Ascertaining rights

The parliamentary Law and Justice Committee has just approved a controversial clause in the Muluki Ain or Civil Code amendment bill with the aim of entitling women to equal right to parental property even after marriage. The issue of equal property rights for women has been around for a long time. Whatever the pros and cons one thing that should not be lost sight of is that women constitute half the population and what the women themselves have to say about it should also count. The proposed Women’s Property Rights Bill has been waiting for parliament approval since 1997. This is the right step for our parliamentarians in order to amend any flaws before a proposed bill is passed in Parliament. Such a step will not only strengthen parliamentary values but also serve the country’s long term interests, besides inviting healthy debate.

The Amendment of the 1963 Citizenship Act, which was pushed through without inviting
any debate in Parliament, was apparently not in accordance with parliamentary procedure. Naturally, the Koirala government had pushed the Bill towards the Royal seal to please the southern neighbour and at a cost to the country’s interests as well as to democratic procedure. Had the Citizenship Bill been sent for royal assent only after parliamentary debate, the Koirala government would have deserved a pat on the back, and it would have had some credibility even. Unfortunately, the Koirala government showed its ill intent when it turned it into a Finance Bill and sent it for the Royal seal only to serve its political interests. Women’s rights activists, backed by some international agencies, raised their voice against the discriminatory clause in the proposed 11th Civil Code Amendment Bill. Under that clause a woman would have had to return her share of parental property after her marriage, if the Amendment Bill had been enacted into law by the House. This is also an indication that the parliamentarians recognized the basic flaw in the proposed Amendment Bill, besides setting a precedence. Now, women will have the right to retain their parental property even after marriage once the Bill is enacted into law.

There had been a debate on the existing clause between women’s rights activists and lawmakers for over four years as it directly discriminated against the rights of daughters in terms of parental property. Women’s rights activists wanted that "clause" to be replaced with equal right to parental property. That has now been done even though the proposed Bill is yet to be made into an act. This was the first time in our decade-long parliamentary history that the ruling party agreed to approve a discriminatory clause in a proposed amendment bill. In a parliamentary system, bills are discussed among members of Parliament before they are passed by a majority of the House and subsequently endorsed by the National Assembly. Now in principal the proposed bill recognizes daughters as equal heirs to parental property. But how effective the bill will be in practice once enacted as law is a question that remains unanswered yet.

New chapter in Nepal-UNESCO cooperation

By Keshav Raj Jha

One and a half years after his election as the new Director-General of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization Koichiro Matsuura, 64, is paying a four day visit to Nepal from 25th - 28th July. Matsuura was invited by Minister for Education and Sports, Amod Prasad Upadhyay.

During his visit, Matsuura is scheduled to hold talks on bilateral cooperation between Nepal and UNESCO with several ministers, including foreign minister, and to review the ongoing and future projects in the fields of education, science, culture and communication. He is expected to have an audience with His Majesty the King and hold talks with Prime Minister G P Koirala.

As a devoted Buddhist, the Director-General will visit Lumbini to take stock of progress at the site identified as the birthplace of Lord Buddha - the Light of Asia. He will meet the Chairman of the Lumbini Development Trust and hold talks about how UNESCO can cooperate with Nepal in the development of Lumbini as envisaged in Kenzo Tenge’s Masterplan.

UNESCO inscribed Lumbini on the World Heritage List in September 1996. This followed five years of correspondence, and the visits of several UNESCO experts to confirm the testimony of the inscription on Lumbini’s Ashoka Pillar that Lumbini is the birthplace of the Lord Buddha. The area in Lumbini is one of the holiest places for one of the world’ great religions. This place also contains important evidence of the nature of Buddhist pilgrimage sites from a very early period.

Although UNESCO is not a funding agency it provides catalytic funds to generate further funding and demonstrate that ideals only take shape through action. It is in line with this principle that UNESCO has been helping Nepal since it joined the organization in May 1953. The opening of the Country Office in Kathmandu in 1998 expanded the areas for cooperation, and the Director-General’s visit will contribute to consolidating and developing this relationship.

Koichiro Matsuura is UNESCO’s ninth Director-General. He is the first Asian to have been elected to this post in UNESCO’s 55-year history. Previously, he was Japan’s Ambassador to France, and a Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs. He also chaired UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee during 1998-99.

While taking his oath of office Matsuura outlined his vision for the future of UNESCO, stressing that the Organization must become universal once again. He recalled that "for over half a century UNESCO has pursued the goal of mobilizing those who are most willing to help, most generous with their talents, and most fertile in imagination, in the pressing service of the inhabitants of our world." He insisted on the twin approaches of consolidation and renewal, "consolidation of accomplishments before considering new dynamics, notably due to the constraints of a tighter budget; and renewal of working methods and organization."

