confirmation to many about the tions? The basic question, “Can Mao- real Maoist agenda. It would be easy ists change their DNA?” is difficult to to be shocked into concluding that the answer one way or the other. The jury UPF and others who worked hard to is still out. Many of their actions and bring the Maoists into the mainstream A peace initiative of another kind | XIII were naïve and have been thoroughly possible without a sense of service and hoodwinked. if need be, sacrifice on the part of ev- Yet it must be acknowledged that ery key Nepalese leader—a plea which there have been major shifts in Mao- is in the subtext of every UPF confer- ist strategy in the past few years; their ence in Nepal. commitment to multiparty democracy Nearly two years after the second may be tenuous and their declared in- people’s movement in Nepal’s history, tent to give up violence insincere, but the Jana Andolan II as the Nepalis the debate within the movement be- term it, which forced the monarchy tween the pragmatists and hardliners out and ushered in a people’s federal appears to be genuine. If so, there is democratic (and secular) republic, the merit in persevering in the hope that mood in Nepal is one of deep anxiety the pragmatists will ultimately prevail. for the future. The hope and euphoria The Maoists are without doubt at the which swept across the country as a heart of Nepal’s crisis of governance; ceasefire agreement was signed and a yet they are also an indispensable part time-bound peace process announced of the solution. have given way to a sense of hopeless- It is also important to underline that ness as a combination of spreading the reasons for the present political im- violence and non-existent governance passe do not entirely lie with the Mao- challenges security in most parts of ists. The peace process was based on Nepal. political expediency for all the parties, There is fairly widespread concern not on any deeply felt convergence that unless present trends are managed in terms of national objectives. For and decisively reversed, future gen- the established parties, who had com- erations of Nepalese may well wonder prehensively underachieved in the 12 how Nepal’s political parties, including years of democracy between 1990 and the Maoists, could have squandered a 2002, it was an opportunity to return to unique opportunity to end the coun- power despite popular disenchantment try’s long socio-economic-political with them. crisis. As things stand, prospects for Thus, leaders of the so called main- smooth governance, the peace process, stream parties—the non-Maoists— writing of the new Constitution within need to understand that at this critical the stipulated period of two years, do juncture in their nation’s history, the not look bright. The likely future sce- obsession with power—an under- nario may well be a façade of democra- standable and necessary element in cy and collapsing governance, together normal times in any multiparty democ- with a breakdown of law and order. racy—must take a back seat to the real Nepal is crying out for leadership priority of the day, which is to consoli- with vision, governance, with sensitiv- date the peace process and write the ity, an environment free of violence Constitution in time. This will not be and instability. It also needs a mini- XIV | Two paths to peace mum of trust between various groups political leaders, in the Army which who were until recently fighting each must gracefully adjust to change, and other—principally the Army and the in the ability of Nepalese civil society Maoists—but who now simply have to empower itself with a sense of re- to work together in order to create a sponsibility. new Nepal. The UPF must lead inter- The realism has to do with the facts national efforts to create that kind of that the Constituent Assembly has a conducive environment through new life of 24 to 30 months; that the Mao- peace initiatives. The road map must ists are not a monolithic organization, naturally be a combination of idealism they have their pragmatists and hard- and realism. liners; and that the pragmatists will see The idealism has a lot to do with faith the current situation as a historic op- in the essential nationalistic instincts portunity to cooperate in the framing of the Maoists. After all, much of the of a new Constitution and keeping the good that has happened in Nepal in peace. Whether the Maoists are in gov- the recent past—the end of the mon- ernment or not, it is they who will get archy, the start of a process to replace a the credit if the Constituent Assembly feudal power structure with something delivers a good Constitution in peace- more inclusive, more democratic, more ful conditions, and they—along with responsive to the common man’s as- other politicians who failed to rise to pirations from governance—has been the occasion—will be blamed and re- due to the Maoist struggle for change, viled by future generations for having which was essentially embraced by the squandered a historic opportunity if electorate in the April 2008 elections. they do not. But it has also to do with faith in other A peace initiative of another kind | 1

Purpose and Focus 2 | Two paths to peace

This book is a focused, case study sacrifice, the humility to repent, the highlighting the role which the Univer- empathy to understand and the heart sal Peace Federation (UPF) has played, to forgive. And it is preciously in this and continues to play, in helping peace area—in changing attitudes and priori- return to the Land of Buddha. It is not ties—that divine intercession is most a history book, per se, in that it is not essential. This was true in South Af- an overall record of the entire peace rica where religious ideals prevented a process in Nepal. blood bath and helped guide the Truth UPF is “dedicated to building a world and Reconciliation Council to heal a of peace in which everyone can live in wounded nation. The Christian ideals freedom, harmony, cooperation, and of forgiveness and Gandhi’s philoso- prosperity.”1 Its programs and projects phy of ahimsa, or non-violence, pro- are designed with this focus in mind. vided guideposts to help bring civil Therefore, this book has a singular ob- rights and other long-overdue free- jective: To show how the activities of doms to all Africans. UPF and its affiliated organizations Nepal’s peace process could also be have supported and complemented a model for the world to learn from Nepal’s struggle for peace during the and study. Not in terms of healing ra- past five years. cial divides, but it could be an example According to the UNESCO consti- for addressing the rift and animosity tution, “wars begin in the minds of between political systems, namely, be- men.”2 UPF would accept this, but add tween communism and democracy. that divine intervention, coupled with Sadly, as it stands now, something vi- human responsibility, are essential for tal is missing—the heart and spirit to the defenses of peace to be construct- work together, to sacrifice for the sake ed. However God’s involvement will of the nation, to reach for the summit not be paranormal, mystical or magical, of peace. No doubt the process began nevertheless, it will be very substantial in earnest but it now appears to have and significant. hit a road block. The path to peace usually has many Without the highest virtues of the ideas, road maps, schemes and initia- human spirit being reborn on a daily tives. Indeed, peace has been the hope basis, we are like a sailor lost at sea of all people in all ages. More often, without a compass. We drift from it is the resolve to create peace that storm to storm still hoping in vain to has been in short supply: the spirit to find our way home. Gradually, feel- 1 Universal Peace Federation: Mission. Re- ings of hopeless, isolation and confu- trieved Sept 11, 2009, from http://www.upf. sion set in causing us to turn inwards org/about. and become defensive. If this happens, 2 UNESCO. retrieved Sept 11, 2009, from then the quest of peace morphs into http://portal.unesco.org/en/ev.php-URL_ the pursuit of party interests and, al- ID=6206&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SEC- TION=201.html. though the guns may be under lock and A peace initiative of another kind | 3 key, the war continues in the hearts of neighbor, or a people’s republic taking men. after their neighbors to the north. The purpose for documenting UPF’s From this perspective, UPF’s peace contributions to the peace process is initiatives at first seem miniscule espe- not to promote this peace federation; it cially when compared to others stake- is to help the peace process move for- holders such as the United Nations ward at this critical juncture. The aim is Mission in Nepal (UNMIN) and other to show that “two paths to peace” have international agencies. been going on side by side in this coun- Looking at the size of the political try. The objective in spotlighting this parties—Maoists, the Nepali Congress, interconnectedness is to facilitate both the UML, and the growing Madeshi paths of peace so they can work more influence vis-à-vis the Nepal Family closely together. As will be shown, Party (NFP) a huge disparity is obvi- each avenue has a vital role to play in ous. The NFP was the smallest party bringing social harmony and justice to to win even one seat in the Constituent the peace process and prosperity to all Assembly elections. It may seem pre- Nepalese. sumptuous to even assume our efforts matter at all. But one must remember it is often a Parallel Paths single voice, India’s Gandhi, South Af- rica’s Nelson Mandela, and America’s The obvious and most visible path is Martin Luther King, who draw inspi- the political peace process. By bringing ration from their religious and spiri- a militant group into the political peace tual values, swayed public opinion and process Nepal gained the attention shaped the destiny of nations. Size is of the world. The unfolding of these not always the determining factory; it is events was covered in the daily media more important to have the power of and comprises such achievements as: righteous on your side. For example, signed MOUs, surrendered weapons, one small boy, David, defeated mighty an interim constitution, elections, and Goliath. And in the epic Mahabharata as the formation of Nepal’s first federal, the Kurukshetra War seemed inevita- democratic republic. ble, Arjuna, on behalf of the Pandavas, In essence, this landlocked nation chose an unarmed Krishna to be on his sandwiched between the world’s larg- side, rather than the well-equipped Na- est democracy, India, and the world’s rayani sena, or “Lordly army.”3 largest communist country, China, has Over the course of the past five gone from feudalism of full-fledged 3 Kurukshetra War. (2009, Septem- democratic reforms in a matter of a ber 10). In Wikipedia, The Free Ency- few years. But the jury is still out as clopedia. Retrieved 15:24, September to whether this will end up a secular 10, 2009, from http://en.wikipedia. republic modeled after its southern org/w/index.php?title=Kurukshetra_ War&oldid=313009624. 4 | Two paths to peace years, UPF has tried to cultivate the UPF’s Role: conditions for the peace process to move forward and we will continue. Peacemaker, If sacrifice is any measure of com- Peacebuilder mitment, UPF has probably invested a higher percentage of its resources in Traditionally, the term “peace educa- trying to help the peace process move tion” includes three categories: peace- forward than any of the other players. keeping, peacemaking, and peacebuilding. These contributions will be outlined in Peacekeeping can be defined as vio- this book. Importantly, they will be set lence management. Its goal is to rein conjunction with and parallel to the spond to situations where violence has on-going peace process because that already broken out and prevent it from has been the purpose, objective, and escalating further. Here, the people focus of these activities. There are nu- and Government of Nepal, UNMIN, merous correlations between these two and other international governmental paths to peace. The validity and mean- and non-governmental organizations ing of these interactions will be left for are the main players. They are the ones the reader to decide. moving, coaching and guiding the Many of the activities of UPF were peace process. UPF applauds, supports planned to advance understanding, and encourages their work. dialogue, cooperation and reconcili- To support this, UPF has been mak- ation among the various partners in ing significant contributions in the ar- the peace process; to create the spirit eas of peacemaking and peacebuilding. conducive for peaceful reconciliation. The primary goal of peacemak- This linkage was by design. More as- ing is conflict resolution. Incorporat- tonishing are the numerous corollar- ing a variety of techniques to resolve ies between Nepal’s journey to peace disputes, peacemaking tries to get the and UPF events—primarily the World fighting parties to work out their dif- Peace Tours of Father and Mother ferences rather than resort to military Moon and the South Asia Peace Initia- force. UPF and the NFP have focused tives. These parallels were not planned in these areas with the peace federa- by human intent or ingenuity alone. tion working mainly in civil society And the number of such correlations while the Nepal Family Party has been is too many and the timing too uncan- working in the political arena. Some of ny to be mere chance or coincidence. the main projects in this area include: the World Peace Tours, the South Asia Peace Initiative (SAPI), leadership and good governance seminars, interreligious conferences, reconciliation picnics and inter-ethnic community service programs. Highlighting these A peace initiative of another kind | 5

will be the first focus of this book and ways to move forward. Essential to will be covered in the section, “Peace- overcoming the current impasse, we making: Parallel Tracks.” The follow- must find a way to bring the commu- ing chapter, “Supporting the Peace nist and democratic forces together. We Process,” let’s some of the Nepalese must look at the strengths and weak- leaders who have participated in our nesses of each system. It is hoped this programs speak for themselves. may lay the groundwork for writing a Peacebuilding works to create a cul- new constitution, building consensus ture of peace in society at all levels, and creating the right set of priorities promoting non-violent strategies as le- to help build a new Nepal. gitimate means to address differences In the original Memorandum of Un- and disagreements. Here too UPF has derstanding signed between the Mao- made important contributions. For exists and the Seven Party Alliance on ample, character education programs November 22, 2005, the word “peace” are taught in school, colleges and is mentioned 11 times. The phrase universities; women’s micro-finance “permanent peace” is mentioned projects have been launched; young twice. Therefore, it is essential to start couples are given marriage prepara- with a clear understanding of the basic tion and family-life courses. UPF and principles of peace. its affiliated organizations operate- or There are two principles: the “Dual phanages, schools, businesses, a trek- Purpose Principle” and the “Pair Sys- king company, a travel agency, a weekly tem Principle.” When described below newspaper and have on-going interna- it should become obvious that these tional student exchange programs and principles are universal in nature since religious pilgrimages to Nepal. The they are applicable to both science and chapter, “Peacebuiding: Civil Society religion, and transcend the barriers of Initiatives” touches on some of this culture, race, religion, nationality and programs. history. Finally, “Our Next Steps” looks at 6 | Two paths to peace

The Basic Principles of Peace The Dual Purpose And how is that related to peace? First, we need to understand the pur- Principle pose and function of each of the dual purposes. The desires of the body cen- Everything has a dual purpose con- ter on self-preservation and, therefore, sisting of an internal, directive nature seek food, shelter and clothing. With- and external form. Animals, for ex- out these things we would not even ample, have an instinct which directs exist. Complementing this our mind their behavior. Plants have a simple desires harmony and pursues truth, response mechanism, called tropism, goodness and beauty. which directs the growth and move- It is vital to emphasize that both the ment of plants as they react to stimuli mind and body are essential. Both are such as sunlight, heat, gravity and wa- necessary. Both are good. There is not ter. In the inorganic world there is an an either-or option; both the mind and invisible directive nature, namely the body are absolutely indispensible. The laws of physics and chemistry, which issue is the correct priority or align- directs the formation and interaction ment. The relationship of mind and of particles, atoms and molecules. body is a partnership and with any Human beings have a mind and body. partnership roles and responsibilities Similar to other animals, the mind di- need to be clearly defined. rects the actions of the body. There As mentioned, the functions of the is, however, a very unique relationship body are more for self-maintenance. between mind and body within human It is here that the respiratory, digestive beings. In the animal, plant and mo- and cardiovascular systems are located. lecular worlds the relationship between The body, therefore, is foundational. It the internal nature and external form is provides for our very existence; with- instinctual, responsive, automatic, or in out it nothing else matters. When this some way pre-programmed. In other concept is applied to social issues it words, it is unlearned. is even clearer; health care, nutrition, On the other hand, each individual sanitation, housing, clothing, and our fully participates in establishing the environment are the basis for our very correct relationship between his or survival. her mind and body. Certainly there Yet, at the same time, if we only focus are aspects that are instinctive and re- on surviving, then we miss the higher sponsive in human nature, but in ad- qualities of being human, those that dition to this we have a freedom that make us unique from other animals giv- is unmatched anywhere in creation. We ing us a higher sense of creativity, spiri- must learn the correct alignment of tuality and purpose. Complementing mind and body. How do we do that? the private or self-maintaining aspects A peace initiative of another kind | 7 of the body, the elements of the mind to happiness; and the Bhagavad Gita warns are more public. For example, four of us saying our mind can be our greatest friend the five senses (to see, taste, smell and or worst enemy. hear), are located in the area of the The concept is easy to understand: put the head. Here almost all of our public in- desires of the mind above those of the body. teraction takes place: we talk and listen, However, to accomplish this is actually quite we share meals together and enjoy the difficult. Nevertheless, the path to peace begins smells and sounds of nature together. inside each of us by having the right priorities. For this reason, the functions of the But the correct mind-body alignment has mind are more elevated than those of even greater ramification with applied in a the body. In fact, this is how human be- social context. Corruption comes when these ings were designed: the mind is above, dual purposes are inverted and a higher prior- and the body below. But to repeat, both ity is given to seeking personal wealth, more are essential; the issue here is having the than fulfilling public responsibilities. In this correct placement of priorities. way, peace and prosperity will never come if Our lives are put in the proper order we are concerned first with our own well-being when we place our public responsibili- and happiness. It is only when we must care ties above our private desires; when we about the well-being of others, more than live more for the sake of others than ourselves—then and only then—can we have for ourselves (mind above body). Hu- peace, prosperity and harmonious co-existence. man beings, were given the responsi- To insure peace for ourselves, we must in- bility to align these dual purposes in sure peace for others first. the proper order. We do not come pre- programmed. We have the duty to put The Pair System the public aspects of our lives above our private concerns. Principle This dual purpose principle is actually an important requisite for peace. If our priorities The second basic principle of peace are inverted, for example, and we care more states that all things are created in pairs. for ourselves than for others, we will be in con- For example, human beings are either stant conflict with others. If “my interests” men or women. Animals are male or fe- are primary, then anyone who threatens these male. The reproductive parts of a plant will be seen as an adversary. In this case, hu- consist of a stamen and pistil. And in the man relationships will, unavoidably, take on subatomic world, molecules are made a confrontational nature. of cations and anions, atoms are made This is why all religions have stressed the of protons and electrons, and energy need to prioritize these dual purposes, placing has both a positive and negative charge. an emphasis on the mind controling the desires The important questions are, of the body. St. Paul described it as a war “Why?” and more to the topic of this inside; for Muslims it is called jihad; Buddha book, “What does this have to do with taught that controlling the mind was conducive peace?” 8 | Two paths to peace

There are two basic reasons for this to create love, two people are needed: pair system. First, this provides in- a man and a woman. In other words, sight into the nature of God. Just as love cannot exist by itself. This is true the character of a painter is reflected even for God, who needs a partner in in his painting, so too is the nature of order to experience love. God reflected in creation. Hinduism When Father Moon founded the correctly depicts God as Ardhanaris- UPF in 2005, upon the foundation of vara, a combination of three Sanskrit more than four decades of work, he words, ardha, nari, ishvara, literally, personally traveled to 120 nations in as “half, woman, God.” God is both male many days to deliver the Founder’s Ad- and female. dress at the inauguration of UPF chap- Buddha said he “is both the fa- ters. He explained this principle saying, ther and mother to the people of the “Although God is the absolute world.”4 In the first chapter of the being, He cannot be happy alone. Bible it says God made us in His im- Adjectives such as ‘good’ and ‘happy’ age—male and female.5 The Holy cannot apply to any being that lives Quran affirms that “everything was in isolation. They apply only where created pairs” so that we can “receive there is a dynamic mutual relation- instruction.”6 ship. Imagine a professional singer That everything was created in a pair who finds herself on an uninhabited system helps us understand the nature island. She may sing at the top of her of our invisible Creator who must have voice, but with no one to listen, will the attributes of both masculinity and it bring her happiness? In the same femininity. In other words, God is re- way, even the self-existent God abso- ally our Original Parent, having loving lutely needs a partner with whom to qualities of both a father and mother. share love in order to experience joy The second reason all things are cre- and be happy.7 ated in pairs is because energy is gen- How then does this pair system principle erated through give-and-take action apply to peace-making? between complementary parts. For ex- By understanding that God is our Origi- ample, an electric current is generated nal Parent and for a parent to feel love, they when charged particles (electrons) flow need an object of love which reflects their na- between a positive and negative pole. ture. This is why parents receive so much joy Likewise, the plant and animal worlds just looking at their children. Children reflect reproduce through the interaction of the nature of their parents. the masculine and feminine aspects This is actually a very powerful idea— within each species. For human beings God is our parent and we are His children.8 7 Moon, Sun Myung, Peace Message #1, 4 Mahaparinibbana-sutta, as cited from the “God’s Ideal Family and the Kingdom of the Teaching of Buddha, pg. 33. Peaceful, Ideal World,”, Universal Peace Fed- 5 Gen. 1.27 eration, September 12, 2005. 6 Koran 51:49. 8 The Quran 32:7-9 acknowledges that Allah A peace initiative of another kind | 9

That means we are a family. In fact, the motto family; it is the size of our family that deter- that drives UPF’s Gobal Peace Festivals is: mines our ability to love. One Family Under God. It is similar to the If, for example, my own physical family is ancient Hindu concept, Vasudhaiva Kutum- the largest family that I can imagine, then my bakam, meaning the world is one family. heart can love those family members, but not With all our diversities in languages, re- other people who may be labeled “strangers.” ligions, castes, nationalities and cultures, how If my tribe or caste is “my family,” then oth- can we really be one family? It’s simple—par- ers are out-castes. If my political party is “my ent makes a family. Brothers and sisters sib- family,” then other parties are rivals to be de- lings because of a common parent. Then, if feated, not partners in nation-building. Where all humankind have a common parent, God, we draw the boundary line of “family” im- then we also are a family. Understanding God mediately excludes those not “inside.” as our parents is imperative for us to transcend Therefore, if our hearts are small and our the man-made barriers that have divided us ability to love limited, it is because our concept for centuries and discover our common kin- of family is too narrow. By expanding the size ship. of our family to include everyone, literally, we Peace can never come as long as we are are challenging our ability to love beyond all blinded by the color of our skin, segregated boundaries. In this way, we are overcoming the by the way we worship, mute to other lan- walls that have partitioned our own hearts and guages and limited in our ability to love only divided our family. a common caste or culture. We naturally love In order for world peace to be established, members of our own family. But it is not our UPF is saying that we must draw the bound- ability to love that determines the size of our ary of “our family” as large as possible. We must make it so large that no one is excluded. breathed His spirit into us, after fashioning us To do this we must realize that we really are, of clay. In this sense it may be seen that our spirit originates from God who is like our One Family Under God. This is where true, spiritual parent. lasting peace begins.” 10 | Two paths to peace peacemaking: parellel tracks | 11

Peacemaking and Parallel 1Tracks 12 | Two paths to peace

Building a Climate for Cooperation Fearing that Nepal might become a insurgency, arrest corruption, and deal failed state and a source of regional with incompetence, the king declared instability, the United States, the Eu- a state of emergency, imprisoned party ropean Union, and India, along with leaders and journalists, cut communi- other nations, pumped extensive mili- cation lines with the outside world, and tary and economic aid into Nepal. proclaimed, “Democracy and progress This support, however, was suddenly contradict one another.” frozen in February 2005 when King Against the backdrop of political Gyanendra dismissed the government unrest and civil strife, nationwide eco- and seized absolute control of power. nomic progress stagnated. Rural areas Dissatisfied with the elected govern- were particularly hard hit, and development’s inability to address the Maoist ment ground to a virtual halt.

Dr. Christopher Kim delivers the Keynote Address at the 1st SAPI in Lumbini, birthplace of Lord Buddha, with the theme, “Innovative Approached to Peace through Responsible Leadership.” peacemaking: parellel tracks | 13

July 2005: Launch- • Keep the common good of the nation above personal or group ing the South Asia interests. Peace Initiative • Accept the values of coexistence, human rights, and the rule of law. (SAPI) • Declare educational institutions violence-free zones. A series of seminars in five regions • Find an appropriate arrangement to (Pokhara, Biratnagar, Nepalgunj, Kath- end conflict and resolve violence. mandu, and Lumbini), offered a forum for open dialogue and national debate. The appeal was signed by noted lead- The venue for the last seminar, held ers from government, religious institu- July 22, was in Lumbini, the birthplace tions, and civil society, with Taranath of Lord Buddha, and was the first Ranabhat, speaker of the House of South Asia Peace Initiative confer- Representatives, the first signatory. The ence. appeal was published in Kathmandu India’s longest serving ambassa- newspapers on August 28, and on Sep- dor to Nepal, K.V. Rajan, who is also tember 3 the Maoists declared a three- President of the Association of Indian month unilateral ceasefire.9 Diplomats, spoke about the important role of good leadership, not only in the current unrest but also for long-term November 2005: social and economic development. Dr. Priorities for Peace Christopher Kim, chairman of UPF- Asia, highlighted a strategy for peace At the second South Asia Peace Ini- that focused on addressing the root tiative conference, on November 12 causes of violence, human alienation, at Kathmandu University, the great- conflict, and suffering. Drawing on the grandson of the father of modern In- UPF founder’s philosophy, Dr. Kim dia, Tushar Gandhi of the Mahatma explored the dysfunctional and self- Gandhi Foundation, encouraged par- centered state of human love as a ma- ticipants to open direct dialogue with jor source of human conflict suggest- the Maoists. House Speaker Ranabhat ing that remedies can only be sought addressed a press conference acknowl- in understanding and correcting these edging UPF’s role in fostering dialogue root disorders. among national leaders to further the This pioneer effort concluded with peace process in Nepal, and Dr. Kamal the drafting of an “Appeal for Peace,” K. Joshi, chairman of the University calling national stakeholders to: 9 Maoists declare three-month long ceasefire. Nepalnews.com, Sep 03, 2005, retrieved Sept • Agree to a ceasefire and laying 11, 2009 from http://www.nepalnews.com/ down of arms. archive/2005/sep/sep03/news08.php.

14 | Two paths to peace

At the second SAPI conference entitled “South Asian Conflicts: The Non-Violent Option,” on November 12, 2006, Tushar Gandhi of the Mahatma Gandhi foundation and the great-grandson of the father of modern India, encouraged participants to open direct dialogue with the Maoists. Grants Commission and former Vice- cater to the needs of the poorest and Chancellor of Tribhuvan University, most vulnerable section of the soci- presented a 12-point peace proposal to ety in the spirit of empowerment at the press: grass root level. • Unless economic disparity, caste • Peace begins by living more for and gender discrimination are re- others than oneself. duced, conflicts will continue. • The origin of conflicts begins by • It is essential to have a dialogue on putting private interest above the the relevance of nonviolence directly public good. with those who believe in violence • The need for sensitive governance, for achieving their objectives. Dia- inclusive democracy, comprehensive logue should also be initiated among development, and rejection of vio- all related forces giving emphasis to lence in resolving conflict. the aspirations of people and demo- • The proactive role of civil society cratic value. in bringing about peace, good gov- • Justice and equality are needed for all ernance, and development was abso- sections of society, rich or poor. lutely essential. Development must • Nonviolence based on truth must peacemaking: parellel tracks | 15

be promoted for the restoration of sensus. peace and must be taken as an on- • Nation-to-nation understanding going process, not as the reaction to must be promoted in reducing con- conflict. flicts in the South Asian region. • Peace is essential for overall devel- • Unless the root causes and the en- opment. vironment of expanding conflict are • Each country will have to learn not addressed, its resolution will not from its own experience and devise be effective. its own solution with national con-

VIPs attending World Peace Tour I, (front row R to L) Rev. Chung Hwan Kwak, Dr. Christopher Kim, Mrs. Ranabhat, Hon. Taranath Ranabhat, Hon. Madhav Nepal.

November 22, 2005: nationwide, was part of Father Moon’s first international World Peace Tour WPT I—The birth that took him to 120 nations in 120 of the peace process days. It launched the Nepal chapter of UPF on that day and in each nation Ten days after this second South where he spoke inaugurated chapters Asia Peace Initiative conference con- worldwide. Father Moon explained cluded, on November 22, UPF found- that the most essential element of last- er Dr. Sun Myung Moon, age 86, came ing peace and happiness is to live for to Kathmandu and gave a peace mes- the sake of others—not for your own sage to an assembly of 4,500 people self-interest. at the Birendra International Conven- The same day, in New Delhi, India, tion Centre. This speech, telecast live the first step to begin the peace pro- 16 | Two paths to peace

Father Moon in Kathmandu, Nepal on November 22, 2005, World Peace Tour I, speaking at the Birendra International Convention Centre and to a live, nationwide telecast.

