Bird menace at TIA

According to a news report, the bird menace at the country’s only international airport has made airlines servicing at Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) reconsider continuing their service. If this alarming news does not goad the government to do something, we can look forward to a significant decline in tourism revenue. At this rate, it will take only a few more hits before the birds drive away the planes and the tourists. This would be a terrible setback to the tourism industry, a significant contributor to the country’s economy. It is indeed saddening to note that all this could happen because the government failed to manage the garbage that Kathmandu generates.

Kathmandu does not have a dumping site. So, Gokarna was being used as a temporary landfill site until some months ago local residents stopped all dumping activity there. It was then that the Ministry of Local Development hit upon the dumbest idea of all -- to dump garbage along the bank of the Bagmati river from Gokarna to Gujeshwori and then to build a road over it.

Ecologists and everybody concerned about the valley’s deteriorating environment had criticised this move then. The Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) had also communicated to the Ministry about the possible hazards of dumping. Despite this, the Ministry went ahead with its plan and started dumping waste. Even when Gokarna, which is 5 kilometres from the airport, was being used as a dumping site, it violated the International Civil Aviation Organisation’s (ICAO) requirement that a dumping site must be located at least 13 kilometres away from an international airport. Now, the dumping is being done barely 500 metres away from TIA.

TIA officials attribute the increased bird activity to the seasonal emergence of earthworms at the airport. If this is the main reason, then how is it that bird menace at TIA was unheard of until last year? Obviously, the dumping activity for the proposed road is mainly responsible for the threat to aircraft. With five bird hits, TIA has become a most unsafe airport. It is sheer luck that no major disaster has occurred as yet, but if the birds cannot be kept away, who knows one day something terrible can happen that will keep both the airlines as well as tourists away from Nepal for a long time to come.

The government must heed this warning and intervene. Dumping along the Bagmati riverbank must not only stop, whatever has been dumped must also be relocated. The government would also do well to consider relocating the international airport to somewhere away from the city. Apart from being too close to Kathmandu City, it has also become too crowded. But first, the dumping must stop.

UNESCO mission visit to Nepal in retrospect

By Keshav R Jha

The six member high level mission headed by Mr Abdelaziz Touri, President of the World Heritage Committee, visited Nepal from 23rd to 29th September in accordance with the committee’s decision in Marrakesh last year. The mandate of the mission was to:

- clarify to the authorities of Nepal the purpose of inscribing a site as endangered in the World Heritage List

- justify the inscription on the of World Heritage List of the site in danger at the forthcoming 24th session of the committee to be held in Australia later this year

- give further attention to measures which address the problem of demolition of buildings in the monument zones

- establish base line data for continuing documentation of historic buildings.

Prior to sending this high level delegation, several members of the Bureau had been willing to inscribe Kathmandu Valley on the endangered list. It was only because of a working group that the Bureau deferred this decision and decided to wait for the report of this high level mission.

The Kathmandu Valley World Heritage Site comprises three palaces in their urban settings (Kathmandu, Patan, Bhaktapur). Two Hindu sites (Pashupatinath and Changu Narayan), and two Buddhist sites (Swayambhunath and Boudhanath), were included in the World Heritage List in 1979.

The UNESCO World Heritage Committee has been expressing its concern since many years. In 1993, it served a 16 point notice to ensure the conservation of authenticity and integrity. In 1998, a joint mission of UNESCO, ICOMOS (International Council of Monuments and Sites) and His Majesty’s Government reviewed the management of the zones and agreed to 55 recommendations and a time bound action plan. Since then, Nepal has submitted several progress reports explaining the measures it has taken to comply with the World Heritage Convention which was signed in 1978.

In the course of a week long visit to Kathmandu, the high level mission visited all seven Monument Zones and held talks with the concerned authorities, local leaders and government officials. During these meetings, Nepalese leaders reiterated their commitment to preserve the cultural heritage of Nepal, and asked the leader of the delegation to convey the government’s wish that time be allowed for complying with the recommendations by the year 2004.

The mission was highly impressed by the preservation work in Bhaktapur, Changu Narayan and Swayambhunath. Though they were disappointed by lack of support for preservation work at Boudhanath, they noted some progress in Patan. While appreciating national and local efforts to raise public awareness, the mission clearly recognised the urgent need to mobilise international technical assistance. More public support is needed for safeguarding world heritage values and preventing deterioration of the authentic character of Kathmandu Valley.

The mission also clarified through a press conference putting a site in the In Danger List should not be seen as a blacklisting exercise. The In Danger List should be seen as a tool provided under Article 11 of the World Heritage Convention, to strengthen the capacity of authorities responsible for safeguarding World Heritage Sites. The mission stressed that inscription on the In Danger List should be considered as part of a proactive process to attract the attention of the international community and to address the root causes of the problem.