Speaking of programmes, he first turned to communication stressing the challenge it represents, notably the gap between the "info-rich" and the "info-poor." He added, "access for all to information was recognised as a condition to the participation of all both in development and in good governance." Concerning science he declared, "We particularly expect them to search for truth, exactness and certainty."

"Culture is the soul of UNESCO, Matsuura said. He stressed the need to bring greater geographical balance to the World Heritage List to better reflect the need to defend cultural diversity. UNESCO’s mission is to safeguard world heritage, and cultural diversity-both artistic and natural. In the light of globalisation it is becoming increasingly important for people to protect their cultural identity and heritage, including intangible cultural treasures. UNESCO will also enhance its commitment to contemporary cultural expressions, the better to understand major trends in today’s world. On education Matsuura declared, "Teaching to live together is doubtless the foremost way in which UNESCO should carry out its moral and ethical mandate."

True to his promise, Matsuura has already arranged the return of the United States into UNESCO. The USA may rejoin this world body during the 31st General Conference later this year. To a great extent, he has de-politicised the Organization, and curtailed unnecessary expense through a decentralisation programme.

Matsuura’s wide-ranging international experience, serving in five countries as one of Japan’s foremost diplomats, adequately equips him to play the role of statesman, diplomat, scholar, manager and peacemaker. It will help him bring a new vision to UNESCO and enable it to fulfil its role as the intellectual powerhouse of the UN system.

Nepal feels a sense of pride and accomplishment that we have an Asian at the helm of this Organization. Nepal is his friend and supporter in UNESCO. The Asian continent, which has given birth to so many great civilisations since antiquity, now has one of its sons at the heart of the house of all culture. We wish him every success in his noble endeavour. We hope his present visit to Nepal will be an historic one, and open a new chapter in Nepal-UNESCO cooperation.

Ambitious Deuba sailing down

By Manoj Rijal

Of late stars do not seem to be in favour of the Deuba couple. Madam Deuba was doing a business of Pyramid plan, in which a person has to make three persons ‘fool’. Oh sorry! I mean ‘member’ and each member will have to make three persons the new members, individually. Each new guy pays certain money which later on, is returned after being collected from three members under him or her.

In addition, the member will get multiple amount of money on the ratio of increased membership under him or her. But, Madam Deuba’s business seems to be engaged in great trouble since some people complained at the office of Company Registrar that it’s a fraudulent scheme.

Let’s talk about miserable husband Mr Deuba. He was supposed to be the No 1 successor of septuagenarian G P Koirala, the incumbent powerful prime minister of Nepal. (Powerful, because no one from UML to RPP, and from Ganeshman to Bhattarai, could oust the lanky PM. In his niece Shailaja’s own words, the PM alone is Maika lal in the nation ).

In the fast moving political scenario, Deuba ,at this moment, has tumbled to No 3 in the successors’ list. He had been accustomed to the day dream that he is the only successor in the Nepali Congress and hence the future PM. And the dream was not built solely on quicksands. It must be recalled here that he was the first in Nepali Congress to be crowned as PM after G P Koirala and Bhattarai.

It was bearable for him if there was only one competitor. But now there are two ! One, the old rival or migrane headache Former Deputy Prime Minister. Two, Mr Koirala the Junior, the newly declared successor! So what, if Surya Bahadur Thapa nicknames the bearded Koirala- Likhure in parliament? In fact, Sushil dada failed to deliver an impressive speech in the ongoing summer session. And it was not bearable for, at least, Mr Thapa who himself does not speak but blows the trumpet.

Even Thapa’s comments will not relieve Deuba’s anxiety, since likhures are also supposed to be competent for premiership. Worse, Senior Koirala is also backing Koirala, the Junior.

Nobody seems sympathetic towards Mr former PM’s anxiety that in each and every debate concerning Girija Babu’s succession, there are only names, and certainly not of Deuba’s. Be alert and hold your patience Mr and Mrs Deuba!- things are not right for you these days.

Dear Deubas, your luck once glowed radiantly after you tied the nuptial knot in your fifties and gave birth to a child. I’m not gonna suggest you to do the same auspicious thing again or have another child to get back your fortune, as everything is so expensive these days. But why not you give your last try and please your political guru - Koirala, the Senior ! Maybe he will fall for you.