The calligraphy (top) painted by Father Moon on Nov. 22, 2005. Only two such writings were made during the entire world tour: Nepal and the Philippines. (Just above, is the English translation.) peacemaking: parellel tracks | 17

cess was put in place. Maoist rebels and a half years these parallel paths and leaders from the government-led have been running side by side. One opposition Seven-Party Alliance signed initiative was more external and visible the 12-point Memorandum of Under- in nature (the political side covered dai- standing which called for a peaceful ly in the press), and the second strategy transition to an elected constituent as- was less well known and more internal sembly and a united movement for the in nature (seeking to highlight the ba- restoration of democracy in Nepal.10 sic, universal principles that must ac- After more than a decade of armed company the political process in order conflict, the Maoists agreed to return for peace to be enduring). to the electoral processes and yield to In many circles the Memorandum the will of the people. But armed con- of Understanding was seen as a major flicts still erupted alongside the embry- breakthrough. On the other hand, it onic peace initiative threatening its very meant that the Maoists and the Seven- existence. Party Alliance had formed a coalition During his World Peace Tour, Father against the monarch. The road ahead Moon painted a canvas with Chinese would not be smooth. words on it and signed it. This was Prime Minister Koirala of the Sev- done in only two countries, and Nepal en-Party Alliance had taken a big risk was one nation to be given this high reaching out to the Maoists. In like honor (the other was the Philippines). manner, the Maoist leader, Prachanda, The calligraphy Father Moon wrote also took a huge gamble. In certain that day hangs in the Peace Embassy ways the new alliance was a serious building in Kathmandu. Its message threat to Prachanda because other is more like a prescription to solve the more radical rebel leaders would ac- problems in Nepal and the world. In cuse him of selling them out and aban- English it means: “The source of all doning their cause célèbre of a violent, success and victory is sincerity, loyalty, armed struggle. The United Nations and filial piety.” and the international community were Remarkably, two seeds of peace— very concerned that free and fair elec- both absolutely essential—had sprout- tions could not be held while the Mao- ed at the same time. Over the last four ists were still armed. Everyone won- 10 Parties, Maoists agree to end ‘auto- dered whether Prachanda would really cratic monarchy’ to establish ‘total democracy.’ surrender his weapons prior to holding Nepalnews.com, Nov 22, 2005, retrieved Sept elections. 11, 2009 from http://www.nepalnews.com.np/ archive/2005/nov/nov22/news13.php. 18 | Two paths to peace

Recap of 2005

Date UPF Nepal July 2005 July 22: 1st SAPI : Lumbini Sept. 3, the Maoists declared “Appeal for Peace,” resolu- a three-month unilateral tion published in Kathmandu ceasefire. newspapers on August 28. November Nov. 12: 2nd SAPI:, Ten day later, UPF Founder 2005 Tushar Gandhi encouraged arrived in Kathmandu, to direct dialogue with Maoists; establish the Universal Peace a 12-point peace proposal. Federation in Nepal.

Nov. 22: World Peace Tour I Nov. 22: Nepal’s peace (launching UPF chapters process launched; worldwide): Father Moon Maoists plus a Seven-Party speaks at the BICC Alliance sign a 12-point telecast live to the nation. MOU in New Delhi.

March 2006: The were killed. The death toll mounted daily, claiming a six-year-old boy as its peace process youngest casualty. renewed The Maoists blockaded the Kath- mandu Valley,12 and prices of daily After 12 months of direct rule by commodities shot up 80 percent. Life the monarch, law and order had not across the nation was crippled as the prevailed. The opposition alliance de- Maoists mounted an indefinite block- manded the restoration of democracy. ade and general strike.13 King Gyanendra refused, citing contin- Against this backdrop, on March 15 ued instability and promising that elec- at the Peace Embassy Building in Kath- tions would be held in April 2007. The mandu the third South Asia Peace situation grew worse. Initiative program was conducted. The fighting between the Maoists UPF-Nepal sought to provide a voice and government forces escalated.11 of reason and relight the smoldering Hundreds of police, armed forces per- candle of peace. Hoping to show Ne- sonnel, Maoists, and innocent people 12 Blockade cripples normal life nationwide. 11 Maoists step up violence to enforce their Kantipur Report, March 17, 2006, retrieved “blockade.” Nepalnews.com, Mar 15, 2006, Feb 16, 2007 from eKantipur. retrieved Sept 11, 2009 from http://www. 13 Prices soar in Valley, Kantipur Report, nepalnews.com/archive/2006/mar/mar15/ March 16, 2006, retrieved Feb 16, 2007 from news16.php. eKantipur. peacemaking: parellel tracks | 19

UPF-Nepal Chairman, Ek Nath Dhakal, speaking at the 3rd SAPI, March 15, the Resolution called for responsible citizenship and nation-building through self- governance. pal’s leaders that they are not alone in At the same time in New Delhi “se- their struggle for peace, it organized cret talks” were being held between the a conference on topic of “Regional Maoists and the Seven-Party Alliance, Conflicts in South Asia: The Human which up to that point “didn’t seem too Dimension.” upbeat,”14 according to press reports. The resolution drafted at the end Then suddenly, on March 19 —four of the conference noted that true de- days after the third SAPI conference mocracy—rule by the people —must concluded—there was a breakthrough, be based on responsible citizenship. It and a renewed commitment to the emphasized that democracy must be original Memorandum of Understand- based on self-governance where peo- ing emerged. It was hailed, “the second ple regulate themselves through their milestone in our movement for com- own conscience. plete democracy.” 15 Amb. Rajan asked the Nepalese leaders to look inwards. “Everyone may 14 Phuyal, Surendra,.Ahead of Sunday’s meet- have made mistakes in the past,” he ing, SPA negotiators in Delhi not too upbeat. said, pleading for all political leaders to Kantipur Report, New Delhi, March 18, 2006, “communicate with each other, have retrieved Feb 16, 2007 from eKantipur. compassion, tolerance, and positive 15 Delhi-based SPA negotiators relieved, see views of each side [in order] to find a more silver-linings, by a special correspondent. Kantipur Report, New Delhi, March 19, 2006, peaceful solution to the crisis.” retrieved Feb 16, 2007 from eKantipur. 20 | Two paths to peace

April 2006: Prayers In the midst of this chaos, on April 17 a printed memo was circulated for peace among the staff and affiliated organizations of UPF-Nepal (numbering in In early April, as the birth pains of the thousands of people). It called for democracy grew more intense, a peo- a seven-day period of penance with the ple’s movement to restore parliamen- objective to restore “national harmony tary democracy emerged. Strikes and of Nepal.” protests, called the first major revolu- In the tradition of India’s inde- tion of the 21st century, drew wide- pendence movement—during which spread media coverage and became Gandhi took responsibility for Hindu- known as the second People’s Revolu- Muslim fighting by fasting, sometimes tion, Jana Andolan II. It came at a high to the verge of death until communal cost: at least 19 Nepalese were killed conflicts abated—UPF members and during street demonstrations in Kath- supporters offered prayers for peace. mandu in April. 16 This internal side of the story is little On April 6, the Seven-Party Alli- known; it is being printed in manu- ance began a four-day strike to force script form here for the first time. In the king to restore the parliament. In the spirit of vicarious repentance, UPF support of the strike, the Maoist rebels personnel set daily conditions which called for a cease-fire in the Kathman- included a full-day of fasting, a daily du Valley. However, the government 40-minute meditation session in which of his majesty responded with a heavy messages of peace and religious scrip- hand, and 400 protesters were arrested tures were read aloud, peace rallies in and dozens of people injured. 17 cities across the country, 120 bows to The government announced a cur- heaven, and a candlelight peace vigil. few on April 8, issuing orders to shoot In what seemed like a miracle, the protestors on sight. The next day, the same day the week-long period of pen- Seven-Party Alliance called for a tax ance ended, April 24, King Gyanendra boycott and an indefinite strike. The addressed the nation and promised to size of the rallies increased daily, draw- reinstate the House of Representatives ing 100,000 to 200,000 people (ten per- “as per the Article 35 of the Constitu- cent of the capital city’s population). 18 tion of the Kingdom of Nepal” which 16 19 killed in Rupandehi, Kapilvastu clash- he had dissolved in 2002.19 Immedi- es… Nepalnews.com, Apr 8, 2006, retrieved Sept 11, 2009 from http://www.nepalnews. thousands protest against the royal regime. com/archive/2006/apr/apr08/news14. Nepalnews.com, Apr 8, 2006, retrieved Sept php. 11, 2009 from http://www.nepalnews.com/ 17 Over 400 protesters arrested. Nepalnews. archive/2006/apr/apr08/news14.php. com, Apr 6, 2006, retrieved Sept 11, 2009 19 Royal proclamation … Nepalnews.com, from http://www.nepalnews.com/archive/2006/ Apr 24, 2006, retrieved Sept 11, 2009 from apr/apr06/news19.php. http://www.nepalnews.com/archive/2006/apr/ 18 “Day of reckoning” in Nepal, tens of apr24/news15.php. peacemaking: parellel tracks | 21 ately after the royal proclamation, the sentatives was reinstated, and elections Seven-Party Alliance called off its gen- were set for a Constituent Assembly. eral strike. In addition, the Maoists announced a After the king’s historic announce- three-month unilateral truce and re- ment, events moved quickly. The king leased nine Royal Nepalese Army sol- appointed Nepali Congress Party pres- diers. The royal government respond- ident, Girija Prasad Koirala, as the new ed in kind by announcing a cease-fire Prime Minister. The House of Repre- and inviting the Maoists for talks.

June 2006: WPT II—The mother’s role in reconciliation

Mother Moon (center) accompanied by her son, Dr. Hyun Jin Moon (right), speaking during the World Peace Tour II in Kathmandu, Nepal on June 1, 2006. Special Guest, Hon. Subash Nemband, Speaker of the House (left). Against this backdrop of national peace process. The political uncertain- reconciliation, on June 1, Mrs. Hak Ja ties before Mother Moon’s second visit Han Moon, the wife of Dr. Sun Myung to Nepal (she accompanied her hus- Moon and co-founder of UPF, visited band the year before) threatened the Nepal giving the nation a message of cancelation of her trip. But the tour peace and outlining the internal quali- was part of her 180-nation world tour, ties that must accompany the on-going appropriately entitled, “God’s Ideal 22 | Two paths to peace

4th SAPI, June 26, 2006 on “Human Rights and Human Responsibilities: In Con- flict and Post-Conflict Situations.” Mr. D. R. Kaarthikeyan, Director General of the National Humans Rights Commission of India is speaking. Family and the Kingdom of the Peace- The occasion again seemed prophet- ful, Ideal World,” and the date could ic. It was as if a mother’s love which not be postponed or altered. cannot take sides when children fight This time she was accompanied by and seeks desperately the reconciliation her son, Dr. Hyun Jin Moon. In UPF among warring siblings, somehow re- circles it was referred to as the Moth- united the Nepalese as a family. At least er-son Peace Tour or, more formally, temporarily, the nation could dream World Peace Tour II. In her special of peace again. Ek Nath Dhakal, the address Mrs. Moon explained that the chairman of UPF-Nepal, put it this family is the model for reconciliation way, “Mother Moon came to Nepal, among fighting siblings. The following but she doesn’t come just for a select day, as she was departing Kathman- few. She comes for all her children— du, as many as 200,000 Maoists held she feels the Maoists are also her chil- a peaceful rally in the capital.20 This dren. It was as if by a mother’s love, was their first public demonstration of fighting children were reconciled.” strength in the capital city since begin- UPF-Nepal wanted to support and ning the insurgency. build on the new political momentum. Three weeks later, on June 26 it held a 20 Huge Maoist mass meeting concludes conference in the capital on, “Human peacefully in Kathmandu. Nepalnews.com, Jun 2, 2006, retrieved Sept 11, 2009 from http:// Rights and Human Responsibilities: In www.nepalnews.com/archive/2006/jun/jun02/ Conflict and Post-Conflict Situations.” news10.php. peacemaking: parellel tracks | 23

This was the fourth South Asia Peace of the ceasefire monitoring commit- Initiative event. tee was nominated and the committee Mr. D.R. Kaarthikeyan, the former given formal responsibility.22 Director General of the National Hu- Two days later, on June 28, the Mao- mans Rights Commission of India as ists announced that they were extending well as the former Inspector-General their nationwide ceasefire. Suspicious of Police, explained that “rights and re- of the Maoists intent US ambassador sponsibilities are two sides to the same to Nepal, James F. Moriarty, has said coin” and called on religious and spiri- the United States would not support tual leaders to take a more active role in an interim government in Nepal unless post-conflict Nepal. the Maoists “renounce violence.”23 At The new Speaker of the House, the the same the United Nations began to Rt. Hon. Subash C. Nembang, presided play a more high-profile role in prepa- over the closing session, during which ration for Nepal elections. The head of Amb. Rajan highlighted the unique role the UN team, Mr. Staffan de Mistura, civil society should play in supporting arrived in Kathmandu and began dia- government-level dialogue. The Indian logue with both the Maoists and ruling diplomat noted that the UPF’s peace party. The peace process seemed to be initiatives were a good example of the moving forward. non-partisan role NGOs should play in nation-building. news13.php. On the same day, the Interim Consti- 22 Ceasefire monitoring committee given formal responsibility. Nepalnews.com, Jun 26, tution Drafting Committee started its 2006, retrieved Sept 11, 2009 from http:// informal work of drawing up Nepal’s www.nepalnews.com/archive/2006/jun/jun26/ new constitution.21 And the chairman news08.php. 23 US not to support the interim govt. until 21 Interim Constitution Drafting Commit- Maoists renounce violence. Nepalnews.com, tee starts work. Nepalnews.com, Jun 26, Jun 28, 2006, retrieved Sept 11, 2009 from 2006, retrieved Sept 11, 2009 from http:// http://www.nepalnews.com/archive/2006/jun/ www.nepalnews.com/archive/2006/jun/jun26/ jun28/news10.php. 24 | Two paths to peace

Mother Moon speaking during World Peace Tour III. She was accompanied by her children and grandchildren (three generations) and a total of 12 such events were carried on in Kathmandu, Chitwan and Pokhara simultaneously.

September 2006: mandu Valley, Pokhara, and Chitwan were selected. Unprecedented for any WPT III—Three NGO, 12 public speaking events were generations promote conducted simultaneously. peace The same format of 12 events being held concurrently, conducted by three generations of Father Moon’s The United Nations’ International family, was held in 40 locations around Day of Peace was celebrated on Sep- the world. The keynote speech at each tember 21, 2006. On September 22, location stressed the importance of Mrs. Moon returned to Kathmandu, the family as the cornerstone for edu- her third visit. This was part of the cation, social integration, peace, and third World Peace Tour sponsored prosperity. Although the tour design by UPF International. This time she was certainly novel, the desire for peace was accompanied by her children, in- was universal. laws and grandchildren. Besides Mrs. Before the end of September, there Moon’s speech at the Birendra Inter- was flurry of activities to support Ne- national Conference Center (BICC), pal’s quest for peace. These included 11 other venues throughout the Kath- international support, aid packages, peacemaking: parellel tracks | 25

(from top left) Ms. Yeon Sun Yu, Ms. Jin Hwa Yoshi- da, Ms. Shiori Kunitoki, Mr. Shin Il Moon, Mr. In Sup Pak, Mr. Shin Bok Hong, Mr. Seo Young Ju, Mr. Jeong Woo Hwang, Rev. Jin Woo Lim, Mr. Young Jun Kim, Mr. Sung Yong Jang

T welve talks where given simultaneously throughout Nepal on September 22, 2006 including Mother Moon and representatives of three generations of her family. 26 | Two paths to peace

VIPs, religious leaders, diplomats, parliamentarians, and social activists attended the main World Peace Tour III at Kathmandu, Nepal while 11 other events were carried simultaneously throughout Nepal. human rights accountability, advances ing with Leahy (one of the most out- in women’s rights and gender equal- spoken critics of the former monarch), ity, press freedom, civilian control over Oli requested reconstruction and reha- the defense forces enforced, improved bilitation assistance from the US. 25 ties with India, an international inter- During her four-day visit to Nepal, religious youth convention, and sub- Danish Minister for Development Co- stantial progress in political peace talks operation, Ulla Tornaes, told Nepali focusing on one of the most tricky is- leaders on September 22 that “Den- sue—arms management. mark finds that it is important that the At the end of September Foreign ceasefire is not only confined to a ces- Minister K.P. Sharma Oli, during his sation of armed hostilities but is also trip to the United Nation General As- linked to opening up and securing the sembly in New York, stopped over in civic space….” 26 the US capital. On September 28, he On the same day, Japanese ambas- met both US Secretary of State Con- chive/2006/sep/sep29/news08.php. doleezza Rice and Senator Patrick 25 Oli thanks Senator Leahy for his inspiring Leahy of Vermont. Rice told Oli that support to democracy. Nepalnews.com, Sept “at the very least, armed groups should 28, 2006, retrieved Aug 3, 2009 from http:// www.nepalnews.com/archive/2006/sep/sep28/ not be allowed to stay in the political news08.php. process.”24 The day before, in a meet- 26 Implement political agreements to 24 US Secretary of State against allow- meet people’s aspirations: Danish Minister. ing “armed groups in the political process.” Nepalnews.com, Sept 22, 2006, retrieved Aug Nepalnews.com, Sept 29, 2006, retrieved Aug 3, 2009 from http://www.nepalnews.com/ar- 3, 2009 from http://www.nepalnews.com/archive/2006/sep/sep22/news09.php. peacemaking: parellel tracks | 27

sador to Nepal, Tsutomu Hiraoka, On the same day, the House also pledged a grant of over Rs. 6 mil- unanimously passed a bill to amend lion (UD$ 80,000) to the Institute of the Army Act. The new bill imposed Medicine at Tribhuvan University. One tighter civilian control over the defense major underlying grievance of the in- forces.30 Ending a relationship that had surgency has been economic disparity. lasted 237 years, the king would no lon- The occasion was the 50th anniversary ger be the head of the Nepal Army. of Japanese-Nepali diplomatic rela- Nepali citizenship and women’s tions, and the purpose of the gift was rights also gained ground. Again on “to alleviate poverty and achieve sus- September 22, Home Minister Sitaula tainable economic development.” 27 announced a controversial bill that all At the end of the month, Septem- eligible people should be given Nepali ber 30, Home Minister Krishna Prasad citizenship certificates before the up- Sitaula announced that India and Ne- coming Constituent Assembly elec- pal had agreed to sign an Extradition tions.31 A week later the Gender Equal- Treaty and Treaty on Mutual Legal As- ity Bill was approved unanimously by sistance.28 The new agreement would the House.32 replace a 50-year-old accord. On September 23, the Minister for On the domestic front, the govern- Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation, ment released to the House of Repre- Pradip Gyawali, announced that within sentatives and publicized on Septem- a month the sensitive issue of arms ber 22 a list of 174 people (776 cases management would be resolved. Both were reported) who had disappeared armies, the People’s Liberation Army after being arrested by government and the Nepal Army, would agree to forces during the insurgency.29 Clearly restrict the use of their weapons.33 there were civil rights violations on Vital to the peace process is press both sides. But an important lesson for freedom. The International Federation everyone is that such breaches of law, 30 Parliament endorses amended Army Act. wherever they occur, must be brought Nepalnews.com, Sept 22, 2006, retrieved Aug justice. 3, 2009 from http://www.nepalnews.com/archive/2006/sep/sep22/news11.php. 27 Japanese assistance for extension 31 Citizenship for all eligible citizens before of academic building of Nursing Campus. CA polls: Home Minister. Nepalnews.com, Nepalnews.com, Sept 22, 2006, retrieved Aug Sept 22, 2006, retrieved Aug 3, 2009 from 3, 2009 from http://www.nepalnews.com/ar- http://www.nepalnews.com/archive/2006/sep/ chive/2006/sep/sep22/news07.php. sep22/news02.php. 28 Nepal to sign Extradition Treaty with India. 32 House passes Gender Equality Bill, activ- Nepalnews.com, Sept 30, 2006, retrieved Aug ists welcome. Nepalnews.com, Sept 29, 2006, 3, 2009 from http://www.nepalnews.com/ar- retrieved Aug 3, 2009 from http://www.nepal- chive/2006/sep/sep30/news02.php. news.com/archive/2006/sep/sep29/news02.php. 29 Govt publicises status of 174 disappeared 33 Arms management by October: Minister people. Nepalnews.com, Sept 22, 2006, retrieved Gyawali. Nepalnews.com, Sept 23, 2006, re- Aug 3, 2009 from http://www.nepalnews.com/ trieved Aug 3, 2009 from http://www.nepalnews. archive/2006/sep/sep22/news08.php. com/archive/2006/sep/sep23/news02.php. 28 | Two paths to peace of Journalists raised its voice to express simultaneously and independently.”36 serious concern over the continued at- These were time periods when major tacks on freedom of the press in Nepal. developments occurred in apparently A press statement issued on September unrelated fields over specific periods 30 warned that “journalists continue to of history. Jaspers also called such be targeted and more must be done to periods “a pause for liberty.” He was, ensure that the rights and safety of me- of course, observing global historical dia workers are protected.”34 events. But the same principle, if true Other NGOs were also involved for world history, must also apply to in peace-related education. A week- nations as well. long international youth conference in One may argue that these domes- Kathmandu on the theme “Deepen- tic and international programs were ing Our Spirituality – Turning Inspi- planned months ahead. So too was Mrs. ration into Action” had just begun. It Moon’s tour. Starting with World Peace was organized by World Spirit Youth Tours III and continuing throughout Council. The objectives were to take the next two tours, WPT IV and V youth beyond ceremonial religiosity to that would conclude on December 24, explore “religions, faiths and ways of 2006, this was without a doubt a time life [to discover] how spiritual values, when major advances in the peace pro- through daily action, can transform cess also took shape. our world.”35 Sadly, however, violence was never All these achievements would direct- far away. On September 23, two un- ly or indirectly affect the peace process. identified gunmen riding motorcycles They helped build good will, optimism shoot dead Member of Parliament and keep things moving forward. This Krishna Charan Shrestha as he was period of time may be called the “Axial taking his morning walk in his home Period of Nepal’s peace process”. village.37 Shrestha was a member of Karl Jaspers, a German philosopher, the Rastriya Prajatantra Party and a coined the term the “axial period” de- former minister. scribing them as “the spiritual foun- dations of humanity [that] were laid 36 Axial Age. (2009, May 11). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 15:04, May 34 IFJ calls for protection of Nepalese journal- 11, 2009 from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index. ists. Nepalnews.com, Sept 30, 2006, retrieved php?title=Axial_Age&oldid=289264075. Aug 3, 2009 from http://www.nepalnews.com/ 37 Unidentified gunmen shoot dead MP archive/2006/sep/sep30/news05.php. Shrestha; parties condemn murder. Nepal- 35 Deepening Our Spirituality. World Spirit news.com, Sept 23, 2006, retrieved Aug 3, Youth Council, Sept 2006, retrieved Sept 11, 2009 from http://www.nepalnews.com/ar- 2009 from http://events.tigweb.org/9615. chive/2006/sep/sep23/news03.php. peacemaking: parellel tracks | 29

UPF-Nepal supports call on all parties to “Forgive, Love, Unite,” by putting the interest of the nation above political interests.

October 2006: Rally November 2006: to forgive, love, and WPT IV—Peace unite treaty signed; insurgency ends The next month, talks between the government and the opposition again In a continuing effort to support stalled. Headlines in The Himalayan peace at both the national and inter- newspaper broadcast what everyone national levels, UPF International con- already knew: “Inflexibility Leads to ducted the fourth World Peace Tour. 38 Deadlock in Talks.” In response, On October 14, within hours of cele- members of the UPF took to the brating the successful conclusion of the streets of Kathmandu, even demon- third Peace Tour in Venezuela, the UPF strating in front of the Prime Minister’s Founder announced that a fourth World official residence. Placards read - “For Peace Tour would begin on October 21 give, Love, and Unite,” and they called with the goal of sharing UPF’s universal on all parties to put the interest of the message in 120 countries.39 nation above political self-interests in Again an extraordinary format was order to bring a new spirit to the fledg- used: each nation would conduct 120 ling peace process. events. International Ambassadors for Peace, mostly religious leaders from the United States, reached out to nations on all continents of the world 39 Peace Tour IV, V - 2006, 2007. Peace Tour 38 Inflexibility Leads to Deadlock in Talks. The IV, retrieved July 29, 2009 from http://www. Himalayan Times, Oct 2006. peace-tour.org/tour4_2006/index.php. 30 | Two paths to peace

World Peace Tour IV

Russian Cultural Center, Kamalpokhari

City Hall, Kathmandu, Nepal

Guest speakers peacemaking: parellel tracks | 31

delivering messages of peace, hope, The treaty was signed on Novem- inspiration and reconciliation. Three ber 21—exactly one year after Father AFP came to Nepal in November: Ms. Moon visited Nepal to launch UPF Nin Sharyn Bebeau, Rev. Dr. Damon S. and when the original 12-point MOU Roach, and Rev. Mrs. Patricia Slabaugh. was signed in New Delhi.42 The Maoist Some of the larger events were held insurgents would surrender their arms at the National Assembly Hall in Kath- to the UN and be restricted to seven mandu (600 participants), Dhyan Kuti cantonment areas; the Nepal Army Buddha Vihar (150 participants), St. would be confined to its barracks.43 At Xavier’s School in Kathmandu (120 a press conference marking this occa- participants). The final program was sion, Prime Minister Koirala said, “We held at the Russian Culture Centre, No- all are entering into a new era from to- vember 24. Before a crowd of nearly day. All Nepalese must come together 350 distinguished national level guests, to build a new Nepal.”44 Rev. Slabaugh explained that she was supporting the work of Father Moon December 2006: because “he is truly working for world peace.” Then declared, “Nepal is a holy WPT V—Interim spiritual country and I always dreamt constitution signed to visit here at least once in my life. Today my dream came true.”40 In all, To strengthen its own foundation, Nepal fulfilled the goal of 120 events. UPF-Nepal launched The Univer- Towards the end of the fourth World sal Times on December 1. The paper Peace Tour, amidst on-again, off-again started as a fortnightly, bilingual (Eng- dialogue among political parties, a his- lish and Nepalese) tabloid with the first toric milestone was reached. On No- prototypes in black and white, followed vember 7, after a 14-hour marathon by a full-color version on January 15 of session between the Maoists and the the following month. Seven Party Alliance, a six-point peace accord was agreed upon.41 This related 42 Comprehensive Peace Accord signed, Armed Insurgency declared officially over. to setting up an interim government, Nepalnews.com, Nov 21, 2006, retrieved Sept constituent assembly elections, and an 11, 2009 from http://www.nepalnews.com/ arms agreement among other things. archive/2006/nov/nov21/news12.php. 43 Later it was learned that the Maoists exag- 40 Peace Tour IV - 2006: Nepal. “Nepal” No- gerated the numbers of combatants and with vember 2006, Elk (sic) Nath Dhakal, retrieved this inflated number would receive addition July 29, 2009 from http://www.peace-tour.org/ financial support to buy more weapons. tour4_2006/nation/nepal.php. 44 Comprehensive Peace Accord signed, 41 SPA government and the Maoists seal the Armed Insurgency declared officially over. historic deal. Nepalnews.com, Nov 8, 2006, Nepalnews.com, Nov 21 2006, retrieved retrieved Sept 11, 2009 from http://www. September 12, 2009 from http://www.nepal- nepalnews.com/archive/2006/nov/nov08/ news.com/archive/2006/nov/nov21/news12. news01.php. php. 32 | Two paths to peace

The Universal Times, published to support the peace process and contribute to building a peaceful Nepal was launched December 1, 2006.