Nepalese authorities, however, do not subscribe to this view. There is complete unanimity from top leadership to local and community level that given some more time, Nepal will implement both in letter and spirit, the 55 recommendations. There is tremendous support from the people and the present Government is totally committed to heritage preservation. Any attempt to derail from this course will neither serve the purpose of UNESCO nor a culturally rich country like Nepal. It will dampen the enthusiasm of Nepalese people who will consider it a dishonour. It will also be a slap on the face to the government which is determined to convert Kathmandu Valley into a city of culture and tourism.

Culture not only constitutes Nepal’s identity, it is the very heart of development. If UNESCO considers culture as its soul, Nepalese people consider it as prestige and honour. Nepal does not, therefore want to joint the club of 27 countries from Albania to Yugoslavia who have cultural or natural heritage sites on the World Heritage in Danger List. Nepal expects this strong sentiment to be echoed by the high level mission in its report to the World Heritage Committee to be presented in Australia later this year. The suspicion is that once inscribed on the In Danger List, Nepal will never be returned to the main List. Her case is different from the cases in the 27 other countries and cannot be compared. Nepal’s problems relate to demolition of private houses of cultural or historical value. When first inscribed on the World Heritage List, this factor was never discussed or considered. Only several years later, the issue was raised with the authorities in Nepal leading us to the current predicament.

As matters stand now, there are four members of the seven man Bureau who are in favour of putting Nepal on the World Heritage In Danger List. Similarly there are a large number of Committee members who are ignorant of the special circumstances in Nepal and support the idea of inscription on the In Danger List. Nepal needs the support of the UNESCO Secretariat, as well as intensive diplomatic lobbying in New York, Tokyo and Paris. Only in this way will the 21 members of the World Heritage Committee be persuaded to allow our country until 2004 to fully implement the Recommendations agreed between ICOMOS, UNESCO and His Majesty’s Government.

Any decision contrary to the Nepali people’s aspirations would undermine their determination and enthusiasm to protect and preserve cultural heritage. At least, it should not come now when Nepal is preparing for the 5th meeting of the Campaign Review Committee marking the termination of 21 years of the International Safeguarding Campaign for the Kathmandu World Heritage Site, and the launching of the second phase of a cultural decade. This may also sour the decision of the World Heritage Committee to inscribe Shey Phoksundo Valley on the list of natural World Heritage Sites at the same meeting in Australia.

We hope the high level mission will faithfully reflect the feelings of the Nepalese and oppose the inscription of Kathmandu Valley on the World Heritage In Danger List. Nepal also looks forward to a period of constructive dialogue with the World Heritage Committee in pursuit of its common goal, that is, the continued preservation of the Kathmandu Valley World Heritage Site.

My mother, my only inspiration

By Mala Bhattachan

From my childhood to this stage, my mother has been playing a great role in making me a perfect human being. "This is a very simple statement," you might say, but just think. Only you can feel the pain, the devotion, the commitment with which she worked so that I could see a beautiful day like today. I know I’m in this world because of her and it’s because of her that I am strong enough to face all the challenges of life. There were times when I didn’t understand her and was rude to her.

I still remember when I was on the wrong track my mother tried her best to show me the right path. It was I who misunderstood her intention and accused her of snatching my so called freedom. Now I feel, how wrong I was. I used to be with my friends all the time enjoying my life to the fullest. Those days are gone and so are the friends. They now remain only in my thoughts. Sometimes, I sit back and close my eyes to recall all the friends with whom I spent some of the valuable time of my life. Unfortunately, I can’t remember all of them. Some friends are still with me and we believe that we will remain friends forever. But we all know that a day will come when we have to bid farewell to each other and choose our paths.

When I look at my mother, I feel very proud to have her as a friend. She always supported, guided and loved me. She played a great role as a friend and as a mother. So, I would like to admit that my mother is my only friend, a very beautiful friend who doesn’t want anything in return for her love.

When I fell sick, it was she who stayed awake at night just to make sure that her child would get a sunny day ahead. Her warm magic touch used to heal all the pain and discomfort of illness. But now when she falls sick, I do not have time to stay beside her and comfort her. I’m only concerned about myself. Why am I acting so selfishly? Why is materialistic life so important to me than the love of my mother? To tell you the truth, it’s my mother who dragged me from the pit of ignorance to the world of knowledge and again it was she who taught me to live with dignity and courage.

So, I must say that my mother is my only inspiration. I’m saying this not because of her tender love but for the sense of responsibilities which she felt towards her children. I want to thank my mother, not only for giving me eyes but for teaching me to utilize the power of sight. At one point in life, I’ll be a mother of don’t know how many children! I will surely love them like my mother loved me and will help them to face the brutal realities of life. But I’m not sure how they will be behave with me. It’s a tough question. One thing I would like to say is that we shouldn’t forget our duties which we all have to do being social animals.

If you think that you will be happy by running away from your responsibilities, then I would like to say that, you are running away from your soul. This will lead you... Nowhere.

Promoting the venerable shield

By Pius R Mishra

Mobilization of resources, though very important, has and will always remain a major challenge for development workers all around the world and Nepal is no exception to this. However, there cannot be two opinions about its importance in the development process.