After the 5th SAPI, a meeting with Comrade Prachanda, President of Maoists Party was arranged. (left to right) Mr. Ek Nath Dhakal, Dr. Robert Kittel, Amb. K.V. Rajan, Prachanda and Dr. Baburam Bhattarai, the second ranking top leader among the Maoist Leadership in the Party. peacemaking: parellel tracks | 33

Buddhist Monastery, Swayambhu, Kathmandu

In addition, the fifth South Asia reotypes and constructing bridges of Peace Initiative program was held understanding. on December 6. Representatives from Added to this, World Peace Tour V the Maoists participated in a UPF con- was launched. Its goal was ten times ference for the first time as Mr. Ram that of the fourth tour—1,200 events Karki, Foreign Affairs Leader from the to be concluded by the day before Central Working Committee of the Christmas, December 24, 2006. Communist Party of Nepal-Maoists, Twenty events were addressed by two addressed 80 Ambassadors for Peace distinguished Korean Ambassadors for gathered in Kathmandu under the Peace, Prof. Lee Chang Sup and Dr. theme, “In Support of the Peace Pro- Cho Kyung Chong.45 Nepalese AFP cess: The Role of National and Inter- supported in a major way, including: national Civil Society.” Executive Director of the Kathmandu The presence of the Maoist leader Metropolitan City, Dinesh Thapaliya; added a new dimension of face-to-face Gurudev Swami Dr. Bikashnanda; for- dialogue between all parties, now a hall- mer Speaker of the House of Repre- mark of UPF-Nepal, and fulfilled what sentatives, Hon. Taranath Ranabhat; Tushar Gandhi had strongly advocated the current Deputy Speaker, Hon. Chi- in the second South Asia Peace Initia- tralekha Yadav; and seven Members of tive program just 13 months before. Parliament. After the SAPI program finished, At one of the main events held at Karki arranged for a delegation from the Peace Embassy building in Kath- UPF-Nepal to meet privately with mandu, Deputy Speaker Yadav said Maoist Supreme Leader Prachanda and that “Father Moon’s teachings have al- his second in command, Dr. Baburam ready been approved by world leaders Bhattarai. UPF has repeatedly high- 45 Peace Tour V - 2006-2007: Nepal. “Peace lighted the critical role that interper- Tour V; Nepal” retrieved July 29, 2009 from sonal dialogue plays in building trust, http://www.peace-tour.org/tour5_2006/nation/ overcoming barriers, setting aside ste- nepal.php. 34 | Two paths to peace and can surely bring peace and unity to In addition to laying out the structure Nepal.” Unhesitatingly she added, “Let of the Constituent Assembly, incorpo- us remember Father and Mother Moon rating both a direct and proportional today on behalf of all Nepalese peace- electoral system, lawmakers decided to loving people. If we completely follow keep both the national symbol and the them, true peace will come to Nepal national animal—the cow. and the world.”46 Still doubts were not far away. Next By the end of the sixth World Peace day the coordinator of the Interim Tour, UPF’s peace message had been Constitution Drafting Committee and given at 1,200 events throughout Ne- former Supreme Court Justice, Laxman pal. A memo from UPF international Prasad Aryal, has said that the nation headquarters explained the internal was indeed heading towards a republican meaning behind this tour was to edu- set-up and that only issue was whether it cate people about the important rela- will end up to be a “people’s republic” tionship between internal or spiritual or stop at a “democratic republic.”48 dimensions of peace and the political Within a month Nepal’s Parliament aspect of peacemaking. Maybe no- was dissolved and replaced by an in- where in the world was the fruit of terim legislature that included former this tour more apparent than in Nepal. communist rebels. In the new parlia- Again the connection between the two ment the Maoists were given 83 out of paths to peace seemed uncanny. 330 seats.49 Two days later, on January On December 16, “after four days 17, former communist guerrillas be- of hectic deliberation” Nepalese lead- gan to hand over their weapons to UN ers agreed on an Interim Constitution, monitors.50 Nepali leaders and interna- a legal document that would guide the tional observers breathed a huge sigh peace process from now on. It was of relief. The peaceful disarmament of signed at 7:30 in the morning. Banner radical militants was a vital marker in headlines read: “Interim constitution a the peace process. historic step forward.” The accompa- nying article read: “Leaders of the sev- 48 Nation moving towards republic set up: en-party alliance and Maoists have de- Aryal. Nepalnews.com, Dec 17 2006, retrieved scribed the interim constitution, which Aug 28, 2009 from http://www.nepalnews. was finalized after a marathon meeting com/archive/2006/dec/dec17/news02. early Saturday morning, as a historic php. step for political settlement and peace 49 Interim parliament convenes; MPs sworn 47 in. Nepalnews.com Jan 15, 2007, retrieved in the country.” Sept 13, 2009, from http://www.nepalnews. 46 Ibid. com/archive/2007/jan/jan15/news15.php. 47 Interim constitution a historic step 50 UN starts registration and storage of forward, say leaders. Nepalnews.com, Dec Maoist weapons. Nepalnews.com Jan 17, 16 2006, retrieved Aug 28, 2009 from http:// 2007, retrieved Sept 13, 2009, from http:// www.nepalnews.com/archive/2006/dec/dec16/ www.nepalnews.com/archive/2007/jan/jan17/ news08.php. news16.php. peacemaking: parellel tracks | 35

Recap of 2006 Date UPF Nepal 3rd SAPI: March 15 on, “Re- March 19th a breakthrough and March 2006 gional Conflicts in South Asia: a renewed commitment to the The Human Dimension”; original MOU emerged. April 17-24 UPF-Nepal April 24, King Gyanendra April 2006 begins a seven-day period reinstates the House of Rep- of penance for the “national resentatives. harmony of Nepal.” June 1: World Peace Tour II June 2, Maoists hold first (Mother-Son Tour) public demonstration since insurgency. June 26, 4th SAPI, on “Hu- Same day: Interim Constitu- June 2006 man Rights and Human Re- tion Drafting Committee sponsibilities: In Conflict and started; Chairman of the Post-Conflict Situations.” Ceasefire Monitoring Com- mittee nominated; next day after Maoists extended their nationwide ceasefire. Sept. 22: World Peace Tour An Axial Period in III Nepal’s peace process September 2006 (Three-Generation Tour) begins 12 venues simultaneously in 3 cities October 15, “Forgive, Love, Unite” October, Nov. 21, November 2006 Oct 21 – Nov 24 Comprehensive Peace World Peace Tour IV Accord signed 120 peace rallies Dec. 1,The Universal Times Maoists attend SAPI launched; for first time; Dec. 6, 5th SAPI: “In Sup- UPF-Nepal leaders met privately with Maoist Supreme December 2006 port of the Peace Process: The Role of National and Leader Prachanda. International Civil Society.”

Nov. 24 - Dec. 24 Dec. 16: World Peace Tour V: Interim Constitution 1,200 peace programs signed. 36 | Two paths to peace

(left to right) Mr. Tulsi Adhikari, DSP-Dhading, Mr. Ki Jun Park , Korean Am- bassador for Peace together with Mr. Ram Saran Chimoriya, C.D.O. Dhading, Mr. Shambhu SinghThaka 2007: WPT VI each nation. A four-word motto galvanized this One family under God peace movement globally. It became a mantra that energized members The roadmap to peace was more around the world and focused the heart like a rollercoaster ride. Skirmishes of- and energy of UPF leaders to express ten turned deadly, especially between what they believe is the original ideal youth wings of the various parties. of creation, “One Family under God.” Kidnapping, intimidation, and extor- In the course of 2007 and continuing tion went unchecked, although not on into 2008 and 2009, it became the ral- the massive scale of the decade-long lying call of the Global Peace Festival, insurgency. With the Nepal Army con- events would draw millions of partici- fined to their barracks and the police pants, engage governments at the high- units too small to handle the wide- est levels, mobilize military and police spread violence, lawlessness and impu- units, and unleash the power of young nity seemed to rule. people in music, peace education, and The UPF’s sixth World Peace Tour community service. Cutting across began February 1 and continued until culture, race, religion, nationality, and September 12, the second anniversary linguistic barriers, young and old alike of the founding of UPF in New York discovered the invisible unifying com- City’s Lincoln Center. The goal was for mon denominator—that we are one an astounding 12,000 peace rallies in global family. peacemaking: parellel tracks | 37

Dr. Suresh Raj Sharma, Vice-Chancellor of Kathmandu University (R), presents the souvenir of Kathmandu University to Prof. Dr. Kyung –June Lee, President of Sun Moon University.

Prof. Dr. Kyung –June Lee, Korean Ambassador for Peace, delivering her keynote speech at Tribhuwan University program, Prof. Nirmal Man Tuladhar, Director Center for Nepal and Asian Studies, beside her. 38 | Two paths to peace

Mrs. Ok Kyung Kim, Korean Ambassador for Peace together with the participants in Gorkha.

Nepalese took up this challenge of touched the hearts of over half a mil- grass-roots peace activism in earnest. lion Nepalese citizens. Rallies, large and small, were held nationwide, house-to-house visitation March 2007: were prolific, and UPF-Nepal members distributed more than 20,000 spe- Leadership and cial edition newspapers that explained good governance the vision and purpose behind the World Peace Tours. The national cam- In the middle of UPF’s marathon paign mobilized 12 international Am- peace campaign, a special program bassadors for Peace, supported by 352 was organized on March 17 to honor Ambassadors for Peace from Nepal. the Prime Minister of Nepal, Rt. Hon. The philosophy of peace that Father Girija Prasad Koirala, in Kathmandu. Moon teaches is personal and real. It UPF wanted to support the Prime starts by looking inside yourself and Minister in his efforts to build a peace- in your immediate family relationships. ful, unified nation. In an event that Peace will not come from a govern- drew nationwide media coverage, and ment decree; it begins at home. criticism from some quarters, Prime When all was said and done, UPF- Minister Koirala received UPF’s high- Nepal accomplished a massive out- est honor, the Leadership and Good reach, likely unparalleled by any NGO Governance Award. in Nepal. Peace education centering on In his acceptance speech, the Prime the family had in one way or another Minister said there were four princi- peacemaking: parellel tracks | 39

Prime Minister of Nepal, H.E. Girija Prasad Koirala (black hat), receives the Lead- ership and Good Governance award from former Regional Chair, Dr. Christo- pher Kim as UPF-Nepal Chairman, Ek Nath Dhakal looks on. ples that guided his life: the desire for man of UPF-Asia, acknowledged all peace, the need for independence, the the players involved in bringing peace goal of prosperity, and the mechanism to Nepal. Then he went on to thank of democracy. He believed so strongly and praise the Nepalese Prime Minis- in the power of the rule of the people, ter, saying, by the people, and for the people, not “I am amazed at the many similari- only as a model of effective account- ties between the life of Prime Minister ability and administration but also as a Koirala and Father Moon. Both men healing force. If the Maoists became are over 80 years old and have been part of the democratic process then, working tirelessly throughout their Koirala believed, they would abandon lives for peace. They are both willing to their violent means. “My responsibility suffer personally for that ideal. Prime and duty,” said the Prime Minister, “is Minister Koirala has been imprisoned, to bring all non-democratic elements exiled or detained on numerous occa- within the constitutional framework of sions and has spent more than 19 years democracy.” of his life under arrest. Father Moon In this special address at the cer- has been unjustly imprisoned six times emony, Dr. Christopher Kim, Chair- in four different nations.” 40 | Two paths to peace

Moving toward a parliament immediately ousts the king and declares a republic.” 54 republic The Maoists were relentless in press- ing their demands to dethrone the king. As the campaign to build “One Fam- Disregarding any legal limitations of ily under God” persevered, so too did an interim government, they repeat- nation-building. On April 1 communist edly threatened nationwide protests de- rebels joined an interim government, manding that the king be thrown out. becoming part of the political main- On July 7 the king hosted a lavish 60th stream. But their voice grew louder birthday celebration, his last in the pal- and stronger as they repeated their de- ace, and Maoists protested in the streets. mand: “Abolish the monarchy.”51 This Finally on September 18, one week had long been their goal, and the first after the fifth World Peace Tour ended cracks in the walls of the Narayanhiti on September 12 and on the anniver- Palace occurred on February 8 when sary of the third World Peace Tour the government printed paper curren- (known as the three-generation tour), cy with a picture of Mt. Everest replac- the Maoists stormed out of the gov- ing the image of the tarnish monarch. ernment and vowed to disrupt elec- In the same month, February 26, the tions (which ultimately had to be post- Cabinet appointed Gopal Man Shres- poned twice). The following day, they tha to head a three-member committee kicked off a controversial, nationwide to begin to nationalize property hold- campaign to oust the monarchy. ings of the royal family. A week later, September 26, the On March 30, Nepal’s seven rul- Nepal Congress party appeased the ing political parties and the country’s Maoists and agreed to endorse the re- former Maoist rebels agreed to form publican agenda. This would, in effect, a joint government, seen as “the lat- put an end to the dominant role of est step in ending a decade of civil the monarch in politics over the past war.”52 Two weeks later, on April 16, 240 years, ending any “traditional posi- they again “demanded that the country tion of support for some kind of royal immediately scrap the monarchy and role in the impoverished Himalayan declare itself a republic amid probable nation.”55 But still it was not enough. delays in an election over the issue.”53 Upset at the bad press hard-line com- And again after a fortnight, on May 1, munists were getting Maoist-backed “Nepal’s Maoists threatened to push trade union members attacked Nepal’s the nation back into turmoil by launch- largest newspaper house, The Kanti- ing huge nationwide protests unless pur Publication. Members of the All 51 Timeline “Nepal.” Retrieved July 27, /2009 Nepal Printing and Publication Work- from http://timelines.ws/countries/NEPAL. ers’ Union, a trade union affiliated with HTML. 52 Ibid. 54 Ibid. 53 Ibid. 55 Ibid. peacemaking: parellel tracks | 41

6th SAPI: December 1, 2008, “Supporting the Peace Process at the Civil Soci- ety Level: National and International Perspectives”; three major political parties (Maoists, NC and UML) along with the president of the Human Rights Organi- zation attended. Speaking: Mr. C.P. Gajurel, a leading figure among the Maoists..

the former rebels, ransacked the press along with the president of the Human offices and manhandled staff. -Publi Rights Organization attended. cations halted on September 30. On In strong, passionate speeches senior October 5, as tension grew, Birendra leaders of the Communist Party of Shah, a freelance journalist, was kid- Nepal-Maoists, Nepali Congress, and napped and murdered by Maoist cadre. Communist Party of Nepal-United The elections were postponed. Marxist-Leninists, reaffirmed their parties’ commitment to holding elections, December 2007: The creating a constitutional assembly, writing the constitution and making Nepal Role of Civil Society a republic. At the outset, Mr. Ek Nath Dhakal, Amid this increased turmoil and ten- gave an overview of the history of the sion UPF-Nepal decided to hold the peace initiatives, emphasizing the cor- sixth South Asia Peace Initiative on relation between the external peace December 1 in Kathmandu. The title process and the South Asia Peace Ini- was, “Supporting the Peace Process tiative programs over the past three at the Civil Society Level: National years. and International Perspectives.” Lead- Amb. K.V. Rajan explained that Ne- ers from three major political parties pal was doing something no other na- 42 | Two paths to peace tion on earth has done: in the matter vested interests would make it impossi- of a few years it was transitioning from ble for such a code to be impartial and feudalism to full-blown democracy, unbiased. Pathak also called for “peace opening the way for a left-wing radical volunteers” to work at the village level party to join mainstream politics, and in every district of Nepal. working to create a federal government Special guest, Hon. G.M. Gurung, in the environment of an inclusive po- Minister of Human Resource Devel- litical structure. He went on to explain opment and Cultural Heritage for the that the role of the international com- government of Sikkim (a nearby state munity was to understand, empathize in northeast India), won everyone’s with, and support this historic process. hearts by showing up in the Nepalese “No one should underestimate the ca- national dress that he had bought after pacity of the people and political lead- arriving in Kathmandu. Gurung said ers of Nepal to solve their own prob- he came not as a political figure hold- lems,” Amb. Rajan concluded. ing a government portfolio, but as a Mr. C.P. Gajurel, spokesman for the friend of UPF. Nevertheless, he invited Communist Party of Nepal-Maoists, UPF to Sikkim and said he would help called for an early resolution to the organize a similar event in the provin- political crisis. “Without solving our cial capital, Gangtok. political problems,” he said, “we can- This author explained that it was not focus on economic development.” impossible to police people into being Gajurel insisted that Nepal be a repub- good. Ultimately, we must be guided by lic and that proportional representa- our conscience which acts like a moral tion be part of the process. compass. For this reason, a common Senior leader of Communist Party understanding of “good” is essential. of Nepal-United Marxist-Leninists, The teachings of UPF see the willing Mr. Krishna Gopal Shrestra, warned act of sacrificing oneself for the ben- of the possibility of violence if the efit of others as universally good, a peace process fails. And Mr. Prakash definition that finds resonances in all Man Singh, Vice-Chairman of the Ne- religions. In this sense, it is impossible pal Congress Party, underscored the to defend any system of government need to bring this process to a conclu- (democratic, communist, monarchy or sion in a peaceful, non-violent manner. any other) in the midst of unrelenting The president of the Human Rights poverty and rampant corruption. If Organization of Nepal, Mr. Sudip leaders who hold public office display Pathak, made two novel suggestions. the level of selfish devotion where they Most important, he said “civil society only care for themselves, then surely must establish a code of conduct” that the future of the nation will be dismal. could be used to guide the peace pro- By the end of the same month all the cess. He stressed that this could not major political parties, led by the Nepal be done by any political party because Congress, agreed to end bring an end peacemaking: parellel tracks | 43 to Nepal’s royal family. On December ists rejoined the government, ending a 23, they decided to abolish the Hindu three-month deadlock, and the follow- monarchy in order to bring the Mao- ing day, four former rebel leaders were ists back into the peace process. A few given Cabinet ministries. 56 days later, on December 30, the Mao- 56 Ibid.

Recap of 2007

Date UPF Nepal World Peace Tour VI: Parliament dissolved, an 12,000 peace rallies, interim government with theme “One Family under Maoists formed; God”; weapons monitored. Maoist’s mantra: January WPT VI ends on Sept. 12, “Abolish the monarchy;” through on the second anniversary September of establishing the Universal Nepali currency reprinted w/o 2007 Peace Federation. image of monarchy; property holdings nationalized; The anniversary of the third World Peace Tour (Sept. 22, Sept. 18, Maoists stormed out 2006). of the government; Maoist- backed trade union attacked Kantipur Publication UPF’s Leadership and Good March 30, former Maoist Governance Award given to rebels and ruling party alliance Prime Minister of Nepal, Rt. agreed to form a joint March 2007 Hon. Girija Prasad Koirala, government. March 17, to unify the nation and support all parties involved in the peace process.

6th SAPI: December 1, On December 23, they “Supporting the Peace decided to abolish the Hindu Process at the Civil Society monarchy in order to bring Level: National and Interna- the Maoists back into the December 2007 tional Perspectives”; peace process three major political parties (Maoists, NC and UML) December 30, the Maoists re- along with the president of joined the government, ending the Human Rights Organiza- a three-month deadlock, and tion attended; the following day, four former rebel leaders were given Cabi- net ministries 44 | Two paths to peace

The dais at the Parliamentarians for Peace (L to R) Hon. Naraendra Bikram Nembang, Minister, Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs; Mr. Ram Hari Joshy, President Ex-MP’s Club; Hon. Subas Chandra Nembang, Speaker of the House; Dr. Thomas G. Walsh, Secretary General, UPF International; Hon. Chi- tralekha Yadav, Deputy Speaker of the House; and (standing) Dr. Christopher B. W. Kim, Chair, UPF-Asia.

January 2008: During regular Parliament sessions in Nepal, the House of Representatives is Parliamentarians officially chaired by both the Speaker for peace and Deputy Speaker. Interestingly, at the UPF event both the Speaker, Hon. Once the peace process was put back Subash Nembang, and the Deputy on track, UPF-Nepal did something Speaker, Hon. Chitralekha Yadav, were novel, something no NGO in Nepal in attendance. Among the 200 partici- had ever done. In addition to educat- pants were more than 120 Members of ing the masses about the principles of Parliament. peace which they had done throughout Due to poor health Prime Minister last year during World Peace Tour VI, Koirala thanked UPF in a written mes- they decided to educate lawmakers in- sage saying, “Our people have ben- side the Singhadurbar, the Parliament efited from national and international Secretariat. The format would be that conferences that foster dialogue at the of an International Leadership Confer- highest levels of government.” ence the hallmark of UPF. Speaker Nembang reminded every- UPF-Nepal held the inaugural ses- one that the new government must sion of its ILC inside Nepal’s hallowed be inclusive and its role was to deliver legislative halls on January 16. The con- “reliable, down-to-earth services to the ference title was “Parliamentarians for people.” Peace.” Before her own fellow lawmakers, peacemaking: parellel tracks | 45

The inaugural session the International leadership Conference called “Parliamen- tarians for Peace” was held inside the Singhadurbar, the Parliament Secretariat, on January 16, 2008. Hon. Subash C. Nembang, the Speaker of the House, is addressing the audience.

Deputy Speaker Yadav declared, “As a that UPF’s model of good leadership Member of Parliament and as a Nepal- was very practical since it applied to ev- ese citizen, I would like to express our eryone, not just political leaders. “Each gratitude to Father Moon for helping and every person is a leader in some to bring peace in Nepal.” Hon. Yadav way,” he said. He concluded by saying is one of the highest-profile women that “living more for others helps us politicians in Nepal. She knew the job prioritize our lives and align our minds of peace building would be difficult and bodies in the correct order and and thus urged the members of parlia- that this is the foundation upon which ment, “If we really try to put Father peace and harmony will be realized.” Moon’s principles into practice, then At the outset special recognition was we can be very instrumental in achiev- given to the Ex-MPs Club who part- ing lasting peace for our nation.” nered with UPF to hold the confer- The Minister of Law, Justice, and ence. Mr. Ram Hari Joshy, President of Parliamentary Affairs, the Hon. Nar- the Ex-MPs Club, former Education endra Bikram Nembang, enlightened Minister, and senior Nepali Congress and delighted the audience by saying leader, called the conference “a dream that the model of good governance come true.” He noted that Nepal was was uncomplicated, “Take the values passing through a stage of peace, but of the family and imprint them on so- to achieve lasting peace the root prob- ciety.” This is also UPF’s mantra. lems, which he identified as greed, self- Dr. Christopher Kim, one of 12 in- ishness, lust, and hatred, had to be ad- ternational guests present, explained dressed. 46 | Two paths to peace

Following the inaugural session in UN. (In 2007, the Office for ECOSOC the parliament, a two-day in-depth ed- Support and Coordination in the UN ucation program was held at the Hyatt Department of Economic and Social Regency Kathmandu January 17 and Affairs became the focal point for in- 18. This International Leadership Con- terreligious, intercultural and intercivi- ference had the theme, “Toward a New lizational dialogue and cooperation ef- Paradigm of Leadership and Good forts.) Governance for Peace in the 21st Cen- “Good governance is not limited to tury.” political leaders,” Amb. Rajan noted, The conference gathered top-level adding, “It applies to all levels of gov- government leaders, including the ernment as well as to civil society—it Minister of Foreign Affairs, Minister even applies to parents in a family.” for Home Affairs, Deputy Speaker of Expanding the model of good gover- the House, a former Prime Minister, nance from the family to the interna- two former Speakers of the House, tional level, Amb. Rajan clarified that 29 Members of Parliament, the Chair- the ultimate goal of UPF is a world man of the Nepal Bar Association, two without boundaries where all people army generals, one former Chief of lived together as one global, spiritual Police, an Inspector General of Police, family. three university presidents, one former Deeply impressed by the foundation ambassador, and international diplo- and projects of the Nepalese chap- mats from India and Taiwan. In all 209 ter, Dr. Thomas G. Walsh, Secretary participants attended. General of UPF International, closed Equally impressive was the grass- the program by declaring: “Nepal is roots foundation gathered at the ho- a superpower.” He explained that he tel. Among the delegates attending the was not speaking in terms of military conference were representatives from might, economic strength, or intellec- all 75 districts of Nepal. Delegates tual authority. “Nepal has something from outside the Kathmandu Valley better and more important than all of repeatedly expressed the desire to wel- these. Nepal is a superpower of peace come such a program in their district. and a superpower of moral character.” After Nepal’s Foreign Minister, Hon. The twice-postponed national elec- Sahana Pradhan, inaugurated the con- tions were scheduled to take place in ference (her full address is attached), April. However, meeting the deadline Dr. Julia Kim, Co-Chair of UPF-Asia, for registering a political party while delivered the keynote speech. Kim out- holding a major international confer- lined Father Moon’s peace-building ence required a bit of juggling. The initiative at the United Nations, where Nepal Family Party was officially reg- UPF has been working closely with the istered by the January 14 deadline, en- government of the Philippines to es- abling it to field candidates in the com- tablish an interreligious council at the ing elections. peacemaking: parellel tracks | 47

General Elections

P olitical campaign for the Nepal Family Party, prior to elections on April 10, 2008.

Building up to the and sometimes severe clashes between political parties in many districts” just elections days before the election. One candidate was murdered. But at least the armies The 2006 peace accord ended ten were held at bay, and without this, the years of armed conflict in Nepal. Since peace process would have been com- the agreement was signed, the Nepalese pletely derailed. army had been confined to its barracks Martin said he saw the peace process and the Maoist rebels were disarmed in Nepal as unprecedented for other and camped in seven main cantonment reasons as well. The Communist Party sites mostly in the southern Terai re- of Nepal-Maoists, which was a radical gion of Nepal. The special representa- armed insurgent movement, was now tive of the UN Secretary-General in participating in an electoral process. Nepal, Ian Martin, called the Nepalese It was a difficult and bold step for the peace process “unprecedented,” noting Maoists to give up armed conflict—a that there had “not been a shot fired central tenet of communist philosophy between the two armies” over the past is the justification of violence—and two years. return to the ballot box. If it worked, The elections for a Constituent As- it might well be a precedent for other sembly scheduled for April 10, 2008 nations in Asia and around the world would be another milestone in the to follow. peace process. The campaign, how- The leader of the Maoists, Pushpa ever, had not been without violence. Kamal Dahal, popularly known as The United Nations Mission in Nepal, Prachanda, the “feared one,” signed a called UNMIN, reported “frequent written agreement given to the United 48 | Two paths to peace

Nations saying “any results would be Commission. The largest contingency, accepted” as long as the election was 150, was from the European Union. credible. The United Nations does not Second was the Asian Network for like to use the more popular description Free Elections with 100 observers; the “free and fair” with regard to elections, United States had a team of 50 people. considering the term too absolute. In- Public campaigning officially end- stead it prefers the term “credible,” ed two days before the polls opened. which allows for minor incidents that During this 48-hour period, individual do not alter election outcomes. candidates could still telephone people The UN envoy also praised the Nep- and meet voters one-on-one, but pub- alese people for what they themselves lic campaigning, with bullhorns, rallies had done. “Another aspect to which and loudspeakers strapped on top of this (peace) process is unprecedented cars crisscrossing the cities, was over. is the extent to which it has been an in- Only the voting remained. digenous process,”57 Martin observed. More than 60,000 Nepalese oversaw In other nations around the world the polling to determine if it was cred- there has been a “significant degree of ible. The United Nations worked with international intervention, but this is a the Election Commission to coordi- peace process that is genuinely a Ne- nate this small army of observers to pali process that has been negotiated maximum coverage. amongst the Nepalese actors.” 58 Martin emphasized, however, that April 10: the peace process would not be over when the election results were an- Election day nounced. Outstanding issues would remain: the integration and rehabilitation On April 10, 17.5 million Nepalese of former Maoist combatants with went to the polls to determine the the Nepal army, writing the constitu- fate of their nation of nearly 30 mil- tion, and having it ratified. Added to lion people. There were 54 parties this would be the normal challenges of contesting the elections. Voter turnout running a nation. was high, in some districts as high as An unparalleled degree of world at- 80 percent. Nationwide, the turnout tention was focused on Nepal’s elec- was about 60 percent, including a high tion. At least 30 international groups number of women voters. with more than 1,000 individual ob- A total of 575 lawmakers would be servers registered with the Election elected, some directly and some as rep- 57 U.N. envoy praises Nepal’s peace process. resentatives of their party. The final UPI’s Asia Online April 9, 2009, retrieved 26 members of Parliament would be April 9, 2009, from http://www.upiasia.com/ nominated by the new prime minister Politics/2008/04/09/un_envoy_praises_nepals_ making a total of 601 members of the peace_process/4407/. Constituent Assembly. 58 Ibid. peacemaking: parellel tracks | 49

The Nepal Family Party won one seat in the Constituent Assembly. Holding the “Constituent Assembly Member Certificate” is Hon. Ek Nath Dhakal.