Over the years, social mobilization is being increasingly recognized as a vital cog in the development process. Thus, it is very crucial that social mobilization is considered as a major strategy to promote developmental goals.

Recognizing the challenges posed by increasing population growth and the cases of HIV/AIDS, Nepal Red Cross Society (NRCS), initiated a campaign. NRCS felt that celebration of Condom Day could be instrumental in raising awareness about the importance of the condom in STDs/HIV/AIDS prevention and birth control spacing. The first Condom Day was celebrated in 1995 in 33 districts where the population had been estimated at 50,000. More than 30 governmental and I/NGOs, participated in this effort.

The main objectives of celebrating the Condom Day are to: raise awareness among communities about the importance of using condoms for family planning as well as prevention of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) like HIV/AIDS and creating an enabling environment to discuss openly about condoms."

It is indeed heartening to note that the planners of Condom Day Celebration Committee realised the importance of communication in this manner. Both mass and interpersonal communications are used to convey the message of condom Day.

In order to raise awareness, various activities such as rallies, talk programmes, street theatres, debates, discussions, poster competition, school level quiz contests, speeches etc, were organised with the support of different government and non government organizations. Approximately, 35 organizations were involved in the Condom Day celebrations of last year. The involvement of organisations is continuously increasingly and all of them are contributing as much as they can so that the message could be disseminated to small units of communities.

In addition to participating in rallies at Kathmandu and Chitwan during last year’s Condom Day, Johns Hopkins University/Population Communication Services (JHU/PCS) also organized a school level quiz contest on October 30th, 1999 and participated in the talk programme.

Most of the questions for the quiz contest were drawn from the contents of Distance Education Radio Programme entitled "Service Brings Reward" and Drama Serial "Cut Your Coat According to Your Cloth." These were meant to promote condom use and prevent sexually transmitted infections.

The high point of the rally was the participation of both government and non government organizations as well as people from all walks of life. Besides advocating the use of condom, some of the marchers in the rally distributed condoms. This strategy is considered to be very significant as information is backed up by service delivery. The distribution of condoms during the rally would serve as a motivating factor for potential users.

This article attempts to examine the different themes developed over the years on the occasion of Condom Day as well as the different strategies to ensure its success. The theme of the first Condom Day was "Responsible Fatherhood". As the event was being organized for the first time in Nepal, responsibility was placed on the father. The theme appropriately recognized the important position and the respect a father occupies and commands in society. By popularizing this theme, organisers had rightly intended to make fathers more active in the promotion and use of condoms. Based on NRCS’s estimate, approximately 50,000 people were reached during the first Condom Day.

The theme of the second Condom Day was "Responsible Male". This theme widened the target audience. Instead of just concentrating on fathers, it sought the involvement of the male community. The result was that approximately 50,000 people were reached during the second Condom Day. However the emphasis was still on the male only.

Given the reluctance of Nepalese Society to talk about sex and family planning methods, it was felt that there was a need to make the discussion about the condom more open. This was the theme of the third Condom Day. Emphasis on discussions about Condom resulted in the participation of 200,000 people.

Planners of the fourth Condom Day realised that the promotion and proper use of condom could not effectively be realised until and unless both males and females were involved. Effort to include both men and women was initiated form the third Condom Day with the theme: "Men and Women let’s be wise and use condoms." Realising the important role of both men and women, the call to action was on use of condoms. The fourth Condom Day was celebrated in 65 districts. It reached approximately 250,000 people.

The theme of the last Condom Day on October 30, 1999 was "Let’s increase the participation of families and communities in the correct use of condom." It is worth noting that the theme has moved onwards from individuals to families and communities. Because of its wide thematic appeal, the last Condom Day was celebrated in more than 65 districts.

The theme of this year’s Condom Day is "Let’s use condoms, it’s our responsibility". The theme encompasses every sector and people of all walks of life. Attempts are being made to organize the event in all 75 districts of the kingdom.

From the communication point of view, the enormous success of the condom day has important bearings. The planners of Condom Day had, at the outset, realised that different channels, of communication should be utilised to obtain participation. Thus mobile vans in comminutes, print media, broadcast and other agents of mass media are being used to create awareness among the people. Likewise, interpersonal channels of communication are being used to raise awareness. In addition to disseminating health related developmental messages, entertainment is also being given due consideration. The use of Street Theatres is an important step in this direction. Evidence form Nepal and elsewhere suggest that development messages become more effective when one medium reinforces another.

Another innovative approach was the School approach. This approach takes into confidence adolescents who need proper knowledge about the correct use of condom.

Partnership approach and true coordination was envisaged with the roles and responsibilities of each partner clearly delineated.

Awareness is also tied up with service in celebrating Condom Day. On the occasion, condoms will be freely distributed along with IEC materials. Awareness is the first essential step in changing behaviour but it is ultimately the availability and regularity of the proposed product that will transform behaviour.