Two election systems ran side by but ultimately 335 parliamentarians side, and each voter voted twice. First, would be elected by this proportional running as individual candidates in system. what was called “first-past-the-post,” Nepal’s first elections in nine years 240 representatives were elected direct- were disrupted by scattered incidents ly by the people. In this case, whoever of violence across the country; how- got the most votes in a particular vot- ever, overall the elections were hailed ing district won that parliamentary seat. as peaceful. Voters expressed a sense These results came in fairly quickly. of pride that they finally had a voice At the same time and at the same in selecting the leadership that would voting booth, a second ballot was giv- rewrite the nation’s constitution and en to each voter to cast their vote for decide the fate of their 240-year-old their party. These results would be pro- monarchy. portional, based on the election results “The overall feeling is that of ex- from throughout the entire nation. It citement,” said Ek Nath Dhakal, a took nearly a month to tally these re- candidate for the newly formed Nepal sults because of the poor transporta- Family Party, after talking to his party tion and communication systems in members in 15 districts. “There were remote rural areas. Recounting further some incidents, maybe less than 20 delayed the announcement of results, across the country,” he added, “and 50 | Two paths to peace all parties were involved: the Nepali the electoral process. Congress, the Communist Party of Former US President Jimmy Carter, Nepal-United Marxist-Leninists, and who came with his wife and other ob- the Maoists. But this was not totally servers from the US, said, “These elec- unexpected.”59 tions will end a long period of conflict Skirmishes at some polling stations and open a new chapter in Nepal’s his- included booth capturing, destruction tory. What we are witnessing here is of ballots, and blocking voters from revolutionary and wonderful.”60 entering the polling stations. In some Elections had been postponed twice. cases the violence between political Even up to a few weeks before, there parties turned deadly — at least two were periods of grave uncertainty as to people were killed. whether the elections would take place. In the Ramechhap district, the Mao- In one district, Surkhet, the election ists disrupted the election at several was not held because one candidate, polling stations and captured voting Rhishi Prasad Sharma from the Com- boxes. In the Chitwan district, polling munist Party of Nepal-United Marxist- was cancelled in several places because Leninists, was killed the day before Nepali Congress cadres tried to burn elections. Voting was called off at 33 the ballots. And in the Mahottari dis- polling stations. trict a “major scuffle” between the Ne- Nonetheless, throughout the hills, pali Congress and Communist Party of valleys and plains of Nepal, Nepal- Nepal-United Marxist-Leninist cadres ese exercised their democratic right to resulted in police firing bullets in the vote. In Hindu temples, playgrounds, air to disperse the crowd. No one was schoolyards, and other public plac- reported injured. es voters queued quietly outside the There were 20,882 polling booths guarded polling area in two lines, one in 9,801 locations spread throughout for men and another for women. Nepal. Inside each polling station were Identification cards were checked and a number of election officials, police, mobile phones surrendered as they en- and observers from various political tered to cast their votes. parties, all of whom were issued cre- In major cities all vehicular traffic dentials from the Election Commis- was banned. Polling stations were with- sion. An estimated 130,000 security in walking distance. In Kathmandu a personnel were mobilized, including special bus for tourists circled around temporary police recruited specifi- the valley stopping at major hotels, but cally for this election. In all, more than travelers were still seen lugging their 230,000 staff and volunteers managed suitcases along the empty roads to 59 Nepal concludes historic elections. Tribhuvan International Airport. The upiasiaonline.com, April 11, 2008, retrieved border with India was closed for 72 April 11, 2008, from http://www.upiasia.com/ hours. Politics/2008/04/10/nepal_concludes_historic_ elections/8343/. 60 Ibid. peacemaking: parellel tracks | 51

Maoists lead the more than double that for any other party head. Reports from the Media government Monitoring Program indicated that in the month running up to the election The election results surprised ev- Prachanda received five hours and 38 eryone. No one could have imagined minutes of direct speaking time on the the victory for the Communist Party eight television channels and 15 radio of Nepal-Maoists, in both the direct stations monitored in the capital. (where they won over half) and in the By contrast, Prime Minister G.P. proportional elections. Koirala of the Nepali Congress Party Of the 575 elected parliamentary had two hours and 44 minutes, while seats, the Communist Party of Nepal- Madhav K. Nepal of the Communist Maoists won 220 seats and became the Party of Nepal-United Marxist-Lenin- largest single party in the Constituent ists was given two hours and 20 min- Assembly. The Nepali Congress Party utes of direct air coverage. got 110 seats, and the Communist Par- Also the psyche of the Nepalese ty of Nepal-United Marxist-Leninists people featured the electoral process won 103 seats. The Madhesi People’s in several ways. Well before the elec- Rights Forum got 53 parliamentary tion, Mr. N.S. Gajurel, principal and seats. Since no party won an absolute founder of the Holy Vision School, majority, the Maoists would have to said the best way to deal with the Mao- learn the art of consensus-building. ists would be to give them power. Two Winning an election and governing of his brothers are in the Maoist party. would not be the same thing. When asked to explain his rationale The results shocked the political es- more fully, he said, “In a classroom if a tablishment. The dominant, seemingly student acts up, you give him responsi- invincible, Nepali Congress Party was bility. It works even better than punish- crippled. The Communist Party of ment.” It seemed the Nepalese people Nepal-United Marxist-Leninists was wanted to teach Prachanda a big lesson badly damaged and resigned from the since they have given him and his Mao- government. ist party a huge electoral mandate. The question everyone asked, “Why The forgiveness factor also featured did the Maoists win so heavily?” There prominently into the Maoists’ victory. may not be a single answer. Most likely A zoology teacher in Kathmandu de- several factors aligned themselves into scribed this aspect of the Nepali think- what may be called “the perfect elec- ing: “In the US elections, everyone is tion” (as least for the Maoists). looking into the past, opening closets, To begin with, the amount of air and dragging out skeletons. But in time in the electronic media given to Nepal, people easily forgive. If some- Prachanda, chairman of the Com- one changes their ways, people will be munist Party of Nepal-Maoists, was 52 | Two paths to peace forgiven.”61 He went on to say that the armed conflict, followed by two years Maoists had changed their ways and of intimidation and extortion, put two years ago gave up armed strug- fear in people. They were afraid to go gle to enter the peace process. It was against local communist leaders. a difficult and dicey decision for the Finally, and most importantly, people communist leaders, pitting Prachanda wanted a change. They were tired of against more hard-line party cadre, but the corruption that has imprisoned clearly the Nepalese people had for- them in poverty and their vote “for” given them. the Maoists was also a vote “against” The fear factor played a major role the established ruling parties. Clearly in the Maoists’ unpredictable landslide people wanted to give peace a chance victory. A student campaigning from and hope for a better tomorrow. his hometown in Gorkha district said, But the clock was ticking. More than “People were genuinely afraid of the anyone, the Maoists understand that Maoists.”62 More than ten years of the people have high expectations and 61 Nepalese vote to give peace a chance. things have to change. The Maoists upiasiaonline.com, April 15, 2008, retrieved had a clear mandate to usher in a new April 15, 2008, from http://www.upiasia.com/ Nepal—they do not have a blank Politics/2008/04/15/nepalese_vote_to_give_ check. peace_a_chance/2819/. 62 Ibid. peacemaking: parellel tracks | 53

Birth of a Democratic Republic

May 2008: and did nothing. King Gyanendra and his family were Constituent now ordinary Nepalese citizens. The Assembly ends special royal privileges would quickly the monarchy be taken away and they must start to pay taxes. Days later, the former royal People celebrated and danced in the family was told to leave the Narayanhiti streets throughout the day as they wait- Royal Palace, which would become a ed for the final decision on the fate of public museum. Without fanfare, they the monarchy, which came after more quietly moved to a private residence than ten hours of delays. Nepal’s newly about eight kilometers from the capital elected Constituent Assembly declared on June 11. this nation a federal democratic repub- The morning after the parliament lic late in the evening of May 28. On decision, people and press persons the same day they brought an end to gathered in front of the future muse- the monarchy that had ruled Nepal um to see something that was not there for the past 239 years making Nepal a — the royal flag no longer flew over secular state. the pink palace. It is as if they were re- Lawmakers voted 560 to 4 in favor assured by seeing this for themselves; of making Nepal an “independent, the monarchy is really gone. Here there indivisible, sovereign, secular and in- was little gaiety, just silent contempla- clusive democratic republic.” Eleven tion. As people stood looking at the members of parliament were absent or untouchable palace, ringed with high abstained. 63 fences and double gates they realized Earlier in the day an effigy of the the future of Nepal now lies elsewhere. king, representing the end of Ne- Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koira- pal’s feudalism, was paraded through la, 83, briefly addressed the Parliament the streets of the capital. It was later on Wednesday evening, saying, “Our burned, to the uproar of the crowd in dream has come true, I think our na- front of Birendra International Con- tion’s dream has come true.… Now we vention Center, where members of have a big responsibility.”64 Parliament met. A heavy contingent Hon. Ek Nath Dhakal, the leader of of police and security forces looked on the Nepal Family Party that won one seat in the Constituent Assembly, was 63 Nepal assembly set to declare a republic. 64 The democratic republic of Nepal is born. UPI’s Asia Onlilne, May 27, 2008, retrieved UPI’s Asia Online, May 29, 2008 retrieved May 27, 2008, from http://www.upiasia.com/ May 29, 2008, from http://www.upiasia.com/ Politics/2008/05/27/nepal_assembly_set_to_ Politics/2008/05/29/the_democratic_repub- declare_a_republic/4687/ lic_of_nepal_is_born/1267/. 54 | Two paths to peace asked to reflect on the meaning of this July 2008: day. “In the entire history of any nation,” he said thoughtfully, “this day Presidential comes only once. This is the dawn of elections a new nation. Nepal is now a republic.” The elections not only shifted the Executive powers centered on the center of power, it brought many new prime minister, and Rt. Hon. Pushpa players to the political arena. Twenty- Kamal Dahal, was given that responsi- five parties were represented in- Par bility as leader of the party that gained liament. “This time, big parties be- the most votes in the elections. This came small; small parties became big,” happened on August 15, four months Dhakal reflected. after the historic elections. Despite his He stressed the need for the nation’s communist background, Prachanda new leaders to remain humble. “Politi- indicated he would seek a pragmatic cians do not always determine the fate rather than an ideological path for Ne- of a nation. We must be aligned with pal, recognizing that free markets and the will of the people; we must listen foreign investment would be necessary to, learn from, and be educated by the to the country’s development.65 people.” Nation-building, Dhakal add- The previous Prime Minister, Hon. ed, was not just the job of legislators; Girija Prasad Koirala, who took of- all citizens must be owners of the new fice in April 2006 after the fall of King Nepal. Gyanendra’s regime, remained the In Parliament, Dhakal made a name leader of the Nepali Congress Party for himself speaking out boldly on im- and took on the role of opposition portant national issues. From the dais, leader. The Congress Party did not join he stressed the great sacrifices needed the Maoist government. to bring about this historic day and ex- Now lawmakers needed to elect a horted fellow lawmakers that Nepal’s president. highest legal standard must preserve On July 19 three candidates com- their “God-given rights.” In front of a peted for the position, but no single hall filled with a majority of commu- person received the 298 votes needed nists, many who are atheists, few would to win. A runoff was scheduled three dare evoke the name of the Divine. But days later between the two front run- 85 percent of Nepalese are Hindus and ners, a Maoist candidate, Ram Raja still believe in a Creator. Prasad Singh, and Dr. Ram Baran Ya- dav, a Nepali Congress candidate. The Maoists held the office of prime 65 Maoist leader named Nepal’s prime minister. UPI’s Asia Online, August 15, 2008, retrieved August 16, 2009, from http://www.upiasia.com/Politics/2008/08/15/maoist_leader_ named_nepals_prime_minister/2081/. peacemaking: parellel tracks | 55 minister and thus control of executive minutes before the helicopter explod- powers. In addition to this, they sought ed in flames.67 This was the same day the office of the president, since legal- Dr. Chung Sik Yong, the new Regional ly and technically the president would President for UPF-Asia and personal control the army (which was formerly representative of Father Moon, ar- directly under the king). If the Mao- rived for the first time in Nepal. It was ists held both the presidency and the also the day before Nepal’s presidential office of prime minister, few doubted election. that Nepal would become a commu- Normally helicopter accidents are nist state. fatal, as Nepalese are aware. On Sep- The presidential election, and thus tember 23, 2006 all 24 people flying in the fate of the nation, was decided a helicopter in eastern Nepal, including by a handful of votes. Yadav received Nepali Forestry Minister Gopal Rai, 308 votes, only ten votes more than foreign diplomats, Nepalese journal- needed, and Singh received 282 votes.66 ists, government officials, and crew Exactly 52 days after the monarch was members were all killed. 68 Two years abolished Dr. Ram Baran Yadav be- later, on March 3, 2008, again in Ne- came Nepal’s first president. pal’s eastern mountains, a UN helicop- It is difficult to stress how critical ter crashed, killing all ten people on this election was. The presidential elec- board.69 tion was a tense life-and-death struggle But was there a connection between on the national level. Electing Yadav the Nepal elections and Moon’s heli- as president prevented the Maoists copter crash? The two events were in from having a monopoly of power. A two separate countries thousands of year later, the importance of this posi- kilometers apart. To most, they would tion became obvious when President seem unrelated. But were they? Yadav’s stood against the prime min- To begin with both events were clear- ister to protect the Nepal Army and ly life-and-death struggles. Electing Ya- brought the downfall of the Maoist dav as president prevented Nepal from government. becoming a communist state. Not only On July 18, one day before this his- 67 Rev. Moon Escapes Helicopter Crash. Avia- toric vote took place in Nepal, another tion Today, July 21, 2008, retrieved September life-and-death encounter occurred 13, 2009, from 4045 kilometers (2513 miles) away in http://www.aviationtoday.com/rw/commer- the mountains north of Seoul, Korea. cial/airtaxi/Rev-Moon-Escapes-Helicopter- Crash_24313.html. The UPF Founder, Father Moon, his 68 Chopper crash site spotted; All 24 on- wife, grandchildren, and close staff board died. Nepalnews.com, Sep 25 2006, were in a helicopter crash. Miracu- retrieved September 14, 2009, from http:// lously, they all escaped unharmed just www.nepalnews.com/archive/2006/sep/sep25/ news07.php. 66 2009, from http://www.nepalnews.com/ 69 from http://www.nepalnews.com/ar- archive/2008/jul/jul21/news09.php. chive/2008/mar/mar03/news12.php. 56 | Two paths to peace was the future of Nepal at stake, but Father Moon ’s World Peace Tours and the stability of the South Asia region and Nepal’s peace process. and Asia were in the balance. Father Moon’s whole life has been Secondly, Nepal’s peace process and dedicated to peace. In 2009 his autobi- Father Moon’s quest for world peace ography was published. He gave it the have been linking together from the title, As a Global Citizen of Peace because very beginning. The day Nepal’s peace this has been the dream of his entire process began, November 22, 2005, life and the focus of all his energy. was the same day Father Moon came It has been noted that many of the to Nepal and launched the Univer- communist leaders have also given up sal Peace Federation. Since that day, their lives for sake of this nation. With there have been two tracks to peace the willingness to make such sacrifices in Nepal, going on side by side: one on both sides, if only there could be a through political events and a second way for them to unite, surely peace can more internal peace process through come to Nepal. If so, then this small, the activities of UPF primarily through developing nation could share these the World Peace Tours (internation- lessons with the rest of the world and ally) and the South Asia Peace Initia- at last global peace could be realized. tives (domestically). These programs Was there then a connection be- have complemented and supported the tween the Nepal elections of 2008 and political peace process over the course Moon’s helicopter crash? This is more of several years. And the election of a matter of faith. But UPF members the president of Nepal was surely one and close Ambassadors for Peace in of the most critical events in Nepal’s Nepal believe the two events are con- struggle for peace. nected. All religions believe that suffer- In addition to the various South Asia ing can have a vicarious benefit, unlim- Peace Initiative programs designed by ited by time or space. If there was a UPF-Nepal leaders to encourage and connection, then it means that the lives guide this nation to fulfill its desire of Father Moon, his family, and close for peace, each of the six World Peace associates were placed in jeopardy to Tours paralleled significant political help Nepal become a nation of peace events in Nepal. The dates for these and a model for the world. Would Fa- global tours were not controlled by ther Moon ever knowingly take this Nepalese leaders. These correlations, kind of risk? Yes. He has many, many explained previously, are repeated here times. This is his lifestyle. to highlight the connectedness between peacemaking: parellel tracks | 57

Correlation of Events

Events UPF Nepal World Peace Tour I UPF-Nepal launched; 12-point MOU signed. November 22, 2005 World Peace June 2, Maoists rally in capi- Tour II Mother-son tour tal first since the insurgency. June 1, 2005 World Peace Axial Period in Nepal’s peace Tour III Three-generation tour September 22, process begins. 2006 World Peace Tour IV 120 peace rallies Nov. 21, Comprehensive Peace Accord signed. Oct. – Nov. 2006 World Peace Dec. 16, Interim Tour V 1,200 peace rallies Constitution signed. Dec. 2006

Jan. 15, 17: Interim government formed; Maoists begin to World Peace disarm; March 30: Maoist and ruling Tour VI 12,000 peace rallies; “One Family Under God” party alliance form joint govern- Jan. – Sept. 2007 ment; Sept. 18: Maoists quit government demanding “Abolish the monarchy.” 58 | Two paths to peace

Protecting the Peace Process

On November 22, 2008 UPF-Nepal organized the “Interreligious Cooperation for Peace and Human Development” with religious leaders from 12 traditions attending. Following this a Resolution was submitted to His Excellency the Presi- dent of Nepal. Nov. – Dec. 2008: the army, education, even beauty pag- eants, to name some of the more The role of religion prominent examples. But nowhere was in peacebuilding the objection more vociferous than from the religious community. Five Weeks after the new government weeks after the new leaders took of- was formed, the Maoists tried to stack fice, when the people heard that the the deck. In many government and government would cut off funds for non-government agencies they tried to the traditional religious festivals (Indra place their people in key positions, in- Jatra), they took to the streets.70 Pro- crease their influence, or gain outright testers blocked traffic and burned tires. control. This, of course, is not unusual; In Parliament lawmakers came down it is part of politics. But they did so of- heavy on the government the follow- ten using the philosophy that “the ends ing day, September 21, accusing it of justifies the means,” in some cases ig- 70 ‘Cut-off’ in govt funding for jatras noring legal procedure, customs, and triggers protest; Home Ministry urges calm. fairness. Nepalnews.com Sept 20 2008, retrieved Au- They were meddling in the courts, gust 3, 2009, from http://www.nepalnews.com/ archive/2008/sep/sep20/news09.php. peacemaking: parellel tracks | 59

attacking their ancient culture and re- 1. Since religion is the root of human culture ligious traditions. Both the Home and and tradition, sustainable peace is impossible Finance Ministers recanted, saying that without the involvement of religions. There- the government would continue fund- fore, nobody should try to enforce the concept ing such programs. 71 of religiosity at any level of society; on the Religious freedom is an essential hu- contrary religious freedom must be guaranteed man right. Any visitor to the Pashu- for every citizen. patinath Temple on a religious holy day 2. To guarantee the natural human rights, to would have little doubt that the vast conserve our common resources, to institution- majority of Nepalese are very religious. alize democracy and to keep the national unity Religion permeates Nepal’s history, art, intact, the role of the religious leaders is criti- architecture, music, and way of life. In cal. Thus, there should be policies to facilitate Kathmandu, one can frequently see the understanding, respect and cooperation people touching their head and heart among the different religions. as they walk or drive by temples. 3. To achieve unity in diversity by including To help emphasize the importance God, who has had the highest respect by the of religious freedom, UPF-Nepal or- majority of human beings throughout all ages, ganized a program on November 22. and all faiths, which have been guiding human The title of the conference was “Inter- civilization, an interreligious council would religious Cooperation for Peace and be a powerful medium to achieve this goal, so Human Development” and religious provisions should be made for such a council in leaders from 12 traditions attended. the new constitution. After the program ended, a delega- 4. By formulating the rule of law, that re- tion of religious leaders went to the quires the guarantee of natural human rights Presidential Palace and presented the for the welfare and justice of all people, and by President of Nepal, Dr. Yadav, a signed ending the situation of impunity, the required plaque with the conference resolution arrangements should be made and enforced. printed on it. That resolution read: 5. Since ancient times, family values have The “Interreligious Cooperation for Peace given special emphasis in Nepal and they are and Human Development,” was organized by essential to maintain social structure; with this the Universal Peace Federation with leaders concept we should strongly promote that “all from more than 12 religious institutions at- Nepalese belong to one family.” This should tending, including: a former Prime Minister, be central to the new constitution. former ministers, current and former Members of Parliament and distinguished personalities Speaking out on the issue of reli- of civic society, resolved that: gious freedom at this juncture proved timely. The tensions between religious 71 Lawmakers take govt to task over jatra people and the government continued, expenditure cut-off, Nepalnews.com Sept 21 and the next episode erupted at the 2008, retrieved August 3, 2009, from http:// end of December when the Maoist www.nepalnews.com/archive/2008/sep/sep21/ news13.php. government appointed two Nepalese 60 | Two paths to peace priests at Nepal’s most holy temple, It seemed the Maoists have been un- Pashupatinath Temple, on the banks able or unwilling to read the sentiments of the Bhagmati River in Kathmandu.72 of the people. When this incident Normally, Brahmin priests from South broke out, the Vice-President of Ne- India head the temple; but in this case pali Congress, Ram Chandra Poudel, two Nepalese priests, hand-picked by pointed out something that was be- the Maoists, were appointed by-passing coming more and more obvious—that cultural protocol. “the Maoists’ totalitarian attitude is the The Supreme Court issued a stay or- main hindrance to the peace process.”76 der on January 1, reinstating the Indian He noted that the Maoists promised priests until they reviewed the govern- but never returned land seized during ment decision.73 A few days later, a the insurgency. Others have noted that row broke out when about 100, a cadre not a single person has been prosecut- from the Youth Communist League de- ed for human rights violation under the fied the court order and tried to force Maoist government. the issue by “escorting” the new Nep- alese priests to the temple. They also December 2008: harassed the temple authorities who opposed the government’s appoint- The challenges of ment. Riot police were called out, and governance ten people were injured in skirmishes.74 On July 23, with the decision of the On December 21 the editor and pub- Supreme Court still pending, authori- lisher along with ten staff members of ties at the temple’s development trust the Himalmedia group were attacked said they would appoint two Indian and injured in their offices in Lalit- priests because “regular worshipping pur (just outside Kathmandu). About had become difficult to manage.”75 50 masked hooligans from the Maoist trade union, All Nepal Trade Union 72 SC issues interim order on appoint- Federation, ransacked the office and ment of Pashupatinath priests. Nepalnews. 77 com Jan 01 2008, retrieved August 4, 2009, beat up staff. Their pretext was trade from http://www.nepalnews.com/archive/2009/ union issues, but Nepali Times editor, jan/jan01/news13.php. Kunda Dixit, said “This is not a labor 73 Ibid. issue; this is a press freedom issue. The 74 10 hurt as Maoists attack Pashupati temple staff. IBNlive Jan 04, 2009, retrieved August 76 Maoists’ totalitarian attitude main 4, 2009, from http://ibnlive.in.com/printpage. hindrance to the peace process: Poudel. php?id=81932§ion_id=2. Nepalnews.com Dec 29 2008 retrieved Au- 75 Pashupatinath temple to appoint two gust 4, 2009, from http://www.nepalnews.com/ Indian priests. Times of India, July 23, 2009, archive/2008/dec/dec30/news01.php. retrieved August 4, 2009 from http://timeso- 77 Himalmedia attacked again, dozen injured. findia.indiatimes.com/news/world/south-asia/ Nepalnews.com Dec 21 2008, retrieved Au- Pashupatinath-temple-to-appoint-two-Indian- gust 4, 2009, from http://www.nepalnews.com/ priests/articleshow/4812852.cms. archive/2008/dec/dec21/news06.php. peacemaking: parellel tracks | 61

Nilambar Acharya, Esq., former Minister Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs, and constitutional expert, speaking at 7th SAPI, December 23 on “The Chal- lenges of Governance for Sustainable Peace”; 24 Members of Parliament from 14 different political parties attended.

Maoists want to control the media.”78 Nepal’s Constituent Assembly repre- Earlier, the media group had run front- senting 14 different political parties, in page stories criticizing the tactics of addition to legal experts, academicians, the Maoist-backed trade union. military experts, human rights advo- UPF also advocates for social change cates, and international peace educa- but believes that it must be done peace- tors were among the 150 guests who fully, without creating resentment. shared their views on the topic, “The Resentment is a negative emotion be- Challenges of Governance for Sustain- cause it fuels retaliation and revenge. If able Peace.”79 force is the primary vehicle for change, This program at the Peace Embassy it will create resentment because it vio- Building in Kathmandu was packed lates our original human freedom. In with excitement as the eight scheduled this way, UPF sees education as the speakers were each given ten minutes most effective mechanism for chang- to express their views on the confer- ing society. Therefore, in the midst of ence theme. Presentations had to be this tense situation, UPF-Nepal held its focused and concise. seventh South Asia Peace Initiative 79 The Challenges of Governance for Sustain- program two days after the attack on able Peace in Nepal. UPF.org, December 23, the Himalmedia group. 2008, retrieved September 15, 2009 from Twenty-four parliamentarians from http://www.upf.org/programs-news/sapi/1377- the-challenges-of-governance-for-sustainable- 78 Ibid. peace-in-nepal. 62 | Two paths to peace

Hon. Dhakal reviewed the role UPF Hon. Nilambar Acharya, a Member played in the peace process. At each of Parliament from the Nepali Con- critical step of the way, beginning in gress Party, again emphasized the need November 2005, UPF held programs for the rule of law beginning with law- designed to support the peace process. makers themselves. Taking this a step UPF continually seeks to raise aware- further, he said, “Life, liberty, and the ness about the need for spiritual val- pursuit of happiness means that the ues to guide the nation and that these government should not block or ob- should be integrated into Nepal’s new struct educational institutions or busi- constitution. nesses that are already successful, but Mr. Bishwo Kanta Mainali, President instead give them priority in order to of the Bar Association, noted that the be even more effective.” Acharya ex- expectations of the people were high plained that the international com- and the resources limited. Neverthe- munity was willing to help Nepal, but less, he said that peace and develop- first the Nepalese have to get the basics ment could come about only within the right, centering on the right to life. “rule of law.” Justice, he reiterated, had “Passion requires self-control,” to be given to the victims of violence. 82Hon. Radhe Shyam Adhikari told Mainali went on to say that the consti- the delegates. He counseled fellow tution was not just a statutory docu- lawmakers that they must listen to the ment. “It must reflect the heart of the people and then think of creative ways people,” he said, “Otherwise, it will not to act, especially in formulating the ar- function.”80 He expressed appreciation ticles of Nepal’s new constitution. for UPF’s continued emphasis on fam- The only woman among the speak- ily values as integral to nation-building. ers emphasized the necessity for “due Next Hon. Dina Nath Sharma, a process,” noting that not only must Member of Parliament from the Com- the final outcome be right, but the munist Party of Nepal-Maoists, noted steps taken to achieve this goal must that each person has “two types of also be within the law. Highlighting mind; they have bad and good inside this point, Hon. Sapana Malla Prad- them.” To bring out the good side, han, a Member of Parliament from Hon. Sharma advised that the govern- the Communist Party of Nepal-United ment must advance “economic equal- Marxist-Leninists, said, “The process ity, human rights, and tolerance of re- of making the new constitution must ligious differences.”81 Concluding his be transparent.”83 Only in this way can remarks, the Maoist Member of Parlia- people feel “ownership” of the highest ment said, “We must kick out discrimi- laws of their land. nation and put [our] priorities on work, Former Speaker of the House, Hon. not on money.” Taranath Ranabhat, challenged the

80 Ibid. 82 Ibid. 81 Ibid. 83 Ibid. peacemaking: parellel tracks | 63

audience by saying that only 240 par- thus it is the most important social in- liamentarians actually represented the stitution. people (the other members of Parlia- A short question-and-answer session ment were appointed through party- followed, with most of the questions based elections). Although he was not going to Hon. Sharma, the representa- a scheduled speaker, his contributions tive of the Maoists. Following this, din- were still sincerely valued. Ranabhat ner was served. urged that the new constitution be Even though the religious row at the written quickly because without this Pashupatinath Temple continued, there fundamental legal document, Nepal is were some high notes to start the new a nation in free-fall. He emphasized the year. There was a four percent growth urgency saying that only with a national in tourism as compared to the previous constitution in place can the rule of year.85 And in the first four months of law be set and a standard of discipline fiscal year 2008-09 revenue collections be established. grew by 35.4 percent, according to a “Living for others is an essential el- report from the Nepal Rastra Bank. ement in creating sustainable peace,” 86Both were good signs; but to create explained this author, “because it is the sustainable peace in Nepal it requires essence and nature of love.”84 When more than money (though admittedly two people desire to give, that relation- this is also essential). ship is “sustainable.” On the contrary, selfishness or “living for myself ” will 85 Tourist arrivals up by 4 pc in 2008. Nepal- news.com Jan 01 2008 (sic: 2009), retrieved destroy a relationship and is thus “un- August 3, 2009, from http://www.nepalnews. sustainable.” This author went on to com/archive/2009/jan/jan01/news11.php. say that the family was the place where 86 Revenue collection soars to Rs 33 billion. “living for others” was learned, and Nepalnews.com January 1 2009, retrieved August 3, 2009, from http://www.nepalnews. 84 Ibid. com/archive/2009/jan/jan01/news03.php. 64 | Two paths to peace

Recap of 2008

Date UPF Nepal International Leadership Con- Jan. 14: Last day for political ference at the Singhadurbar; parties to register for April January 2008 followed by a 2-day conference Elections; at Hyatt Regency Hotel with Nepal Family Party representatives from all 75 UPF Districts Peace Council attended. April 2008 Election Day - April 10 Nepal Family Party won one seat July 18, the UPF Founder, Fa- July 19, Presidential elections ther Moon, his wife, grandchil- in Nepal: a life-and-death dren and close staff, 16 people struggle to elect the country’s in all, were in a helicopter crash first president; no clear winner. July 2008 in Korea; miraculously, all es- In runoff July 21, Dr. Ram caped unharmed, just minutes Baran Yadav won 308 votes before the helicopter exploded (needed 298) to become Ne- in flames. pal’s first president, preventing both Prime Minister and Presi- dent from becoming Maoists. Aug. 15: Pushpa Kamal Dahal (Prachanda) becomes he first August 2008 prime minister of the federal democratic republic of Nepal November 22: Interreligious Conference entitled, “Inter- November 2008 religious Cooperation for Peace and Human Development”; religious leaders from 12 organizations attended and sign The Maoist government tried declaration given to President to block funding for religious of Nepal. ceremonies; overstepped the tradition of nominating In- December 23: 7th SAPI on the dian priests at Pashupatinath topic, “The Challenges of Gov- Temple; and continued attacks ernance for Sustainable Peace”; on the media 24 CA members from 14 dif- December 2008 (The Himalmedia Group). ferent political parties, legal experts, academicians, military experts, and human rights advocates Resolved: peace and development within the rule of law, respect for religious values. peacemaking: parellel tracks | 65

April 2009: The role On May 4, after losing support from coalition parties, Prime Minister of the army Pushpa Kamal Dahal resigned. The following day, a videotape was released Since the pro-democracy move- showing the former prime minister ment in 1990, Nepal has had 18 gov- proudly explaining to his troops how ernments in 19 years. Nepal’s peace they duped the United Nations by process, which brought an end to ten highly inflating the number of com- years of civil war, faced a crisis on batants the Maoists actually had. The April 22, 2009. Seventeen political United Nations Mission in Nepal had parties walked out of the Constituent registered about 20,000 combatants. In Assembly, blocking Parliament from the taped message, however, the Mao- doing any business. They were against ist leader admitted that the actual num- the Maoist government’s call to sack ber was only 7,000 to 8,000 troops.87 the Chief of Staff of the Army, Gen. UN representatives tried desperately Rookmangud Katawal. to explain this colossal blunder to an An on-going row between the gov- angry Nepali populace. The fragile ernment and the Nepal Army had peace process had been undermined. reached a boiling point. Over the past On May 6, Karin Landgren, UN few months they had been at odds over Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s issues of recruitment, integration of Representative in Nepal, urged all par- the Maoists People Liberation Army ties to “work urgently to rebuild trust with the Nepal Army, participation in and achieve consensus.”88 One blog- national sporting games, and the early ger writing to the Republica newspaper retirement of eight generals. seemed to articulate the feelings of The Maoist government saw the many of his countrymen: army, its enemy for nearly ten years, as “UNMIN has lost moral ground the second biggest obstacle to estab- to be in Nepal: We have now heard lishing what some leftist parliamentar- from the horse’s mouth about the real ians still demand—a communist state. strength of the Maoist PLA – some- And talk continued relentlessly about where in the vicinity of 7,000. This “capturing state power,” even after number falls in line with the original winning the elections. speculation that most people had. It Over the past several months, there were confrontations between the Mao- 87 UNMIN in a tight spot. The Hima- ist government and several institutions layan Times Online, May 10, 2009, re- of the state over issues such as impu- trieved July 31, 2009, from http://www. thehimalayantimes.com/printNepaliNews. nity for murders, stifling freedom of php?id=NDE2MA. the press, insulting the judiciary, and 88 Rebuild trust, says UNMIN. The Himalayan castigating Hinduism, the dominant Times Online, May 6, 2009, retrieved July 31, religion. 2009, from http://www.thehimalayantimes. com/printNepaliNews.php?id=MzczNg. 66 | Two paths to peace was public knowledge that exodus into UNMIN to establish the exact number the cantonment comprised of fresh re- of the true fighters. It’s slightly differ- cruits in an attempt to inflate the num- ent from saying who the minors are and ber. The nation had banked its hope on who [are] the late recruits. Now people UNMIN and its verification process to go back to look at the 7000 or 8000 fig- reveal the truth. UNMIN failed utterly ure that had been considered the size to capture this reality. It betrayed Nepal of the Maoist army in Mr. Prachanda’s and the lovers of peace by not taking videotape. But the task assigned to its job seriously. With the benefit of UNMIN was not to find those 7000 hindsight and with the preponderance or 8000, but to try and find those that of evidence, we can now deduce that were under aged and those that were UNMIN has been part of the problem recruited after the cut off [date].”90 and not a part of the solution.”89 Nevertheless, based on that highly In defense of UNMIN, Tamrat inflated number, the Maoists were to Samuel, director for Asia and Pacific receive an equally exaggerated amount in the Department of Political Affairs of money. In the videotape, the Maoist at the New York headquarters and for- leader boasted, “To make good battle merly Deputy Head of the United Na- plans, you need money. With lots of tions Mission to Nepal, spoke to The money, we can make good plans. We Kathmandu Post on May 22. Samuel need quite a bit for a revolt.”91 They pointed out that the UN and all politi- received nearly US$8 million. cal parties agreed upon two criteria to The peace process was supposed to determine the number of Maoist com- have been built on trust among Nepal- batants: age (under-aged people were ese politicians. But in other areas, too, immediately disqualified) and the date the Maoists have not kept their word, of recruitment (there was a cutoff date including returning captured land and after which “new combatants” were convicting human rights violations.. also disqualified). Possessing a weapon was not one of these criteria. He explained: 90 UNMIN is impartial. eKantipur.com “I think it’s important to remember June 22, 2009, retrieved July 31, 2009, that the task of verification was not for from http://www.ekantipur.com/interview. php?&nid=200409. 89 UNMIN Chief Landgren reports mis- 91 English transcript of Prachanda’s speech leading facts to UNSC. Republica May and Maoist response. Himal Southasian, 25, 2009, retrieved July 31, 2009, from undated, retrieved September 16, 2009, from http://www.myrepublica.com/portal/ http://www.himalmag.com/English-transcript- index.php?action=news_details&news_ of-Prachanda-s-speech-and-Maoist-response_ id=5458&show_comments=true. dnw156.html. peacemaking: parellel tracks | 67

May 2009: several other nations, praised Nepal for the birth of democracy. “You are try- Relaunching the ing to telescope into a few years what peace process took other nations hundreds of years 93 and summiting to accomplish,” the former Indian diplomat said. He recalled the birth of Mt. Everest democracy in India in 1947 which divided the country, cost over a million UPF’s eighth South Asia Peace lives, and left millions more homeless. Initiative program on May 20 brought He went on to say that the political in- together over 150 participants who clusiveness of democracy in Nepal is realized that Nepal’s peace process perhaps the widest network of ideolo- needed a rebirth and this time wholly gies among all South Asian nations. owned by the Nepalese people. Focusing on the sixth and seventh Nepal was facing turbulent times. points of the original 12-point Mem- The Maoist coalition government col- orandum of Understanding, this au- lapsed on May 4. Following this, efforts thor pointed out that these paragraphs were under way to reform the govern- called for both the Maoists and the ment cobbling a coalition of as many Seven-Party Alliance to begin the peace as 22 parties together. process by “undertaking self-criticism Against this background, UPF-Nepal and self-evaluation of past mistakes.” saw an urgent need to organize a pro- If the peace process was to be restart- gram on the theme, “Rebuilding Trust ed, he suggested that this would be a and Reconciliation in the On-Going good place to begin. Peace Process,” which was held at the The next session invited five com- Hotel de l’Annapurna in the capital.92 mentators to offer their views on the Dr. Kishor Kumar Rajbhandari pre- need to rebuild trust and reconcilia- sented an overview of the South Asia tion among all political parties. Hon. Peace Initiative programs that began Indrajit Rai, a Member of Parliament with the first seminar in Lumbini in and Member of the Army Integration 2005. Throughout the past four and a Technical Committee, began by thank- half years UPF’s peace initiatives were ing UPF-Nepal for its role in support- designed to parallel the on-going peace ing the peace process. He then offered process. one of the most humble and honest as- Next Ambassador K.V. Rajan, for- sessments of the peace process today. mer Indian ambassador to Nepal and From his perspective as a member 92 Rebuilding Trust and Reconciliation in the of the committee which must oversee On-Going Peace Process. UPF.org May 20, the integration of two armies, Rai ad- 2009, retrieved September 16, 2009, from mitted that there are very serious and http://www.upf.org/programs-news/sapi/1937- sometimes confusing issues being dealt rebuilding-trust-and-reconciliation-in-the-on- going-peace-process. 93 Ibid. 68 | Two paths to peace with. A large part of the misunder- ly was an example of the top-down ap- standings, he surmised, came from the proach. This was a model other leaders conflict arising between the interests could see and should emulate. of the political parties and the interest Service projects in Sarlahi have been of the nation. In the end he called for rebuilding communities through vol- a new agreement, a new Memorandum untary service—literally rebuilding of Understanding, but said this would roads, schools, community centers and “depend on the trust of the leaders.” libraries while at the same time rebuild- Senior Nepali Congress youth leader ing inter-ethnic harmony—was a bot- and current Member of Parliament, tom-up model. Hon. Dhan Raj Gurung, reflected on The final session was open to the the loss of trust and hope among the floor. Participants who offered their people. He too called for reconciliation thoughts included: Mr. Sudip Pathak, to relaunch the peace process. President of Human Rights Organiza- Mr. Biswo Kant Mainali, President tion of Nepal; Mr. Keshav Chaulagain, of the Nepal Bar Association, which Secretary General of the Interreligious has over 10,000 lawyers as members, Council Nepal; Dr. Shree Krishna Ya- suggested that Nepal is not in a post- dav, former member of Nepal’s Public conflict period. “The conflict is not Commission; Gen. Tika Dhamala, re- over,” he said at the beginning of his tired Nepal Army officer; and one for- remarks. He went on the say that the mer Maoist combatant. Constituent Assembly has many chal- Hon. Ek Nath Dhakal, Chairman of lenges ahead. With so many ethnic UPF-Nepal, offered the Closing Re- groups, languages, and political par- marks. First, he thanked everyone for ties, coupled with the urgent need for taking time to attend the eighth South development, politicians must draw Asia Peace Initiative program and mak- on “the good nature and heart of the ing such valuable observations and in- Nepalese people,” and work for “the sights. Then he reiterated one point— glory of the nation.” the need for leaders to put the interests The Secretary General of UPF-Asia, of the nation above their party politics. Mrs. Ursula McLackland, was the final Using the model of the family, Hon. commentator. She reminded the audi- Dhakal explained, “Just as individual ence that “trust must be earned… it is members live for the sake of their fam- a gift others give you.”94 She highlight- ily by putting the well-being of the ed UPF’s top-down and bottom-up family above personal concerns, so too, approaches to building trust and rec- in order to create harmony and pros- onciliation. A recent “Reconciliation perity in Nepal, leaders must be willing Picnic” during which high-level leaders to make sacrifices for the sake of the from different political parties and dif- nation.”95 ferent ethnic groups reconciled public- In addition to being the date of the 94 Ibid. 95 Ibid. peacemaking: parellel tracks | 69

At 8:45 AM on May 20, 2009 the “Mt. Everest Expedition for New Constitution and World Peace” reached the summit of the highest mountain in the world. eighth South Asia Peace initiative con- tion: II. Peacebuiding: Civil Society Ini- ference, May 20 had special meaning tiatives.) because at 8:45 that morning, three Both the banner and climbing Mt. Nepalese climbers reached the summit Everest were meant to symbolize the of Mt. Everest carrying the “Mt. Ever- quest for national unity and reflect the est Expedition for New Constitution spirit of nation-building. If Nepal- and World Peace – 2009” banner. 96 ese leaders inherit the same heart and The banner was signed by the heads courage of the summiteers—namely, of all political parties, government to work day and night at the risk of leaders, and all religious leaders. UPF their own lives as a team with a single- Founders, Father and Mother Moon, minded focus—then the current chal- also signed the banner. (See also: lenges can be overcome, the peace “Climbing for National Unity,” Sec- process can be reborn, and it can move 96 Everest climb to symbolize Nepali unity. forward towards its natural conclusion. UPIasia.com, April 24, 2009, retrieved April Three days after the conference, 25, 2009, from http://www.upiasia.com/Poli- Madhav Kumar Nepal was sworn in tics/2009/04/24/everest_climb_to_symbol- as Nepal’s second prime minister. His ize_nepali_unity/9287/. 70 | Two paths to peace

Father Moon, founder of UPF, signs the “Mt. Everest Expedition for New Con- stitution and World Peace” as Dr. Chung Sik Yong, Regional Chair of UPF-Asia, looks on.

Dr. Ram Baran Yadav (center with hat), President of Nepal, signed the Mt. Everest banner. L to R: KP Bhatterai, Bindu Adhikari, Hon. Ek Nath Dhakal, Dr. Yadav, Dr. Kishor Rajbhandari, Dhurba Lamanchani. peacemaking: parellel tracks | 71 appointment opened a new chapter in Constituent Assembly. An optimistic the country’s unpredictable and ongo- editorial in the English-language daily, ing peace process. However, he faced a The Kathmandu Post, acknowledged tough job in holding together the larg- that Nepal is of “moderate tempera- est coalition of political parties ever to ment,” which “raises hopes that he form a government. Twenty-two of is, after all, equipped for the task as- the 24 parties united to form the cur- signed.” rent government. 97 After taking the oath, Prime Minister Nepal, a moderate, is the second Nepal outlined key responsibilities that prime minister in less than a year. He his government must focus on: draft- belongs to the Communist Party of ing a new Constitution and taking the Nepal-United Marxist-Leninists and peace process to its logical conclusion, has a steep uphill trek in this nation which includes integration of the two notorious for its political instability. armies – the People’s Liberation Army Known as a strong negotiator who of the Maoists and the Nepal Army. seeks consensus, he will have to rely Elections to the Constituent Assembly on all his political statesmanship to were scheduled for the end of 2010. steer the country forward. However, On May 26, 2009, one day after be- he faces the strong opposition of the ing sworn in as Prime Minister, H.E. largest single party, the Communist Madhav Kumar Nepal gave his first Party of Nepal-Maoists, which boycot- interview to any media outlet to The ted the election for prime minister. It is Washington Times, United Press In- a tricky, fearful, and potentially violent ternational and The Sekai Nippo (See: opponent. “The Challenges of Coalition,” section News reports quoted senior leader Supporting the Peace Process). of the Communist Party of Nepal- Maoists, Dr. Baburam Bhattarai, threat- June – July 2009: ening that his party would unilaterally establish local governments on its own International show and added that they could “easily seize of solidarity the state power by mobilizing a large number of people.” The Maoists had blocked parlia- On the positive side, Prime Minister mentary proceedings for more than Nepal had the backing of 358 lawmak- two months. Concerns that the gov- ers (out of 601 members of the Con- ernment would not be able to pass its stituent Assembly) from all but two of budget grew stronger as the mid-July the political parties represented in the deadline approached. 97 Nepal’s second prime minister sworn UPF-Nepal wanted to show its sup- in. UPIasia.com, May 26, 2009, retrieved May port to the new government and en- 27, 2009, from http://www.upiasia.com/Poli- tics/2009/05/26/nepals_second_prime_minis- courage all parties to recommitment ter_sworn_in/8850/. themselves to the principles of good 72 | Two paths to peace

Hon. Sujata Koirala and Hon. Jose de Venicia share thoughts at the 9th South Asia Peace Initiative, Kathmandu, Nepal with the theme “Innovative Approaches to Unity and Peace in South Asia.” governance and writing the constitu- ence held in the Nepalese capital June tion. It held a series of conferences 23. Nepal’s newly appointed Minister which brought together former Speak- of Foreign Affairs, Sujata Koirala, pre- ers of the House of Representatives sided. from other Asian nations, along with De Venecia is chairman of the In- diplomats and parliamentarians from ternational Conference on Asian Po- half a dozen nations, international litical Parties and was chief guest at NGO representatives from 26 coun- the program. He said he came to this tries, most from Asia, and a prominent Himalayan nation to show support for religious leader from India. the new government. His organization, “The first article in Nepal’s new con- launched in the Philippines in 2000, stitution,” suggested Jose de Venecia offers a forum for 248 Asian political rather forthrightly, “should be that we parties spanning the continent from are all one human family under God.”98 Tokyo to Turkey and includes island De Venecia, the former Speaker of nations of the Pacific. the House of Representatives from the De Venecia explained that the vision Philippines, was speaking at the ninth of all humanity being one family under South Asia Peace Initiative confer- God has been gaining ground in the 98 Asian Parliamentarians Support Ne- past two years based on the success of pal Peace Process. UPF.org June 24, 2009, the Global Peace Festival. “The Global retrieved September 15, 2009, from http:// Peace Festival is bringing a new para- www.upf.org/upf-news/145-asia-oceania/1975- digm of leadership rooted in universal asian-parliamentarians-support-nepal-peace- process. spiritual and moral principles, values, peacemaking: parellel tracks | 73

Vice-President of Nepal, H.E. Parmananda Jha (seated left) presided over a brotherhood/sisterhood ceremony where international participants were matched with members of the Constituent Assembly. To his left is Hon. Ek Nath Dhakal. and standing (L to R) Hon. Hemraj Bhandari, CA member from the Maoists party and Mr. Kyoung Hyo Kim, UPF Assistant Secretary-General. and aspiration,” he said. The Global native and regional chair of UPF-Asia, Peace Festivals has been held on six referred to the expedition to the sum- continents, with a Global Peace Con- mit of Mt. Everest. “This vividly dem- vention scheduled for the Philippines onstrated the power of a united vision in December 2009. during this time while Nepal is writing To illustrate the impact that a real its founding legal document and form- conviction that humankind is indeed a ing its government,” Yong said. To get global family would imply, de Venecia success, the climbers worked together asked pointed questions to the select as a team. They had one goal and were group of political leaders: “Would you willing to sacrifice everything to achieve kill your own brother? Would you deni- their objective. They went many nights grate your own mother?” He went on without sleep and faced avalanches and to say that if we really live as if we are ice falls. One climber, Gokal Thapa, one family, the problems in our trou- was blinded by snow for 24 hours; later bled world would be solved in short his oxygen mask clogged up at 8,500 order. meters, blocking the flow of oxygen. Dr. Chung Sik Yong, a South Korean Fortunately, Thapa got a new mask 74 | Two paths to peace

Dr. Chung Sik Yong, Regional Chair of UPF-Asia (L), meets with H.E. Madhav Nepal, Prime Minister of Nepal, in the prime ministers’ office on June 24, 2009.

Constituent Assembly members and leaders from 20 Asian nations affirm their commitment to the concept of fraternal cross-border ties at the people-to- people level helped build bridges transcending cultural, ethnic, religious and national divides. peacemaking: parellel tracks | 75 from a member of another expedition; a result an interfaith body has been es- otherwise, he would have died. tablished under the office of the UN Yong went on to explain that writing Secretary-General. a new constitution was more difficult Ambassador K.V. Rajan stressed that than climbing a mountain. “Politicians the principles of UPF apply equally to in Nepal,” he exhorted, “need a similar individuals as well as nation-states. Na- spirit and determination. They should tions and individuals that act selfishly be willing to risk their lives and put can be very destructive. Therefore, the interest of the nation above every- they must overcome selfishness and thing—even their own party.” live for others. Referring to de Vene- Foreign Minister Koirala, on behalf cia’s reference to “One Family Under of her government, thanked the Uni- God,” Amb. Rajan said that the es- versal Peace Federation for holding the sence of good governance at the inter- event and said her government would national level is for nation-states to act welcome and seriously consider fresh as part of a global family with a com- ideas as Nepal drafts a new constitu- mon universal parent. Just as parents tion. seek to teach their children that privi- Earlier, the co-chairman of the In- leges come with responsibilities, po- ternational Conference on Asian Politi- litical leaders must also understand that cal Parties and a former member of the empowerment can only be sustainable South Korean Assembly, Chung Eui- if it is used responsibly. yong met with Prime Minister Madhav As the unstable political situation Nepal. The prime minister outlined continued, a second conference was three objectives of this coalition gov- called the following month. The “In- ernment, which Chung shared with the ternational Conference for Solidarity conference participants: with Nepal” was organized by the Uni- 1) How to sustain the peace process, versal Peace Federation (UPF) in col- 2) How to find the most effective form laboration with the Parliamentarians’ of government, and International Forum in Kathmandu, 3) How to fulfill the aspirations of the July 17-19. Nepalese people. Dr. Ram Baran Yadav, President of Mushahid Hussain Sayed, former Nepal, cut the ribbon to inaugurate the Minister of Information and Broad- ceremony. This took place in the Ras- casting as well as Minister of Tour- trapathi Bhavan (Presidential Palace) ism from Pakistan, thanked the UPF with delegates representing 26 nations founder, Dr. Sun Myung Moon, for attending. President Yadav expressed floating the idea that the United Na- appreciation for the show of solidar- tions should establish a religious coun- ity from the nearly 100 international cil. Pakistan endorsed this proposal guests, which he said came at a time which passed unanimously with the when there were serious challenges in support of more than sixty nations. As Nepal’s peace process. 76 | Two paths to peace

The President of Nepal (R), H.E. Dr. Ram Baran Yadav, inaugurates the Interna- tional Conference for Solidarity with Nepal at the Presidential Palace on July 18, 2008 with Dr. & Mrs. Chung Sik Yong (L) and Hon. Ek Nath Dhakal looking on. Dr. Chung Sik Yong reminded the also thanked the Nepal chapter for its Nepali President that they had met just various peace initiatives over the past a year ago, with Dr. Yong being the many years. first international dignitary to officially A special brotherhood/sisterhood welcome the new Nepali President. It ceremony was presided over by the was one day after he won the elections. Vice-President of Nepal, H.E. Par- This was also the first anniversary of mananda Jha. International partici- Father Moon’s helicopter accident. pants were paired with members of the Later, international guests were re- Constituent Assembly and other civil ceived in the Speaker’s Chamber at the society leaders to affirm their commit- Constituent Assembly by the Rt. Hon. ment to the concept of fraternal cross- Subash C. Nembang. He briefed them border ties at the people-to-people about the progress in writing the new level which would help build bridges constitution and consolidating peace transcending cultural, ethnic, religious in the country. He expressed optimism and national divides. that things would be done on time. Another interaction between mem- The Speaker recalled his association bers of the Constituent Assembly and with previous conferences organized international guests was held at a meet- by the UPF and praised the vision ing in the Singhadurbar (Parliament of its founder, Rev. Dr. Sun Myung Secretariat) organized by the Nepal Moon, in dedicating his life for peace Family Party. Renowned performers throughout the world. Hon. Nembang from Japan and Nepal entertained the peacemaking: parellel tracks | 77

Dr. and Mrs. Chung Sik Yong (center with black cap) along with four-time former Prime Minister, Lokendra Bahadur Chand, among the 100 delegates from 22 Asian nations showing their support for Nepal’s peace process in July 2009. audience of about 150, which included • Underlined the parental responsi- representation from more than ten po- bilities of all political parties, whether litical parties from Nepal. they are in the government or in the While appreciating the considerable opposition, as vital to building the achievements of the people and all the spirit of harmony, unity, forgiveness political parties of Nepal in ending the and understanding which is essential decade-long insurgency and holding in the democratic process; elections to a Constituent Assembly, • Emphasized that in making the dif- the series of conferences unanimously: ficult decisions that lie ahead, leaders • Called upon all political parties in must give higher priority to the well- Nepal to work together in an envi- being of the nation when it conflicts ronment of political stability, trust with interests of the party and seek and reconciliation in order to achieve to implement the universal ideal of the twin objectives of writing a new vasudaiva kutumbakam [one global constitution and consolidating the family] under God; peace process; • Pleaded for an end to the culture • Highlighted how critically impor- of violence, intimidation and impu- tant it was for key leaders to articu- nity as a means to achieve lasting so- late and respect the basic principles cial, economic or political transfor- of good governance so they could mation; seize the historic opportunity to • Acknowledged the urgent need for serve the people of Nepal and help sensitive and effective governance in or- them fulfill their aspirations for der to address the legitimate grievances peace, inclusive development and of hitherto marginalized and under- prosperity; privileged sections of society, and; 78 | Two paths to peace

Shri Shri Shri Sadgur Parwadeshwar Majaraj (with beard) from Goa, India, leader of more than 7.5 million Hindus welcomed by the President of Nepal (center with black hat) along with Ambassadors for Peace and UPF-Nepal staff.

• Pledged to support the people of Prime Minister Nepal the following Nepal in their search for sustainable day. Both meetings were organized by peace and inclusive development in UPF-Nepal. every way possible. In a separate meeting at the Peace At the conclusion of the conference, Embassy on the morning before his former Prime Minister of Nepal Lo- departure, July 30, leaders from six kendra Bahadur Chand expressed ap- religious traditions together with two preciation to Hon. Ek Nath Dhakal for current members of parliament came his leadership and to UPF-Nepal for together in support of the country’s organizing the recent series of peace quest for peace and reconciliation. The initiatives. Indian guru gave a short discourse on At the end of July, UPF-Nepal host- peace, emphasizing that peace begins ed Shri Shri Shri Sadguru Parwadesh- with the individual and that it manifests war Majaraj who brought blessing from itself first in harmonious relationships India in a show of solidarity for the of the family. He also talked about the peace process. UPF-Nepal arranged unity of God, saying that although we personal meetings with both the Presi- call Him by different names, in essence, dent and Prime Minister, respectively. He is the one and the same. As the head of more than 7.5 million On July 25, the Nepal Family Party Hindus, the leader from Goa, India has held a conference “Headwing Democ- made many pilgrimage visits to Nepal. racy and Its Relevance.” As the name During his stay in Kathmandu he suggests, “headwing philosophy” takes visited President Yadav on July 28 and into account the advantages and short- peacemaking: parellel tracks | 79

“Meeting and Exchange Program” in the Parliament Secretariat on June 17, 2009 between 100 international leaders from 22 Asian nations and representatives from over 12 Nepalese political parties; sponsored by Nepal Family Party. comings of both communism (left democracy proposes a blending of the wing) and democracy (right wing). advantages of the right wing and left Originally the organizers were ex- wing with an additional emphasis on pecting about a hundred people to at- the family as the cornerstone for social tend since it was Saturday (there is only development. After the presentations, one day per week as a holiday). Unex- a lively question and answer session pectedly, a transportation strike was followed. called, and no buses or taxis were running that day. Remarkably, there 130 August 2009 - India’s participants, including scholars, profes- sors, and religious leaders. “Marshall Plan” It was pointed out that democracy for Nepal and communism have two things in common: 1) both ideologies are from At the end of World War II, the the West, and 2) they both have failed United States set up the “European Re- in some fundamental way to fulfill the covery Program.” It became known as desires of the people for lasting peace the Marshall Plan, named after the then and prosperity for all. Therefore, it was Secretary of State, Gen. George C. emphasized, an Asian thought-system Marshall, and was a decidedly different that honors the family, spirituality, and approach to following up on a military the vertical tradition of respecting el- victory. Rather than seeking war repa- ders was urgently needed. Headwing rations from the defeated Axis powers, 80 | Two paths to peace

Hon. Ek Nath Dhakal is explaining the headwing philosophy which looks at the advantages and shortcomings of both communism (leftwing) and democracy (rightwing) emphasizing instead an Asian thought-system which honors the family, spirituality and the vertical tradition of respecting elders. the victorious Allied nations worked to The money, called by some the “Ne- economically rebuild Western Europe pal Marshall Plan,”99 would pay for in order to keep communism at bay. two railway links, a network of roads Five years later, when the plan ended, in Nepal’s troubled Terai region, a po- every nation that participated, except lice academy, and customs check posts, Germany, had experienced economic among other things. grown beyond its pre-war levels. It seemed that India had finally real- In this way, the victorious nations ized the importance of keeping friend- not only won the military war, they ly ties with its small, impoverished also won the equally important emo- northern neighbor. But there was more tion war—the war of resentment. than simple goodwill behind the aid On August 18 two important events package. happened. First, Nepali Prime Minis- Media reports compared the aid ter Madhav K. Nepal began his first from India against a “Comprehensive foreign trip—a five-day visit to India. Treaty” that China had proposed ear- Towards the end of the “good will” lier that year; it would have been ac- trip, India’s Finance Minister, Pranab companied by US$16.7 million in aid. Mukherjee, announced that Nepal’s 99 India trumps China in aid to Nepal. UPI southern neighbor would provide 20 Asia Online, August 21, 2009, retrieved August billion rupees (US$410 million) to 21, 2009 from http://www.upiasia.com/Poli- fund infrastructure projects in Nepal. tics/2009/08/21/india_trumps_china_in_aid_ to_nepal/3272/ peacemaking: parellel tracks | 81

Even though the Chinese deal never valuable of these assets would be materialized, by offering an aid pack- UPF’s clear understanding of the uni- age many times greater in value than versal principles peace. In addition, China’s, India hoped to make clear to there is an international network of Nepal who its “real” friend was. Ambassadors for Peace that include le- India was clearly concerned over gal experts, diplomats, and profession- China’s increased interest and influ- als from all fields who could be called ence in Nepal, not only directly but es- upon to coach and advise Nepal’s pecially vis-à-vis the Naxalite (Maoist) peace process forward. movement in India that has spread to Thus, Nepal received a “double 40 percent of India’s geographical area blessing.” One was external, in terms and which Indian Prime Minister Man- of financial and developmental aid mohan Singh described as the most se- from India; the other internal. Both are rious threat to India’s national security. essential. he second event on August 18 oc- Building on the foundation of UPF’s curred on the other side of the world. experience in bringing enemies to- It also had the potential to help Nepal gether and helping them to reconcile in very substantial ways, although not their differences—not superficially but monetary. Hon. Ek Nath Dhakal met to the point where they love, embrace, the Co-Chairman of UPF, Dr. Hyun and forgive each other in tears—this Jin Moon, in New York where Dr. small international NGO might possi- Moon, the third son of Father Moon, bly help Nepalese leaders cultivate the also signed the banner, the “Mt. Ever- right attitude, set priorities, and heal est Expedition for a New Constitution the hatred and mistrust that seem to for World Peace – 2009.” block the peace process at almost every Recognizing that the peace process juncture. In this way, UPF could play a must be wholly owned by Nepalese, vital role in bringing the peace process Dr. Moon volunteered the resources to fruition and fulfilling the dream of of UPF to support Nepal. The most all citizens of Nepal—lasting peace. 82 | Two paths to peace

Suppporting the Peace Process

The Challenges of ernment has ever faced. How will you manage your government? How will you educate Coalition or encourage the coalition partners to keep the national interest above the interests of their own political parties? Indeed, it is a challenging task before us. To keep the 22 parties intact is really a challenging task. So I will have to work hard to keep communication with all my colleagues and partners, respect their views, and involve them in the process. On the other hand, keep- H.E. Madhav Nepal ing close contact, respecting the views Prime Minister of Nepal of others and trying to persuade them One day after being sworn in as the to get involved in the process, that is second prime minister of the Federal another challenging task before me. Democratic Republic of Nepal on May So now the Communist Party of Ne- 26, 2009, Prime Minister Madhav Ku- pal-Maoists, who are in the opposition, mar Nepal gave his first interview to their role is critical, crucial, and impor- any media outlet. It was to a trio of tant. But they are sending the message media groups: The Washington Times, that they will play a constructive role. United Press International and The They will not detour from the path of Sekai Nippo. Out of courtesy and time constitution writing, the peace process, constraints the prime minister was al- and the advancement of the society. If lowed to speak uninterrupted and only they are really committed to these three four questions, without any follow- missions then there is scope for work- up questions, were asked. The prime ing together. minister was allowed to speak uninter- In this critical moment and espe- rupted. Two hours later, he addressed cially these transition periods, the rela- the nation in a nationwide television tion among the parties, especially the broadcast. bigger parties, is very important. We Q: You have outlined your government’s have a long background and history of priorities as writing the new constitution and working together. And we have seen bringing the peace process to its natural conclu- many ups and downs. We have faced sion. However, your government has the larg- many hardships, but we survived. We est number of partners of any government in have surmounted all the difficulties, we Nepali history, 22 parties, and at the same faced all the challenges, and we have time it has the strongest opposition any gov- brought a tremendous change, a his- peacemaking: parellel tracks | 83 torical change, due to the unity, under- in Nepal. How will you ensure the national standing, and cooperation among the sovereignty, integrity, and independence of this parties. nation, vis-à-vis these two influential powers So now again, a new challenge is on your northern and southern borders? there, new problems are there, despite Nepal is a yam between two big all these things … on the issue of mu- stones. This is the reality. We cannot tual interest we can work together, we change the geography, so we have to have to work together. So on my part live together. We have to balance our as the prime minister of Nepal, as a own interests; we have to balance our leader of Nepali politics, I will leave no own relationships between both of stone unturned to bring them into the the neighbors. Neither can we side process. with one side, nor can we side with the Q: On Sunday a Catholic church was other side. No one-sided approach will bombed and you were very concerned, even vis- be taken by the new government. We iting the site of the incident. How will your want to keep the interest of the Nepali government ensure religious harmony? nation in our mind; that should be in Setting off a blast inside a church our center. disturbed me, and I was grieved by As far as the interest of our neigh- the message of the death of two peo- boring countries is concerned we ple and many more people that were should be sensitive to their sensitiv- injured. The cowardly act by certain ity. Their sensitivity needs to be taken groups of people is to be condemned properly. And we should not give any by all people. And this was brought space to others to impose in our own into the orbit of law, so my govern- internal affairs or interfere in our own ment will find out those culprits and internal matters. We respect others; it will punish them. means we also want to be respected by I have instructed the concerned of- others. We want to give attention to- ficials to increase security for churches, wards their sensitivities and interests, the fathers, the nuns, and the concerned meaning we want the same reciprocal people. At the same time if there is the behavior from our neighbors. So, live danger to other religious sects also, be and let live; live with dignity and let live it musjids [mosques], be it gurdwadas with dignity. [Sikh temples], be it other religious Q: Using a Hindu concept, it seems like the places, all these sensitive targeted areas peace process is being reborn, given a second should be protected by the state. So on life. Will you invite the international com- the part of the government, it will do munity, specifically the United Nations, to be its best to protect different religions part of this rebirth or will Nepal now fully and to protect the right of the people own the peace process? to go about their right to faith. You know the peace process is a na- Q: Nepal is bordered by two very large tive initiative, a Nepali initiative. It is not countries, and both naturally have an interest an international initiative. We ourselves 84 | Two paths to peace have started the process and we our- confidence of doing it in a better way. selves will conclude the process. So far Whatever ups and downs are there, it as the good wishes are concerned from can be managed. We should have the outsiders, the international commu- confidence, also we should have the nity, even cooperation from the world determination that we can do it and we community is most welcomed. But we will do it. have the capability of and we have the

Inspiring Youth to cess of all nations. Economic wealth, job security, and social stability are Help Build Peace very important. But the root of peace is deeper than all of these; it requires harmonious human relationships. Such relationships are learned in the family. In other words, the seed for true, lasting peace must first be planted in the family. Then it will sprout and grow in our communities, nations and world. The teachings of Father Moon, have become very relevant to my nation, Hon. Ek Nath Dhakal Nepal. We have been struggling and Member of Parliament fighting for over a decade. As many as 13,000 Nepalese people were killed Youth constitute the major portion during the period from 1996 to 2005. of the world’s population. More im- Tens of thousands of people have portantly, we have endless energy; we been displaced. There has developed love challenges and thrive even in a an enormous mistrust and misunder- pioneering environment. The Youth standing among the political parties. Federation for World Peace is teaching In such situation, Father and Mother and guiding young people to redirect Moon visited Nepal on November 22, their lives and use their strength so that 2005 during his World Peace Tour and they are not part of the problem— encouraged us to solve the problems rather they are the solution! by putting the interests of our nation The ideal family provides the format above the interest of any party. for good governance. Leaders are in Ongoing programs such as the South the position of parents. And it is the Asia Peace Initiative, Young Ambas- nature of parents to sacrifice for the sadors for Peace, character education, sake of their children. This spirit needs leadership and good governance con- to be promoted in the governing pro- ferences, Parliamentarians for Peace, peacemaking: parellel tracks | 85

and intercultural exchange projects Everest, the highest mountain in the have made substantial contributions to world, to the Mariana Trench east of the peace process in Nepal. Thousands the Philippines, the deepest part of the of students and youth have changed ocean, from China to India (the two their lives through Father and Mother most populous nations on earth), and Moon’s teaching. Today their words are to all of the other nations in Asia. In inside the hearts and minds of many all nations of the world we are making peace-loving Nepalese people. efforts to realize “A New Paradigm of Father Moon once said, “Once you Leadership and Good Governance.” have practiced the principle of liv- We are creating a culture of service ing for the sake of others, a family of for global development and true, last- peace, a family of freedom, a family ing peace. Therefore, I call upon the of happiness and a family of love will Youth Ambassadors for Peace from be realized. Then, a society of peace, a the Middle East to North America, society of freedom, a society of hap- from Africa to Latin America, Oceania piness and a society of love will result. and Asia to elevate their vision, to take This will continue expanding to the leadership roles in their nations, to be national and world levels. You have peacemakers and dare to build bridges to know that the conclusion is only a across the borders of our segregated matter of time. Wherever you are, as family. long as you are living by this principle We can change the world and put the of living for the sake of others, then history of suffering, injustice, poverty, happiness, freedom, peace and love corruption, and pollution of the earth will dwell there.” behind us. The ideals that the saints After my election to the Constitu- and sages of history have lived and ent Assembly of Nepal, I had an op- died for will now be realized. Youth portunity to meet Dr. Hyun Jin Moon, Ambassadors for Peace can be role Co-Chair of the Universal Peace Fed- models to realize God’s original ideal, eration, who talked about the impor- “One Family Under God.” tance for a democracy to acknowledge In closing, I want to reemphasize the existence of a Creator as the basis that building a network of Ambassa- for fundamental human rights and true dors for Peace is really the grassroots freedom for all people. task in building a peaceful nation. The As the Secretary-General of Youth Ambassador for Peace certificate is not Ambassadors for Peace in Asia, I would just an award; rather it taps into the like to share with you the vital role it most valuable national resource—the is playing to promote nation-to-nation hearts and minds of patriotic citizens. understanding and in reducing con- Ambassadors for Peace have the op- flicts in different regions of the world. portunity to use their skills and talents The scope of our Youth Ambassadors to contribute to realizing the age-old for Peace in Asia extends from Mt. dream of a brighter and better future. 86 | Two paths to peace

Need for Tolerance as prime minister, I initiated a peace dialogue with the Maoists. I tried to ac- cede to all of their demands. I released all the cadres. We were trying to bring peace. But unfortunately, they wanted to impose an ideology like that in the Stalinist era. Therefore, we have had a problem in Nepal. We still have hope of peace. I would like to help promote democracy. Rt. Hon. Sher Bahadur Deuba Among the indigenous people there Prime Minister (1995-97, 2001-02) are problems; therefore, we have to solve the problems democratically and Regarding conflicts, there is a saying through tolerance. We have problems in Buddhist philosophy and in Nepal of ethics, culture, and the caste system. that unless we resolve conflict within Elsewhere, people have similar prob- ourselves, we cannot resolve conflict lems of poverty, cultural gaps, extreme outside. Extremism—whether extreme nationalism, and religious fundamen- nationalism, extreme ideology, or ex- talism. Therefore, we should create a treme religious intolerance—will cre- general democracy where there is toler- ate problems. Extremism anywhere ance, because without tolerance there creates conflict. will be conflict, and conflict will lead After a long struggle, we achieved to violence. democracy in Nepal. Unfortunately, Religions teach compassion, the within six years of achieving democ- Eightfold Path, the conscience, the Ten racy, a group that believes in extreme Commandments, and other religious moralism and extreme communism commandments. Human beings are was indulging in violence. It seems more violent than any beings, unfor- they don’t believe in democracy, but tunately. Human beings kill each other instead want to seize power by violent for their faith, their ideology, different methods. They are extorting people to religious views, and extreme national- collect money as well as forcing young ism. An interreligious council could people to be recruited into their army. be the best way to bring peace to all Immediately after I had taken office countries. peacemaking: parellel tracks | 87

Peace Depends on Us building and thereby family-building. Just as the individual is the basic unit of a family, the family is the basic unit of society. A peaceful society is possible only when individuals and families are bonded in peace, love, and compassion. Leaders should look at their constituency as part of a larger or extended family. The arrival of peace depends on Hon. Sahana Pradhan us, since human responsibility has de- Minister of Foreign Affairs termined the course and outcome of human history so far. Therefore, there As I understand it, democracy and is an urgent need for peacemakers to good governance are synonymous. De- create more understanding and unity mocracy is a government of the peo- among people. ple, by the people, and for the people. I am happy to say that the interim It is about effective delivery of services constitution of Nepal has incorpo- to the people, and it is also about ac- rated the basic features of good gov- countability of the executive arm of ernance, such as multi-party inclusive the state to the people’s representa- democracy, human rights, freedom of tives—the Members of Parliament. It the press, freedom of religion, an inde- is about accepting the people as a sov- pendent judiciary, and an emphasis on ereign source of power. Governance the rule of law. We have come a long can be classified as bad and good. way, but much still needs to be done. Good governance is about using state The cooperation and assistance of power and resources in a justifiable and organizations such as the Universal accountable manner. Rule of law, ac- Peace Federation and the Ex-MPs Club countability, transparency, and people’s will no doubt support us in attaining participation in a meaningful sense are lasting peace. Father Moon, has devel- some of the requisites of good gover- oped a universal philosophy that has nance. the power and depth to unite people Democracy in the true sense pro- from all walks of life. I believe that the vides space for everybody’s voice. De- International Leadership Conferences mocracy helps promote a peaceful and will help us promote lasting peace and harmonious society. It helps peace- good governance. 88 | Two paths to peace

Promoting a Culture a sense of brotherhood, and mutual trust. We must forgive those who have of Heart harmed us and make amends for the harm that we caused others. Instead of putting the blame on others, let us reflect on how we can become better leaders. A good leader means a person of sound moral character—someone with a firm stand and commitment, who leads by example. A leader should keep his words and deeds in concord. In this H on. Taranath Ranabhat context, Father Moon has exemplified Former Speaker, House of this principle. The motto of his life is: Representatives Living for the sake of others. He has encountered incredible obstacles and Today, the prospects for peace and hurdles on the way but never gave up contentment, especially in our region in his determination to achieve and ful- (from Iraq to Myanmar) are very criti- fill his vision of peace. cal. Our nation stands at the most sen- Growing up in Korea, at that time a sitive phase in its history. Economic, small, impoverished nation controlled social, cultural, religious, and commu- by a foreign power, he became aware of nal relations have been severely chal- the suffering of humanity and resolved lenged. Political instability and a state to bring an end to human misery. Now, of impunity have created uncertainty he is calling on us as Ambassadors for and anxiety about what the future may Peace to join him in this most worthy bring. task. I am proud to be one of the Am- I applaud the Universal Peace Fed- bassadors for Peace appointed by Fa- eration for its vision to establish a cul- ther Moon. ture of heart and forgiveness instead Let us join hands together, irrespec- of a culture of vengeance and retalia- tive of class, caste, religion, region, or tion. Consistently, I have been empha- ethnicity and build a new nation — so- sizing that we need to turn away from cially peaceful, politically stable, and revenge-based politics to a policy of economically prosperous. That is the national integration and national unity. Nepal of our dreams. If we truly live How do we accomplish this? for others more than for ourselves, if First, we need to put aside our dif- we interact without narrow views and ferences. We must sincerely follow our selfish interests, then we can build a na- age-old national character and culture tion of progress and prosperity, a na- of peaceful coexistence, social unity, tion that provides security and safety religious harmony, cultural tolerance, to all, a nation that guarantees the rule peacemaking: parellel tracks | 89

of law, democracy, social justice, hu- gether, united in heart, we can fulfill man rights and dignity to all its citizens. even our highest dreams. Let us make Such a nation offers hope for a bright Nepal a nation that others can look up future to our young people and coming to for inspiration and guidance, in all generations. senses — a model to follow. It will not be an easy task, but to-

Practicing the I think it’s very important for us as Members of Parliament to work for Principles of Peace peace. We know this is very important, and perhaps we Nepalese have realized during this decade what happened to us when there was an absence of peace. Still, we have to work very hard for sustainable and lasting peace, and the effort that UPF is making to create peace is wonderful. Let me remind you of Father Moon coming to Nepal and talking about peace-building to the Nepalese people Hon. Chitralekha Yadav at the Birendra International Conven- Deputy Speaker of Parliament tion Center on November 22, 2005. On that same day, we started moving As members of parliament, we have forward with the 12-point agreement to find our role and learn how we can and understanding which was the be- contribute to creating lasting peace, ginning of the peace process in Nepal. not only in Nepal but also throughout So, as a Member of Parliament and the world. As Ambassadors for Peace, as a Nepalese citizen, I would like to we know that our responsibility is to express our gratitude to Father Moon achieve peace. for helping to bring peace in Nepal. Let me remind you of the words When we are talking about peace, we from a poem by Rabindranath Tagore: tend to generate love from within our “Where the mind is without fear and hearts. That kind of love is true love. head is held high, where there is not When we are talking about true love, any kind of barrier for development.” just physical unity is not enough. We To achieve peace, I think first we have to understand that moral unity have to work to create the environment and spiritual unity are more important where no injustice is done to anyone, than physical unity. Physical unity is im- where everyone can enjoy equal rights. portant but should be based upon true 90 | Two paths to peace love. Unless and until there is true love, Bringing peace is very important for there cannot be any kind of unity that us and, if we work together, we can can move forward with the mission to certainly achieve peace. I think the bring lasting peace to this world. ultimate solution lies in realizing that I strongly remember one story that we can only survive together or not Mahatma Gandhi told: survive at all. You know, these days so There was a woman, who came with many conflicts are going on inside the a baby to Gandhi and asked him to give country and we are talking here about medicine to her son so that he could lasting peace, sustainable peace, but we be cured, because the lady had heard never realize why the country is in con- so much about Gandhi. Every doctor flict. How many people have to suffer? had told her that there was no medi- How many people must be displaced? cine to cure her son, so she went to How many people have been affected? Mahatma Gandhi. Gandhi-ji told her, Almost 15,000 people were killed in “Okay, you come back after 15 days.” Nepal. In this decade of conflict, we The lady again came with her baby af- Nepalese people have paid an unac- ter 15 days. Gandhi-ji recognized that ceptably high price for what happened the boy was suffering from too much in Nepal. sugar. He told the mother, “Don’t give It is high time for us to achieve any sweets of any kind to your child.” peace. Without morality and spiritual- The lady said, “Oh! You only have just ity, there will be so much violence and this simple thing to tell me — not to society will likely perish. The Univer- give him sweet things? So, why did you sal Peace Federation teaches universal ask me to come back after 15 days?” principles of peace, and I think, as Then Gandhi told her, “You came to Members of Parliament, if we realize me with your baby, and I could see he these things and if we really try to put had too many sweets, but I too am a them into practice, then we can be very great lover of sweets. How can I, as a instrumental in achieving lasting peace leader, tell a little child not to eat sweets for our nation: while I myself am taking too many 1. There is one God, who is the sweets? During these 15 days, I tried creator of all and the parent of hu- my best not to have sweets. Only after mankind. When we do wrong things, I gave up eating sweets could I ask you we don’t want anyone to see us. So not to give your baby sweets.” we try to hide. But, at the same time, What a leader says and what a leader if we just recognized, “Oh, God is does must be in harmony. A leader’s there and sees what I’m doing,” then words and deeds should match; oth- maybe that would help us not to do erwise, people will not follow him. In the wrong things. this regard, as Member of Parliaments, 2. Human beings are essentially spir- I think our role should always be very itual in nature. By nature, we are spir- clear, because people are watching us. itual. So, if we practice that spiritual- peacemaking: parellel tracks | 91 ity in our daily life, it helps to bring there to solve their problems. In es- peace throughout the world. It really sence, this is a promise that we will does help in bringing peace, making live for the sake of our constituents, peace, and keeping peace. and we have to be very honest about 3. The family is the school of love that. and the cornerstone of world peace. 5. Interreligious and international We have to start love from within the cooperation is essential to world family. We have to respect our elders, peace. we have to love our younger brothers If we realize these five principles of and sisters, and we need to know this the Universal Peace Federation and if very well so that we can truly practice we try to adopt them in our daily lives, this. then we could really practice them as 4. The highest standard for human Members of Parliament. In this way, relationships is to live for the sake we can find a vital and clear role to of others. When we go campaigning contribute toward bringing peace ev- for election, we tell the people we are erywhere. there to help them and that we are 92 | Two paths to peace

Rewriting the Constitution and Communism

Interview with and the people voted, true. But there was only one candidate running from Chandra Prakash one party. There were no surprises Gajurel when the election results were announced; it was a foregone conclusion. “But,” the Maoist leader stressed, “that is not the true spirit of democracy. The voice of the people could not be heard and therefore the will of the people could not be reflected in the governing processes. Here in Nepal, we are absolutely committed to a multiparty democracy. It is a fundamental principle we believe in; it is how we Member, Central Committee, Communist were elected.” Party of Nepal-Maoists He went on to say that in Europe when the communists were ousted As the Communist Party of Nepal- they were gone for good; they never Maoists are set to lead the new Parlia- came back. There was no way for them ment in writing a new constitution for to come back because there was no this Himalayan nation, they won’t stop real democratic process in place. “In a there—they want to rewrite the philos- true democracy,” the communist lead- ophy of communism itself. er explained, “sometimes you win and Chandra Prakash Gajurel, a member sometimes you lose. But when you lose of the Central Committee and head of there is always a way for you to return, the international affairs department, as long as a real functioning democracy sat down with this writer in May 2008 is in place. In Europe that door was to explain some of the fundamental closed.” differences between communism in In essence, Gajurel was saying that Nepal and its older European cousin. communism was applied in different He began by asking a rhetorical ques- ways according to the respective situation, “Why did communism in Eastern tions, and Maoism in Nepal has a dem- Europe fail?” ocratic DNA. This, of course, must be To begin with, the Russian brand of music to the ears of Nepal’s southern communism had a single-party “demo- neighbor, India, the largest democracy cratic” structure. They had elections in the world, which was surprised by peacemaking: parellel tracks | 93

the unexpected turnout—61 percent Kapital to be amended by his Nepalese of voters—and the results in the Con- namesake is the communist economic stituent Assembly elections that ush- theory. Marx felt that capitalism was ered in a red Nepal. equated with exploitation. His theory The next difference between Euro- of surplus value, which viewed the pean and Nepalese communism is the private ownership of the means of justification for the use of violence. In production as the root of social evil, Eastern Europe it was a fait accom- meant there was no hope for capital- pli. It was the first line of action. In ism to be reformed; it would have to be old-school communism, the state mi- overthrown, violently. litia became the primary apparatus for Marx would have been pleased with policy implementation. Regimes were the outcome of the elections here but brutal and oppressive. would have sat up in his grave upon On the contrary, the use of violence hearing the next goal for the ruling is viewed differently from the rooftop Maoists. of the world and the land of Lord Bud- Within days after the April 10 elec- dha. Here the Maoists have stressed re- tions Prachanda, the leader of the peatedly that the use of force was their Communist Party of Nepal-Maoists, last option. Over the course of many met with the business community of years they were hounded by the state, Kathmandu to calm their fears. Dur- their offices were ransacked, leaders ing this meeting, chaired by the presi- arrested, dialogue with the king com- dent of the Chambers of Commerce, pletely cut and, from their point of the communist leader said, “Now we view, they were driven underground. are entering a new era of economic “Every effort to achieve our genuine revolution, after nearly accomplishing demands was crushed by using force,” a political revolution. Our next fight reiterated Gajurel. “We took to arms as is to wipe out feudalism and promote our last option.” a capitalist economy -- this is the true The irony now is that to govern concept of Marxism.” democratically, one of the first tests of The international business commu- their statesmanship will be how they nity will probably take a wait-and-see deal with their own People’s Libera- attitude. But businessmen in Nepal be- tion Army and the Young Communist lieve the outlook for economic growth League. This issue is being hotly debat- is bright. ed daily in the press as well as among Nirvana Chaudhary is executive di- political parties. It is also being closely rector of the Chaudhary Group, one watched by other governments and the of the largest business houses in Nepal international community. It may well with over US$250 million in assets, and determine the fate of their govern- founder of the Entrepreneurs’ Organi- ment. zation (www.eo.org). The next chapter of Karl Marx’s Das Chaudhary described the economic 94 | Two paths to peace prospects in a post-election atmo- chairman, Lee Kun-hee, amid a tax- sphere with a sense of renewed hope, evasion scandal in South Korea and the saying, “While political parties are now Enron bankruptcy in the United States discussing the makeup of the Parlia- at the beginning of the new millennium ment, the formation of a government should help stop the finger-pointing at and constitutional questions, business- so-called developing nations. men are finding a more conducive envi- How then do the Nepali Maoists ronment to operate. Investors have al- plan to tackle this social evil? Interest- ready started demonstrating their trust ingly, Buddha, who was born in Nepal in the economy, with many sectors al- 2,500 years ago, had the wisdom to un- ready booming.…We have always been derstand the depth of human selfish- and are more convinced that Nepal is ness. Having renounced the pleasures on the road to economic prosperity.” and pleasantries of a royal palace, Bud- The Chaudhary Group partners with dha taught that, “The greed of a per- AES Corporation, one of the world’s son cannot be satisfied by a shower of largest power companies operating in gold coins.” 28 countries. Their focus in Nepal is to How then will the new Nepalese tap the enormous hydroelectric poten- government deal with corruption? In tial to light up Nepal’s future. one word, “transparency,” said Gajurel. Suranjan De, director of Varun Bev- “Our government will be transpar- erages, which bottles and distributes ent. We will go to the people, tell them, Pepsi products, was equally enthusias- ‘This is how much money we are plan- tic. Tourism is coming back, hotels are ning to invest in this area,’ and ask them full to capacity, and De’s bottling plants for their input. They will participate in “are at full production.” Neither execu- deciding how the money will be used tive is worried about or second-guess- and take ownership of the project. All ing the economic future here. They see financial transactions will be clear for a rainbow on the horizon. everyone to see.” In order to attract much-needed Everyone hopes so. And it is vitally foreign capital, Gajurel said that the important that the leadership inside the new government would guarantee the Maoist party is thinking and speaking protection of capital coming into the in this way. Hopefully, it will percolate country. “Of course, we cannot guar- down to the rank and file. antee companies will make a profit, A good first step would be to speak that’s up to them, but the government out on social issues that are clearly of Nepal will give its assurance that the wrong. The Kathmandu Post reported capital investment will be secure; it will last week that Maoists are still seizing not be nationalized.” land. In the past few days Youth Com- One problem faced even in devel- munist League cadres have also broken oped capitalist counties is corruption. water supply lines in retaliation against The recent resignation of Samsung’s communities that elected opposition peacemaking: parellel tracks | 95 party candidates. above their own party politics. Top Maoist leaders must speak out Years ago, the complete breakdown on these issues. If they do, two things of communication between the Mao- will happen. First, they will teach their ists and the monarchy only exacerbated own party members what is expected the rift between them and left any mis- and what is not to be tolerated. Sec- understanding unsolvable. Now that ondly, this would demonstrate to the the tables are turned, Prachanda and nation and world community that they his comrades should not repeat the sin are truly putting the national interest of silence. 96 | Two paths to peace peacebuilding: civil society initiatives | 97

Peacebuilding: Civil Society 2Initiatives 98 | Two paths to peace

Teaching Universal Values

During an October 28, 2003 con- cultivate the conscience and good char- sultation in New York, a proposal was acter of the youth. The program could made to use universal values education be taught by Armed Police personnel, material to address the problem of placing them not only in the role of Maoist resurgence in Nepal. Based on law enforcement but also the role of the positive feedback at the New York teacher which is the heart of a parent. meeting, Dr. Christopher Kim and Dr. This would be an excellent program to Robert Kittel visited Nepal November build community relations. 10-13. The idea was well received, and the Eight distinguished guests and 200 police officials requested the educa- youth attended a two-day leadership tional information so they could start seminar. Dr. Kim gave a PowerPoint translating it into Nepali. The follow- presentation about the role that heart ing morning a consultative committee plays in leadership. He also described was convened to help develop this ma- three “quotients” that need to be devel- terial. Participants in the consultation oped: intelligence quotient (IQ), social included educators from Tribhuvan quotient, sometimes called a relation- University: Former Vice-Chancellor ship quotient, and finally a conscience Dr. Kamal Krishna Joshi, Professor quotient. The conscience quotient of History Dr. Shreeram Prasad Upad- needs to be grounded in universal prin- hyaya, and lecturer Dr. Kishor Kuman ciples, the source of universal values. Rajbhandari. Two administrators also These elements are all necessary for a attended: Mr. Narayan Sharma Gajurel, world of peace and prosperity, accord- Principal of Holy Vision School, and ing to Dr. Kim. Mr. Raj Kumar Thakuri, Principal Dr. Kim and Dr. Kittel met with of Bhanu Bhakta Higher Secondary the Inspector General of the Armed School. Police Force and several top generals. Dr. Joshi gave a brief overview of A proposal was made to work closely the situation in Nepal and described with the Armed Police to develop an the mediating role that Norway had educational program that could be tak- been playing in the Sri Lankan crisis en to the schools and villages through- as a possible model in Nepal. Oth- out the nation. Since Maoist cadre are ers noted that the 12 years of Nepal’s primarily drawn from young people, an experiment with democracy actually effective educational program needs increased corruption and instability. to explain why violence cannot be the Dr. Kim described the importance of basis of good governance (for relation- heart leadership and the critical role of ships in the family or in the nation) and leaders in this technological age. Dr. highlight universal values that can help Kittel addressed the positive role of peacebuilding: civil society initiatives | 99

Hon. Ram Hari Joshy (L) and Hon. Mahanta Thakur (R), two the prominent leaders from different communities, embrace each others publicly and gave great hope to all Nepalese youth.

religion in developing conscience and In the discussion, it was noted that character. He critiqued the notions that force though justified for self-defense conflict is necessary for progress and fails to resolve the original grievance that alienation comes only from eco- and often aggravates the problem by nomic injustice. fueling revenge and resentment. Reconciling Ethnic Divides Nine days of protests and strikes opportunities for education, jobs, and in March 2009 by a small indigenous development projects. Both groups live community in southern Nepal left at in the southern Terai plains. least three people dead and paralyzed The various experiences of peo- Nepal’s agricultural and industrial ple from different ethnic groups and heartland. also different regions of the country The protests were called by indige- can lead to sense of oppression that nous Tharus, a small ethnic group who generates resentment, which leads to protested the government’s decision to self-assertion. Such cycles can include classify them as part of a larger ethnic strikes, violence, and retaliation. Geo- group, the Madhesis. Depending on graphically, Nepal has three distinct re- government policies, such classifica- gions: the fertile and heavily populated tion of minority groups can determine Terai plains; the Pahadi hills, tradition- 100 | Two paths to peace ally home of the ruling classes; and the people had exploited the Madheshis. thinly populated and remote Himalaya Repeatedly, over many years, he said he mountains. There are tensions between had warned his Nepali Congress Party people from different regions of the leaders to be aware of this and to make country. the needed changes—otherwise, there During this time of increased ethnic could be dangerous consequences. tensions, a “Reconciliation Picnic” in Thakur, on his part, called the event, Kathmandu drew wide media cover- “A milestone for addressing the recent age. The focus was on bringing togeth- conflict in the Terai.” He thanked the er representatives of the Madhesis in organizers for creating the right plat- the south and the Pahadis hill people. form and atmosphere for this emo- In this case the Madhesis feel exploited tional healing to take place. by the Pahadis. A senior Maoist leader in the com- The “picnic” was designed to break munist central committee, Member this vicious cycle. Two very public lead- of Parliament C.P. Gajurel, looked ers representing the two ethnic groups on with amazement. “This is the best embraced, coming together like blood- model for addressing this ethnic issue,” brothers in a ceremony known in Ne- he commented afterwards. It was a pali as a “meet.” As the audience of model he felt should be taken through- nearly 400 looked on, there was a kind out the country and supported by his of healing as they watched. government. “It was deeply touching to see the Two younger Members of Parlia- healing that everyone in the audience ment also participated in the recon- felt,” said event organizer Saroj Kha- ciliation event, Ek Nath Dhakal, the nel of Service for Peace a non-govern- leader of the Nepal Family Party, and mental organization that brings togeth- Mohammad Rizwan Ansari, a Muslim er diverse groups of people through who married a Brahman girl from the service. United Marxist-Leninists party. In this case, Dr. Ram Hari Joshy, for- “Young people have the power and mer Minister of Education and Tour- the courage to hold this kind of event,” ism, represented the Pahadi hill people. said Dhakal, adding, “If this program His counterpart was Dr. Mahanth is taken throughout Nepal, there is Thakur, President of the Terai Mad- nothing we cannot do.” hesh Loktantrick Party. Many religions believe in vicarious Joshy, called by many “the Gandhi suffering, but in this case, it was a kind of Nepal,” admitted that the Pahadi of “vicarious healing.” peacebuilding: civil society initiatives | 101

Educating for Peace tries to get the warring parties to work out their differences rather than fight. Peacebuilding works to create a culture of peace in the society at all levels, promoting non-violent strategies as legitimate means to address differences and disagreements. The Universal Peace Federation has a unique approach to peace education. Dr. Robert S. Kittel First, in peacekeeping and peacemak- Director of Education, UPF - Asia ing we see the involvement of the religious communities as absolutely Interview with Dr. Robert Kittel essential. Political, economic, military conducted on May 2, 2006, by B. N. and other government institution must Sharma, Founder and Director of CPS be at the table, but faith-based orga- Higher Secondary School in Kumar- nizations and other non-government ipati, Lalitpur. organizations (NGOs) are simply too Sharma: Dr. Kittel, Welcome to the Special large and too powerful to be sidelined. Interview of The Grip based on the theme of Faith-based organizations especially, peace education. You may be aware of the fact have huge resources (financial and hu- that His Majesty’s Government of Nepal, man), networks reaching the rural ar- Ministry of Education and Sports (HMG/ eas, years of experience in education MOES) and Private and Boarding Schools’ and health care, respect from the broad Organization, Nepal (PABSON) have both sectors of society, and a willing spirit to declared educational institutions as Zone of endure suffering and make sacrifices. Peace almost two years ago. Dr. Kittel, since Secondly, if the goal is simply the when did the term peace education come into “cessation of hostilities,” then it may existence and how can we best define it? help in the short term, but falls short Kittel: Traditionally, the term “peace of a real, permanent solution. Conflict education” includes three catego- will arise again. True religious ideals set ries: peacekeeping, peacemaking, and the bar higher; instead, they call for the peacebuilding. Peacekeeping can be “cessation of hatred.” This is certainly defined as violence management. Its more difficult and challenging, but ad- goal is to respond to situations where dressing things like anger, resentment, violence has already broken out and selfishness, and prejudice (religious, ra- prevent it from escalating further. In cial, and gender) is the right approach. peacemaking, conflict resolution is the When these problems are solved, this primary goal. Incorporating a variety will resolve the deeper root-causes of of techniques to resolve disputes, it human violence and give all sides hope 102 | Two paths to peace for lasting peace. In peacebuilding, we ligions teach prayer and meditation; put an emphasis on the individual and these are means to strengthen the will the family. of the mind in order to hold at bay Sharma: Basically, who are the ones who our body’s natural self-centeredness. must be involved in peace education and where When the mind and body are correctly do we actually begin? aligned, individuals willingly make sac- Kittel: In peace education, as defined rifices for the well-being of other fam- by UPF, everyone is involved. Where ily members; then families sacrifice for does it begin? The process of build- the well-being of their community (we ing a culture of peace starts both in pay taxes, for example). The commu- the individual and in the family, almost nity sacrifices for the nation (adopting simultaneously. Within each individual a single monetary currency and pulling person there exists both a public and together during natural disasters); and private dimension to life. I’m talking nations sacrifice for the sake of the about the relationship between one’s world (adhering to international stan- mind and body. This first principle of dards, such as human rights, import/ peace is called The Dual Purpose Prin- export regulations, safety standards in ciple, and is about setting the proper health care and food processing for ex- mind-body relationship. This requires ample). us to set correct priorities in our lives; In a similar way, the proper relation- in a word, self-regulation. Here’s how ship between men and women is es- it works: sential for building and maintaining Within each of us the mind takes peace. This is UPF’s second Principle a more public role, while the body’s of Peace, known as the Pair System purpose is more for self-maintenance. Principle. The husband-wife relation- Both roles are necessary and both are ship is a partnership. In a loving fam- good, as long as the correct relation- ily environment—anchored by faithful ship is set and maintained. In essence, conjugal love between spouses—chil- each of us needs to set the proper dren are nurtured in the best possible alignment of values, where our public environment. Social violence is an ex- responsibility and concerns are placed tension of domestic violence, such as: first, above our private needs and in- sexual jealousies, sibling rivalries, un- terests. This is how the human being controlled anger, and the unwillingness is designed: public-mindedness (i.e., to make personal sacrifices. Within an the mind) is a higher priority than the environment of love, self-sacrifice is personal or private needs of the body. normal and natural. We see that the Simplified, it means we need to learn willingness to live for others is first to live for the sake of others or ‘the learned in the family. greater good.’ Each one of us has to- Lord Buddha spoke about the con- tal responsibility for setting the public cord of mind and body as well as the good above private well being. Re- harmony in the family when he said: peacebuilding: civil society initiatives | 103

“Blessing abides in the home where wars begin in the minds of men, it is parents are held in respect and esteem. in the minds of men that the defenses A family is a place where minds come of peace must be constructed.” UPF in contact with one another. If these concurs with this. UPF’s strategy for minds love one another, the home will peacebuilding focuses on education as be as beautiful as a flower garden. But the vehicle of social change. This re- if these minds get out of harmony quires discovering universal truths that with one another, it is like a storm that are common to all religions. Then we plays havoc with the garden.” (Angut- develop a common set of values from tara Nikaya 3-31) them. The two most basic, universal Sharma: Should we incorporate peace principles of peace are the “Dual Pur- education in the national curriculum? Please pose Principle” and the “Pair System could you explain a bit? Principle.” Kittel: Absolutely! Without a doubt Sharma: Dr. Kittel, with your years of and without any hesitation. But just worthy experience, how can we relate values having it in the education system is not education and peace education? enough. It must also be heard in tem- Kittel: There is overlap between val- ples, mosques, and churches through- ues education and peace education, out Nepal. Peace education must be more so in UPF’s frame of thinking brought into the family, into the com- than otherwise. Yes, we must be hon- munity, in the columns of newspapers, est, trustworthy, responsible, coopera- into the halls of Parliament, at every tive, respectful, etc. The point here is level of government, as well as in the that the origin of such values is derived classrooms and on college campuses. from the mind-body unity (i.e., the UPF has had meetings with Ministry Dual Purpose Principle). Let’s take one of Education officials and we have set example. Trustworthiness is built when up a curriculum advisory team specifi- my words match my deeds—when my cally for this purpose. public-minded intentions are followed Sharma: How can we change the attitude up by the right actions of my body. of the people to bring peace and harmony in However, even dealing with values the conflict-ridden nation like Nepal? education, UPF takes it a step further. Kittel: It is important to understand We must not only build good charac- that Nepal is not alone. Every nation ter based on values such as trust and on earth has a history of violence and honesty, but we must also build moral struggle. That has been the unfortu- integrity, especially regarding the re- nate hallmark of our human family, lationship between men and women. since the very first human ancestors. Few values educators would link char- The question of changing attitudes acter education with education regard- is critically important; in fact, it hits ing the proper use of human sexuality. at the very root of the problem. The UPF does this because the family is the preamble to UNESCO states: “Since most fundamental institution in soci- 104 | Two paths to peace ety. Values are formed and children’s Put another way, how can we teach characters are built within the family— peace without teaching values? And the interactions of husband and wife, how can we teach values without in- and family members. The family unit cluding the proper relationship be- is simply irreplaceable; it is the school tween men and women? That would be where we learn love, and respect, and like saying, “Be honest … but it’s okay sacrifice. Misusing conjugal love is the to cheat on your wife.” It is precisely easiest and quickest way to destroy the because a wholesome family environ- family, and along with it, the bedrock ment is so essential for developing of social stability. Therefore, UPF in- good character, that we link individual cludes marriage and family education values and moral character together. as part of overall values education. Learning Peace through Service

Fifteen members of parliament along with 450 university students of Sarlahi living in Kathmandu participated the Reconciliation Picnic that showed the way for ethnic harmony. Religious Youth Service (RYS) of- The main task of the project was to fered a service-learning project at build classrooms at the Metta Center, Banepa, a town east of Kathmandu, a girls’ orphanage, and plant trees. The April 2-9, 2003. There were 41 partici- work was very meaningful as the class- pants from four nations and six reli- rooms that were constructed were put gions. to immediate use by the Metta Center. peacebuilding: civil society initiatives | 105

Each of the participants had a chance and education, interreligious site visits, to make strong personal connections plus the cultural sightseeing, all rein- with the orphans who lived at the cen- forced the message of interreligious ter, and they appreciated the extra care harmony by “bridging over barriers.” that they received. Religious Youth Service supported This project gathered the support building a multi-purpose Community of local Ambassadors for Peace, RYS Hall at the Buddhist monastery, Amar- alumni and various religious com- apur Vihar, where Buddhist nuns have munities. The interface with the Bud- lived for the past decades, serving the dhist community included attending a people and maintaining harmony and ceremony with hundreds of Buddhist peace within the local community. monks and nuns: the lighting of 10,000 This monastery had limited space to earthen lamps as an interfaith prayer serve the children and youth. Religious for peace at a Sakya Buddhist Center. Youth Service volunteers worked at Another Religious Youth Service building and painting the community project was held October 9-17, 2007 hall for underprivileged children. Now in the ancient village of Bungamati in the children have enough space to at- Lalitpur, south of Nepal’s capital Kath- tend classes regularly, and the monas- mandu. Forty local and international tery can conduct various vocational participants from Sri Lanka, Pakistan, training programs for them in years to England, and Jordan, representing dif- come. ferent faiths, cultures, and ethnic back- Activities also included painting and grounds, participated in the project. cleaning a Hindu temple. “This was an amazing experience,” Nepal was officially a Hindu state marveled Tej Maya Maharjan, one until 2006. About ten percent of the young participant from Nepal, “work- population is Buddhist and four per- ing together with other young people cent Muslim. There are 1,200 Buddhist from different backgrounds, faiths monuments in the Lalitpur district, and cultures, clearing the differences south of Kathmandu. Participants vis- among us by living together and mak- ited a mosque and a church as well as ing friendships during and after the Re- a temple and monastery in this area so ligious Youth Service project.” rich in architectural treasures that it has Participants communicated a lot been declared a UNESCO World His- with each other and developed strong toric Site. friendships through their experiences, “Religious Youth Service Nepal al- thus overcoming doubts about each lowed me to develop a sincere relation- other’s religious beliefs and cultural ship with the community of Sunakothi traditions. and further deepened my understand- The many facets of the Nepal Reli- ing of other religious traditions and gious Youth Service experience, includ- beliefs,” remarked one participant in a ing yoga and meditation, service work project the following year in Lalitpur, 106 | Two paths to peace

“I realized that through broadening my Inter-religious Assembly (Anmol New understanding of other faiths, I grew Baneshwor), Brahma Kumari Ash- deeper in my own personal spiritual- ram (Thamel), Assumption Catholic ity.” Church (Jawlakhel), Shanti Hindu Ash- The Religious Youth Service hosted ram (Koteshwor), and Jamal Mosque a project in an area south of Kathman- (Kathmandu). du November 20-28, 2008. Participants Additionally, educational sessions from Nepal, India, Mauritius, and the were scheduled in the evenings to en- United States came together to aid the courage inter-cultural dialogue, team village of Sunakothi with the installa- building, and personal reflection. Par- tion of two much-needed water tanks ticipants were able to enjoy the aes- and the creation of a peace pond. The thetic beauty of Nepal through trek- project was hosted at the Bauddha Jana king adventures and historic visits to Vihar, a Buddhist community center ancient temples. and temple. On the final day, a peace tree was Participants engaged in daily morn- planted and inauguration of the water ing meditations with Bhante Dharma- tanks took place with local dignitaries gupta, a Buddhist monk and spiritual as a symbol of understanding and co- leader, and had opportunities to inter- operation. Following the inauguration, act and learn the values and principles a community cultural night was orga- of the Buddhist faith. nized as part of the closing ceremony. Each afternoon a different religious Representatives from the community excursion was scheduled to enrich the and project joined together in cultural understanding and deepen appreciation dances and songs. for all faiths. Destinations included the peacebuilding: civil society initiatives | 107

Youth Ambassadors for Peace

Youth Ambassador for Peace awards given by the Hon. Vice-President of Nepal, H.E. Parmananda Jha (middle), to (L to R) Rev. John Nicholls, Rev. Choi Ki Tae, Hon. Ek Nath Dhakal, and Mrs. Ginger Nicholls.

The Universal Peace Federation- He pointed out that the people of Ne- Nepal, Youth Federation for World pal are still divided due to religions, Peace, and Navajagriti-Nepal jointly races, and ethnicities. That was a bar- organized a program with the theme rier to the peaceful unity of the soci- “Participation of Youth for Peace and ety and the nation the Vice-President Human Development” on January 20, explained, adding that it was necessary 2009, as reported by Ram Rohan Pan- to honor and respect all religions and ta in The Universal Times, a national ethnic groups. weekly newspaper. More than two dozen people from The Vice-President of the Federal different sectors of life and profes- Democratic Republic of Nepal, Hon. sions who had made significant contri- Parmananda Jha, presided over the butions to peace were awarded “Youth program as the Chief Guest. In his Ambassadors for Peace” certificates. special remarks, he emphasized the ne- In closing, H.E. Jha thanked UPF- cessity of cooperation, sincerity, and Nepal for its contributions to the so- commitment to coexistence in order to cial, educational, and peace sectors in build a peaceful nation and the world. Nepal. 108 | Two paths to peace

Climbing for National Unity

The Khumbu Icefall, between Base Camp and Camp I was the most dangerous part of the Mt. Everest Expedition.

People climb Mt. Everest for many able Constitution and bring the peace reasons, often for adventure or to win process back on track? glory for themselves. But what about UPF-Nepal Chairman Ek Nath climbing the highest mountain in the Dhakal explained during a two-day ed- world in order to help write a national ucation program held April 13-14 for Constitution? An even higher goal: the climbers that a banner, “Everest How could ascending 8,848 meters Expedition for New Constitution and above sea level help establish world World Peace – 2009,” will be taken to peace? the summit. The True North Expedition, with The banner will be signed by the the sponsorship of the Universal leaders of all political parties, leaders Peace Federation of Nepal, organized of government and all religious lead- just such an expedition in April 2009 ers. “It will be a symbol of unity, team- during a national crisis. But how will work and reconciliation,” Dhakal said. climbing a mountain help write a vi- In carrying the banner to the top of peacebuilding: civil society initiatives | 109

At 8:45 AM on May 20, 2009 the “Mt. Everest Expedition for New Constitution and World Peace” reached the summit of the highest mountain in the world.

Before climbing Mt. Everest, members of the expedition cleaned up Base Camp and collected 113 kg. of garbage which was taken back to Kathmandu. 110 | Two paths to peace

The seven Mt. Everest climbers (front row) all received a two-day UPF peace education program and were awarded Youth Ambassadors for Peace certificates.

The three summiteers (L to R): Karma Bahdaur Tamang, Gokul Thapa, Da Dendi Sherpa. peacebuilding: civil society initiatives | 111

Mt. Everest, the climbers symbolize a for ourselves can we create peace.” commitment to a higher purpose for Starting with the Cabinet of the gov- the sake of the nation. In signing it, the ernment of Nepal, which unanimously party leaders express a commitment to approved the expedition and waived put the interests of the nation above royalties for the climb to the tune of those of their political parties in writ- US$50,000, everyone has been making ing the new Constitution. sacrifices. The team of Sherpa climb- Five camps, including base camp, ers did not demand high fees for their are needed to reach the summit of Mt. services. Everest. When climbers leave the sec- The Ministry of Tourism, which ond highest camp at 7,200 meters they presented the proposal to the Cabinet, continue without sleeping until reach- expedited the legal process and issued ing the summit. This is partly because the climbing permit quickly. UPF-Ne- they may not wake up if they go to pal is sacrificing financially to support sleep at those high altitudes. the expedition. Even the painter went It is also because they begin the final without sleep one night to finish the ascent to the summit at about 8:00 or banner in time for the press confer- 9:00 p.m. after resting just a few hours ence. This concept of peace through at the last and highest camp, called selfless service is very much a part of “South Col,” at 8,000 meters. After the expedition and one of the core reaching the summit, where they will values of UPF. Organizers have been stay only about 15 minutes, the team working closely with the Sagarmatha will start their descent immediately. Pollution Control Committee to set They may go all the way to base camp up cleaning projects on Sagarmatha – before sleeping again. the Nepali name for Mt. Everest. The High-altitude climbing, like writing peace foundation will be spending a a national Constitution, requires sleep- good portion of its resources to help less nights, lots of sacrifice and unself- clean up the waste and garbage at sev- ish teamwork. eral camps on the mountain. Dhakal continued the analogy by ex- Santosh Paudel, director of True plaining, “All members of the expedi- North Expedition, stressed that this tion must work together to reach the heart and spirit made it all possible. summit. So, too, all Nepalese people, “Clearly the willingness for everyone to especially our leaders, need to work to- make small sacrifices combined togeth- gether, sacrificing for a higher purpose er to make this expedition possible. We in order to create a new Constitution need this kind of spirit in Nepal.” and lay the foundation for a new Ne- One of the expedition members, pal.” Gokul Thapa, gave the following re- Highlighting this point the UPF-Ne- port about the challenges they faced pal Chairman reiterated, “Only when and overcame through perseverance we learn to live more for others than and teamwork. 112 | Two paths to peace

The Mt. Everest expedition was for a noble Col, at about 7,800 meters. The other felt cold cause: to support the government, to unite all the and started coughing; he turned back at 8,000 political parties and all the religions around the meters. In both cases, it was their own decision. mission of writing a new constitution for our na- This was made clear at the very beginning. tion, and to help bring peace to all nations. The I almost turned back three times. The last two Universal Peace Federation supported us very times I felt I might very well die. The first time much. I know that people were praying for our I almost gave up was just after leaving camp 3. success. We had started walking in the early morning, This was a very challenging time for the climb- before the sun came up. After the sun came up ers; we literally risked our lives. All the people I forgot to put on my sunglasses and continued who signed the banner should know and under- walking for over an hour. I became blinded by stand what kind of effort and focus this expedi- the snow, and my eyes hurt so much. We were be- tion took. [The banner was signed by the heads tween camp 3 and camp 4, at the Geneva Spur, of all 25 political parties, government leaders, and I could see people but could not recognize and leaders of nine religions in Nepal, as a sym- who they were. I only saw foggy images. My eyes bol of national unity and reflecting the spirit of were painful and tears kept coming. When we nation-building.] We didn’t do this for ourselves, started for the summit at about 8:30 that night. but for the future of this nation. I was using my headlamp, but still I could not see It was only with a very strong heart of deter- anything except the rope and the person just in mination — not half-hearted, but a total com- front of me. I thought maybe I could not make mitment — that we could carry out this mission. it, but I decided to try. ‘Just take the next step,” The political leaders also should have this kind I told myself. “One step at a time.” of dedication and willingness to sacrifice even When the sun rose, I put on my glasses with their lives for the sake of Nepal’s bright future. the goggles over them, but still my eyes hurt. It is usually very expensive to climb Mt. Ever- After reaching the summit, I stayed about an est. A foreign climber usually has one Sherpa as hour and returned as quickly as I could. Usually his or her personal guide to accompany them dur- snow-blindness lasts 24 hours, but at noon, the ing the whole trip. If they have lots of money, pain became even worse. I almost ran back to they may have as many as three personal guides. camp 4, on South Col, because of my eye pain. In addition to this, there are usually four or five The other two summiteers came later, and we all porters for each climber. They act as helpers to slept at camp 4 that night. The next morning I carry equipment up and down the mountain. was better. There were only eight members on our team: The second time I almost gave up was after five climbers, two porters, and one cook. We had starting for the summit. I had rushed to get to do everything ourselves. And even then, only dressed and arrange my oxygen supply. I did three of the climbers actually reached the sum- everything like I had done before, but when I mit. started climbing, suddenly I could not breathe The two climbers who didn’t reach the top properly. I started breathing at a very high speed. were simply not strong enough, and they decided A Sherpa from another expedition, Nangyal to turn back by themselves. One developed a fever Sherpa, was our advisor, and he quickly opened and headache; he turned back just below South everything I was wearing: my helmet, mask, and peacebuilding: civil society initiatives | 113 even my clothes. He rearranged things, and then you must try. If you try and don’t make it, that’s I could start breathing again; otherwise, I would okay, but how can you not even try?” Repeating not have continued. himself, he added, “At least you must try.” The third time was at about 8,500 meters, Without the support of Da Galje Sherpa, just below what is called the “second summit.” Nangyal Sherpa and their team, I know I As we were climbing, suddenly my oxygen was would not have made it to the summit of Mt. cut off. A valve in my mask became clogged, and Everest and I don’t think our team would have I was not getting any oxygen. I said to myself, “I been successful either. Finally, I decided, “I’ll do think I’m going to die. Surely I’m going to die.” it.” Facing this life-and-death situation, I start- This was May 10. I left base camp on May ed to think about my family. My parents and 15. The others left a day later. Crossing the brothers and sisters would cry for a few days, ice fall between base camp and camp 1 is very but they would get over it. However, I was very dangerous, but I kept focusing on the mission. concerned about my wife. If something happened I didn’t want the other members on the team to to me, I thought, she would have her parents and think, incorrectly, that I was doing this for my- the UPF headquarters to help her. So I decided self, so I let Dendi carry the banner. that whatever the result, I would make it an When we started, I think they misjudged my offering. I made up my mind with this strong strength. I did not want them to have to carry determination. additional supplies just because of me. I could Then Nangyal came and asked what was not walk as fast as the others, and this was some- wrong. Luckily, he had an extra mask which what of a problem. People who walk quickly he was carrying for some of the members of his cannot always wait for the slow ones. team. He helped fit the new mask on me, and Two years ago I broke my leg and I was wor- then I could start breathing again. But I had al- ried that it might give me trouble. But, thank- ready lost about 70 percent of my strength, and fully, it didn’t. Most climbers go up and down I was going to give up. Then Nangyal said, “Just several times carrying supplies to camps at higher follow me. I’ll take care of you.” His words were and higher altitudes. But I didn’t do this. I just a great inspiration and encouragement for me. climbed straight up. During my whole climb, I We had heard excellent weather forecasts in felt basically strong. Kathmandu, and we expected to reach the sum- On the final ascent to the summit, I started mit around May 15 or 16. Because of bad walking two hours before the other two, but we weather, we postponed our assault to the top for ended up reaching the summit at just about the five days. Originally, I was only planning to go same time. I reached the top first and offered a to the base camp and wait for the climbers from prayer for thanksgiving. Then I took my face there. I was not planning to climb to the summit mask off and shouted, “One Family Under because I didn’t want to be a burden to the other God!” team members. One night at base camp, however We originally planned 45 days for the expedi- I had a vivid dream and decided to try for the tion, but we made it to the top on May 20, in summit. I also spoke with our expedition advis- 33 days. On May 22nd we returned to the base er, Da Galje Sherpa, and he urged me, “At least camp. 114 | Two paths to peace

Summary of Service and Educational Programs

One of numerous community service project carried out by Service for Peace. Here school children from six schools clear a park used by drug dealers and ad- dicts of dirty syringes (piled in front). Service activities • Renovating schools • Cleaning and repairing schools • Cleaning temples • Painting schools • Establishing libraries (both library building and mobile libraries) • Providing computers and computer training • Constructing drinking water tanks in schools • Reconciliation picnics to build harmony among people of different ethnic groups • Reconciliation service projects involving the Nepal Army. • Mt. Everest student service project at the base camp • Peace Maker Camp • Peace Volunteer initiatives • Programs for child victims of conflict • Environmental preservation and sanitation • Pilgrimages for world peace • Friendship exchanges • Humanitarian service projects • Peace village initiatives • Bridge of peace programs peacebuilding: civil society initiatives | 115

Sun Hwa International Academy, founded by Mother Moon. Insert: the acting principal and English teacher, Mrs. Theresia Kittel. Women’s projects • Goat farming (supported by microfinance) • Sewing classes • Adult literacy education • Free medicine, dental, and health care • Family values education for women and girls

Peace education • Peace education programs in collaboration with UNESCO and UNICEF the Private Association of Boarding Schools in Nepal • Training teachers in the Discovering the Real Me character education program • Pure Love Alliance programs in more than 7,000 schools • One-and two-day character education programs in hundreds of colleges • Moral education programs in schools and colleges • Family-values based HIV/AIDS awareness and prevention programs • Pure Love Rallies and moral education programs • Leadership and Good Governance programs for Youth Leaders for Democracy. 116 | Two paths to peace

Student wing of UPF, World CARP, gave Collegiate Ambassadors for Peace award to ten “toppers,” students who were top of their class.

• Student exchanges and volunteer teachers at the Sun Hwa International Academy • Five-day leadership seminars for college students in six regions • Two-day Ambassadors for Peace leadership seminars

Building strong families is central to building a world of lasting peace. Inter- national, intercultural and interreligious marriages are encouraged as a way to overcome barriers that have traditionally divided our global family. peacebuilding: civil society initiatives | 117 118 | Two paths to peace peacebuilding: civil society initiatives | 119

Our Next Steps 120 | Two paths to peace

Drafting a New Constitution

Nepal is a nation whose government Dhakal: The root cause is selfishness. is being reborn. The Universal Peace Selfishness is not found in just one par- Federation has been and continues ty, one religion or one ethnic group. It to play an important role in that pro- is also not just a Nepalese problem; it is cess. The two paths to peace must now a universal problem. Of course in writ- merge. ing the Nepalese constitution we must The Chairman of UPF-Nepal, Hon. address the specific issues articulated Ek Nath Dhakal, 35, is a Member of by the people — and we will do that. Parliament and also on the commit- It is not uncommon for politicians tee that is drafting the constitution. In to put themselves above their party the following interview, he highlight- and even their nation. When they do ed how UPF’s universal principles of this, they are putting the desire for peace can provide insights in drafting personal wealth above the well-being the founding document for the rebirth of the nation. To bring things back on of the world’s newest republic. the right track we must understand the Kittel: What unique insight does the core principle of living more for others UPF’s perspective offer in the process than for ourselves. The greater good of writing a national constitution? must always be placed in the higher Dhakal: There are many problems position. I am confident that if we can in our country: corruption, inequality, apply the principle of unselfish giving injustice, no rule of law, poverty, illit- to our nation’s legal framework, then eracy and the violation of fundamental we can truly address the fundamental human rights. These, of course, are not problems of this nation. unique to Nepal. But UPF’s principles Kittel: What can be added to the of peace clarify the underlying cause constitution to address the issue of of these social ills. selfishness? Without addressing the root cause, Dhakal: The most important institu- problems cannot be solved. They tion that teaches unselfishness and cre- would reappear at different times and ates a spirit of altruism is the family. in different forms. In drafting Nepal’s Among family members there is love, constitution we are attempting to solve respect, transparency and trust. There the problems of the Nepalese people. is also a clear vertical and horizontal UPF’s principles of peace provide order. These are very natural princi- guidelines that can help us analyze the ples in our families. So the culture of essential elements needed in writing the family will help solve our nation’s our nation’s highest legal document. problems. Kittel: What does UPF see as the The emphasis on individual free- fundamental cause of our social ills? doms can be balanced by also mention- peacebuilding: civil society initiatives | 121 ing the importance of the family. Many ferences, including race, religion, eth- constitutions, including Nepal’s interim nic background, and caste. The family constitution, focus on individual free- model can help promote social inte- doms and the structure and function gration, reconciliation, and harmony. of the government. We see the conse- To balance the rights of the individual quences of omitting any reference to with the obligations to help preserve the family in many developed nations the values inherent in our Nepalese today; there is an over-emphasis on the families, one or two sentences should individual. be added to the constitution in order to In the Nepalese constitution the address this concern. word “family” is mentioned in refer- Kittel: What role has UPF played in ence to families or family members nation-building in Nepal? who have been victims of civil conflict Dhakal: UPF has many programs and the property of the former royal that teach good governance and char- family, which is to be put in a public acter development. But education has trust now that the monarchy has been to be put into practice. So parallel to abolished. But the importance of the our education programs we have many family as a social institution is not men- activities that apply these principles. tioned. This balance of education and prac- If we do not create the spirit of the tice is very powerful and is making a family in our nation, then people will change in Nepal. Because of this, UPF feel excluded. The nation is like one has built a reputation of trust among big family where there are many dif- the Nepalese people. 122 | Two paths to peace

Building Consensus Summary & uty Executive Director of UNICEF and Assistant Secretary-General of Conclusion the United Nations, wrote an excellent article on army integration that was Lessons learned presented on August 27 at the seminar, “Integration and rehabilitation of What has been learned from the ex- Maoists combatants: Challenges and periences of the past four years in Ne- Prospects,” organized by the Nepal pal’s peace process? And in relation to Institute for Policy Studies. It was re- this book, Two Paths to Peace, what printed in The Kathmandu Post in a lessons can be drawn vis-à-vis the con- two-part series running September 1 & tribution of UPF-Nepal? 3, 2009. He identified the difficulties, look- • Signing a peace treaty and surren- ing at the problem from both sides, dering arms has not brought peace to and proposed an articulate, rational Nepal. Political parties and their youth solution. He even put a price tag on wings are still fighting—both inside Nepal’s peace: $42 million. The former and outside parliament. UN executive outlined a well thought • UPF has been one of the most ac- out road map. In the process, he identi- tive NGOs in supporting the peace fied three critical conditions that would process, both through its international make or break the sought-after peace. office—via the World Peace Tours, and locally—through the SAPI programs. 1. “As we embark on building a New • The parallel events outlined in this Nepal, the UCPN-Maoist must explic- book between the political events re- itly renounce violence as a method of lated to Nepal’s peace process and the political change, and Nepali society as a programs of UPF are far more than whole must embrace a culture of peace coincidental. Even to the casual on- and non-violence, and instill this ethos looker a pattern should be observable. in the children and youth of Nepal.” • To move forward, we must find a 2. When discussing the relative merits way to create a spirit, a willingness, the of the Disarmament, Demobilization heart to pursue peace. This means we and Reintegration (DDR) versus the must find a way to resolve the conflict- Security Sector Reform (SSR), Gautam ing ideologies without sacrificing the identified concerns both the Maoists dreams of peace. and the Nepal Army have, than added, “These are both legitimate concerns, The road block to peace but are also quite manageable if we are guided by a genuine commitment to Kul Chandra Gautam, former Dep- the larger national interest.” peacebuilding: civil society initiatives | 123

3. In seeking financial support, “in- takes of the past which were commit- ternational donors are not likely to be ted while in parliament and in govern- keen to provide large amounts of cash ment. grants to ex-combatants… if it appears that the UCPN (Maoist) will seek Peace cannot begin by accusing oth- to extract or extort much of such cash ers or justifying our mistakes. Creating for their party coffers. There may be a a contrite heart of “self-evaluation” is need to commoditize the cash grants where peace begins and this atmosphere to avoid such extortion, unless the of humility, forgiveness and reconcili- Maoists make a credible commitment ation is spiritual in nature. South Af- that is convincing to other parties and rica was successful because they dealt the donors.” with hard questions first: When does the desire for justice become revenge? These three concerns, abandoning Can there be forgiveness separate from violence, putting national interests reparations? Wouldn’t amnesty turn above party politics and building trust into appeasement? Desmond Tutu, an are lynch pins for the peace process to ordained bishop who headed up the move forward. More to the point, they Truth and Reconciliation Committee, are emotional and spiritual in nature drew on religious and spiritual values and must be dealt with accordingly. to guide the peace process forward. They are not strategic flaws and there Much can be learned from South Af- will be no political quick fix. rica’s experience. All parties must go back to the spirit of the original Memorandum of Un- Can UPF-Nepal help? derstanding signed in New Delhi on November 22, 2005 which is the cor- This is a rather bold question. Com- nerstone for Nepal’s quest for peace. pared to the size of the Government From UPF’s perspective, the two most of Nepal or resources of the United essential conditions for peace seemed Nations, UPF-Nepal is very small. But to have been overlooked. There were size is not always the measure of value. the 6th and 7th points of the 12-point Diamonds too are small and yet hold MOU which read: an immense concentration of wealth because of their unchanging character 6. Undertaking self-criticism and self- and spectacular luster. Then what can evaluation of past mistakes, the Com- UPF offer the peace process at this munist Party of Nepal-Maoists has juncture? expressed commitment not to repeat The essence of the political strug- such mistakes in the future. gle in Nepal is between two political 7. The seven political parties, under- camps: one democratic and the other taking self-evaluation, have expressed communist. There are other players, the commitment not to repeat the mis- but these are also two big rivalries. Can 124 | Two paths to peace they find common ground? If not, Moon’s birthday Kim Jong Il, the suc- peace will not come to Nepal. cessor and son of Kim Il Sung, sends UPF’s uniquely history and experi- special birthday greetings and gifts to ence places it in an extraordinary posi- Father Moon. This year, for example, tion to help the peace process along at on Father Moon’s 90th birthday Kim this juncture. There are several reasons Jong Il sent three extremely rare wild for this. ginseng roots over 70 years old and First, Father Moon was born in highly valued North Korean ceramic North Korea. His homeland to this day vases. remains divided at the 38th parallel be- To heal the political misunderstand- tween these same two political ideolo- ing and animosity between these di- gies. And North and South Korea are vided people Father Moon developed still technically at war. Having the na- a philosophy called “headwing democ- tion of your birth divided is like divid- racy.” The purpose is not to say who ing your own heart. Family members, is right and who is wrong, but to find friends, customs and cultures once a way around this political blockade. homogeneous and without borders are Headwing democracy looks at the ad- suddenly bitter enemies with fortified vantages and disadvantages of both barricades. Rev. Moon’s only surviving communism and democracy before of- siblings are in North Korea. fering a new approach to solving global To help heal this divided peninsula, problems. Father Moon visited North Korea in A fair appraisal of both systems 1991 and embraced Kim Il Sung be- shows they have two things in com- fore his passing away. (Father Moon mon: both are ideologies from the reached out to Michael Gorbachev in West, and both have fallen short in re- Russia the year before.) When Kim Il alizing a society of lasting peace, genu- Sung passed away, Father Moon sent a ine equality and true happiness. Father special envoy, Dr. Bo Hi Pak, to rep- Moon describes it this way: resent the UPF Founder at the funeral “Headwing thought, which is nei- in Pyongyang, the capital of North ther right-wing nor left-wing, can bring Korea. Dr. Pak could not return to about true human peace and happi- South Korea for several years because ness, which cannot be accomplished he had violated the laws restricting by either democracy or communism, South Koreans from traveling to the because neither right-wing nor left- North without government permission wing can escape the origin of selfish (which could not be obtained on such individualism. Their pursuit of social a short notice). Dr. Pak was later given justice is centered on themselves... In amnesty. this way, the eternal battle of unrelent- UPF affiliated business have set up ing self-interest, left unsolved, cannot a car factory, hotel and tourist enter- result in peace and unification. A new prises in North Korea. And on Father global “ism” has to appear which can peacebuilding: civil society initiatives | 125 break down selfish individualism. That the support and guidance of interna- is headwing thought.” tional advisors and implements direc- An Asian approach is needed. Head- tions through a local staff of dedicated, wing democracy uses an oriental view trained professionals. of life which is essential for developing The respect UPF has gained in a culture of peace: an emphasis on the Nepal is likely based on two observa- family, spirituality interwoven in our tions: 1) the universality of its philos- daily lives, vertical attendance to elders ophy and educational programs that and the democracy of a brotherhood. apply to leaders at the highest level of Second, UPF international has held society as well as the grass-root popu- successful reconciliation programs op- lace of all religious persuasions, and erating on six continents in all religious 2) its absolute commitment to peace, and cultural spheres. On a scalable, demonstrated most clearly though its replicable model UPF has effectively many projects that involve leadership addressed historical divisions based and good governance, community and on ethnicity, religion and nationalism, social service, uplifting women, charac- bringing together blacks and whites, ter education for students, orphanages Jews and Muslims, and Japanese and for conflict children, schools, and eth- Koreas. The desire for peace is the life- nic reconciliation programs. blood of the Founder, Father Moon, Finally, UPF has the educational and permeates this federation from top material, experience, and sensitivity to bottom; it is part of UPF’s DNA. to help people open their hearts and Third, UPF-Nepal has long-term, per- minds. It focuses on universally shared sonal relationships with the leadership values drawn from our common fa- of all political parties: Maoists, demo- milial bonds incorporating a full mea- crats and royalists. This element of a sure of personal responsibility. Such personal rapport is extremely important programs build the atmosphere of a and cannot be over emphasized. UPF- family—of inclusiveness, love and un- Nepal chairman, Hon. Ek Nath Dhakal, derstanding—while at the same time has a keen sense for understanding cur- being grounded in the hard reality that rent political trends, a deep love for his bringing diverse people together who country, and spirituality rooted in uni- have been fighting and killing each versal values and embracive of all faiths. other for years is the most difficult job He is a unifier, someone who never in the world. This is peacemaking at its makes enemies. Dhakal also seeks out very core!

It is time for the Two Paths to Peace to merge together. 126 | Two paths to peace

About the Author toral Degree from the University of Bridgeport in Connecticut, USA in the field of education in 2004. The Unifi- cation Theological Seminary granted him a Masters of Divinity Magna cum Laude in 1993 after which he lived in the former Soviet Union for a year writing character education curricula. In 1996 Dr. Kittel co-founded the Pure Love Alliance, a youth-based program which utilized service-learning Dr. Robert S. Kittel and character education in month-long Director of Peace Education national and international tours con- for UPF-Asia tinuing over six consecutive years from 1997-2002. During this time, the pro- Dr. Robert S. Kittel is an internation- gram was rolled out in Thailand, the al educational advisor specializing in Philippines, Japan, Korea, England, adolescent character and family-values France, India, Nepal and Germany. based education. Since 1975, Dr. Kittel While doing undergraduate stud- has been living and working extensively ies in mathematics at the University in South Asia. He has lived for years of Utah, Dr. Kittel qualified for the in Pakistan, Sri Lanka, India and Nepal Olympic swimming trials in the U.S. (where he currently lives) and traveled and set a Canadian national swimming to all South Asian nations. record in 1972. He returned briefly to the United Married in 1982 to Theresia Kittel States, his native country, to complete (originally from Austria), they have two his education and received his Doc- children. APPENDIX | 127 128 | Two paths to peace

Appendix

Timeline APPENDIX | 129

Timeline: Nepal’s Providential Events

Date UPF Nepal 1st SAPI: Lumbini “Appeal for On September 3 the Maoists Peace,” Resolution signed by Rt. declared a three-month unilateral July 2005 Hon. Taranath Ranabhat and 70 ceasefire. others; published in Kathmandu newspapers on August 28.

2nd SAPI: Nov. 12, confer- Ten day later, UPF Founder ar- ence at Kathmandu University; rived in Kathmandu, to establish Tushar Gandhi encouraged direct the Universal Peace Federation in dialogue with Maoists; House Nepal. November 2005 Speaker Ranabhat addressed a press conference acknowledging UPF’s role in fostering dialogue among national leaders; Dr. Ka- mal K. Joshi, presented a 12-point peace proposal.

World Peace Tour I (launch- Maoists plus a Seven-Party Al- ing UPF chapters worldwide): liance sign a 12-point MOU in Nov. 22, 2005 Father Moon speaks at the BICC in New Delhi, India launching Ne- Kathmandu; His speech televised pal’s peace process after a decade live nationwide in Nepal and to 40 of war. nations.

3rd SAPI: March 15 on, “Region- New Delhi; “secret talks” were al Conflicts in South Asia: being held between the Maoists March 2006 The Human Dimension”; Amb. and SPA, “didn’t seem too up- Rajan called for compassion and beat,” according to press reports; tolerance; Resolution: responsible March 19th a breakthrough and citizenship through a renewed commitment to the responsible self-governance. original MOU emerged.

April 17 written memo from UPF The same day the week-long pe- April 2006 HQ asks members to begin a riod of penance ended, April 24, seven-day period of penance for King Gyanendra addressed the the “national harmony of Nepal.” nation and promised to reinstate the House of Representatives. World Peace Tour II (Mother- The following day, June 2, Mao- Son Tour): June 1, Mother Moon, ists held a massive peaceful rally in Kathmandu, their first public June 2006 co-founder of UPF, accompanied by her children and spoke at BICC. Ek demonstration of strength in the Nath Dhakal, “by a mother’s love, capital city since fighting children were reconciled.” beginning the insurgency. 130 | Two paths to peace

Date UPF Nepal 4th SAPI, June 26, on “Human Same day: Interim Constitution Rights and Human Responsi- Drafting Committee started; bilities: In Conflict and Post- Chairman of the Ceasefire Moni- Conflict Situations.” Mr. D. R. toring Committee nominated; June 2006 Kaarthikeyan, Director General next day after Maoists extended Continued of the National Humans Rights their nationwide ceasefire. Commission of India; Speaker of the House, Rt. Hon. Subash C. Nembang; Resolution: religious and spiritual leaders should take a more active role in post-conflict Nepal.

World Peace Tour III (Three- An Axial Period in Nepal’s Generation Tour): peace process: international The day after the United Nations’ support, aid packages, human International rights accountability, advances in Day of Peace, Sept. 21, Mrs. women’s rights and gender equal- September 2006 Moon returned to Kathmandu, ity, press freedom advocated, accompanied by her children and civilian control over the defense grandchildren; on Sept. 22nd forces enforced, improved ties public speaking engagements were with India, an international inter- conducted in 12 venues simultane- religious youth convention, and ously throughout the Kathmandu substantial progress in political Valley, Pokhara, and Chitwan. peace talks focusing on one of the most tricky issue—arms management.

Placards read “Forgive, Love, Nov. 7: government and Maoists Unite” October 15, as UPF mem- agreed on a historical six-point bers took to the streets and called peace accord. on all parties to put the interest Nov. 21: Comprehensive Peace of the nation above political self- Accord signed October, interests. —exactly one year after Father Moon visited Nepal to launch November 2006 World Peace Tour IV begins UPF and the original 12-point October 21 and continues through MOU was signed in New to the end of November 2006; Delhi—insurgency ends; Maoist three Ambassadors for Peace from combatants will surrender their the United States came to Nepal arms to the UN and be restricted to help achieve 120 peace rallies to seven cantonment areas; the which was the goal in each nation Nepal Army would be confined worldwide. to its barracks. peacebuilding: civil society initiatives | 131

Date UPF Nepal The Universal Times launched Mr. Ram Karki, Foreign Affairs December 1; 5th SAPI: Decem- Leader from the Central Working ber 6, first time representatives Committee of the CPN-Maoists, from the Maoists participated in a lead UPF-Nepal leaders to a UPF conference; “In Support of private meeting with Maoist Su- the Peace Process: The Role of preme Leader Prachanda and sec- National and International Civil ond in command, Dr. Baburam Society”; interpersonal dialogue Bhattarai. December 2006 essential in building trust. World Peace Tour V: goal of Dec. 16: Interim constitution 1,200 peace programs to conclude signed. Called “a historic step by Dec. 24; Purpose: to educate forward,” outlining the structure people about the important of the Constituent Assembly relationship between the spiritual and electoral system, this legal dimensions of peace that are as document would guide the peace equally important as the politics process from now on. processes.

World Peace Tour VI: goal Parliament dissolved, an interim 12,000 peace rallies, theme government formed that includes “One Family under God”; rallies former communist rebels; large and small, house to house Maoist begin to hand over their campaign; 20,000 special addi- weapons. tion newspapers distributed; 12 Maoist’s mantra, “Abolish the January international AFP, 352 Nepalese monarchy;” through AFP mobilized; over half a Mt. Everest replaces the image of September million Nepalese citizens given the monarch on Nepali currency; peace message and family-values property holdings of the 2007 education. royal family nationalized; Sept. 18: one week after WPT WPT VI ends on Sept. 12, on the V ended (Sept. 12) the Maoists second anniversary of establishing stormed out of the govern- the Universal Peace Federation. ment; Maoist-backed trade union members attacked The Kantipur 1st anniversary of the third World Publication Peace Tour (Sept. 22, 2006).

March 17: UPF’s Leadership and March 30: former Maoist rebels March 2007 Good Governance Award given to and ruling party alliance agreed to Prime Minister of Nepal, Rt. Hon. form a joint government. Girija Prasad Koirala, to unify the nation and support all involved in the peace process. 132 | Two paths to peace

Date UPF Nepal 6th SAPI: December 1, “Sup- Dec. 23, monarchy officially porting the Peace Process at the abolished in order to bring the Civil Society Level: National and Maoists back into the peace International Perspectives”; process; three major political parties (Mao- December 30: the Maoists December 2007 ists, NC and UML) along with the rejoined the government, ending president of the Human Rights a three-month deadlock, and the Organization attended; following day, four Maoists given Special Guest, Hon. G.M. Cabinet ministries. Gurung, Minister of Human Resource Development, Govern- ment of Sikkim.

International Leadership Jan. 14: Last day for political par- Conference in the Singhadur- ties to register for April Elections; bar; theme “Parliamentarians Nepal Family Party registered. for Peace,” 200 participants, 120 January 2008 Members of Parliament; Two-day International Leadership Confer- ence on peace education at the Hyatt Regency; representatives from all 75 UPF Districts Peace Council attended.

Election Day - April 10 Nepal Family Party won one seat; April 2008 Hon. Ek Nath Dhakal becomes CA Member.

July 18, the UPF Founder, Father July 19, Presidential elections in Moon, his wife, grandchildren Nepal: a life-and-death struggle and close staff, 16 people in all, to elect the country’s first presi- were in a helicopter crash in dent; no clear winner. In runoff July 2008 Korea; miraculously, all escaped July 21, Dr. Ram Baran Yadav unharmed, just minutes before the won 308 votes (needed 298) to helicopter exploded in flames. become Nepal’s first president, preventing both Prime Minister and President from becoming Maoists.

Aug. 15: Pushpa Kamal Dahal August 2008 (Prachanda) becomes he first prime minister of the federal democratic republic of Nepal peacebuilding: civil society initiatives | 133

Date UPF Nepal National Interreligious Assembly, November 22, entitled, “Interreli- gious Cooperation for Peace and November 2008 Human Development”; religious leaders from 12 organizations attended. The Maoist government tried to block funding for religious cer- 7th SAPI: December 23; topic, emonies; overstepped the tradi- “The Challenges of Governance tion of nominating Indian priests for Sustainable Peace”; 24 CA at Pashupatinath Temple; and members from 14 different continued attacks on the media, political parties, along with legal the Himalmedia group. December 2008 experts, academicians, military experts, and human rights advocates; Resolved: peace and development within the rule of law, respect for religious values.

Everest banner signed by Revenues and tourism were up Father Moon and UPF at the beginning of the year; international directors but a clash between the Army arrives back in Nepal May 4; Chief lead to the Maoist govern- 8th SAPI, May 20, Resolution: ment resigning May 4; video of May 2009 Re-launch the peace process Prachanda released May 5; MK with Nepalese ownership; Nepal, second Nepali PM, sworn Summiteers reach the top of Mt. in on May 23. Everest, May 20.

9th SAPI and month of Interna- Maoists had blocked parliamen- tional Solidarity: tary proceeding for two months; UPF-Nepal held a series of new government struggles to find conferences bringing together its footing and seeks support. former Speakers from the two Asian governments, diplomats and parliamentarians from half a dozen nations, international NGO June-July representatives from 26 countries, 2009 and a prominent religious leader from India; the Nepal Family Party program, “Headwing Democracy and Its Relevance.”