Four decades of partnership

By Shankar Man Singh

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has invested the largest amount in Nepal in the form of multilateral assistance. ADB began investing in Nepal in December 1969 through the Air Transport Development Project. ADB’s operational strategy for Nepal aims at poverty reduction through broadbased and labour-intensive economic growth, and expansion of basic social services. The bank supports agriculture in particular, as well as tourism, physical and social infrastructure, and power projects, and seeks to expand job opportunities for the poor. Structural reform is supported to create the right policy environment for private sector development. The bank also assists in protecting and improving the environment through human development, poverty reduction, and natural resource management.

As of December 1998, ADB had provided 94 loans totalling $ 1.6 billion. ADB assistance has mainly focused on the agriculture sector, accounting of 48 percent followed by energy (23 percent), transport and communications (14 percent) and social infrastructure (8 percent). Following ADB’s country programming mission visit to Nepal in March last year and its consultation with the government, an agreement was signed pledging a loan and technical assistance totalling over 300 million US dollars for the period 2001-2003. Coinciding with the visit of Asian Development Bank president Tadao Chino, the Manila based bank Wednesday gave Nepal $138.3 million in loans for three projects. Bank president Chino completed a three day official visit at the invitation of the Nepalese Government. He inspected ADB assisted projects in western Nepal.

ADB’s strategy: A quick look at the ADB’s functions shows that ADB formulates operational strategies for individual countries, including economic and policy analysis and undertakes country performance reviews, which provide a basis for policy dialogue with governments of developing member countries. ADB develops country assistance plans, which include identification of individual technical assistance and loan projects and programs. ADB establishes and maintains relations with developing member country governments for overall country reporting and for loan negotiations.

Agriculture development: Agriculture in Nepal remains primarily subsistence. Over the last two decades, the growth in agricultural production lagged behind the growth in population, resulting in decreased per capita foodgrain production, worsening poverty, and an increasing trend in the ratio of agricultural imports to agricultural exports. This poor performance has been due mainly to the lack of a clear-cut sectoral strategy and failure to emphasize accelerated sectoral growth and increased farm income. To address this situation, the bank assisted the government in 1995 to prepare the Agriculture Perspective Plan (APP) to provide a 20- year strategy for the accelerated development of agriculture in Nepal. Full implementation of the APP started in mid-1997, when the government made it the centrepiece of its Ninth Plan. It recognizes four priority inputs (irrigation, fertilizer, technology, and roads and power), and four priority outputs, (livestock, high-value crops, agribusiness, and forestry). The Bank is assisting the government with the implementation of the APP through technical assistance, policy reforms, and a number of investment projects in areas including irrigation, roads, credit, and livestock.

Recent loans and grants: ADB has been instrumental in assisting Nepal in various ways in Nepal’s development efforts, particularly in the areas of agricultural development, infrastructure building, and poverty reduction, as well as good governance. The recent agreement signed signifies the commitment of the ADB in helping Nepal in its goal of achieving high equitable, broad based and private sector led economic growth and eradicating poverty. Just to cite news clippings on the ADB President’s visit, Mr Chino said that the main goal of the ADB was poverty reduction which was also the government’s priority agenda. The Melamchi Water Supply Project estimated to cost US dollars 464 million is the second largest loan ever approved by ADB for Nepal. Bank cooperation is 25.9 percent of the project cost. As per the present plan, HMG will bear 25.4 percent of the project cost. The main objective of the project are to alleviate the chronic water shortage of Kathmandu Valley on a sustainable basis and to improve the health condition of its inhabitants.

A sum of $ 120 million has been provided to support the $ 464 million Melamchi Water Supply Projects which aims to alleviate the chronic water shortage faced in the capital. HMG, the Japan Bank for International Development, NORAD, SIDA, NDF, the OPEC Fund, the World Bank and the Japanese government will finance the rest of the project which is expected to bring 170 million litres of water from the Melamchi river through a 26 km tunnel. At a time when other donor agencies, one after another, are ready to approve their part of assistance to give the Melamchi Water Supply Project a quick start, the World Bank still likes at least one year to decide whether it is signing up or not.

Another $ 11 million in soft loan was set aside for a Crop Diversification project to improve governance, transparency and accountability in corporate and financial sectors. The main objective of the crop diversification project is to reduce poverty in twelve districts in the Mid West and the Far Western Region of Nepal viz Banke, Bardiya, Dailekh, Dang and Surkhet in the Mid Western and Achham, Baitadi, Dadeldhura, Darchula, Doti, Kailali and Kanchanpur in the Far Western Region.

The ADB also gave a loan of $ 7.3 million for the Corporate and Financial Governance Project to improve governance, transparency and accountability in the corporate and financial sectors. The main objective of the Corporate and financial governance project is to contribute to higher and more equitable distribution of economic growth through a robust and efficient financial sector. An ADB source says in order to escape the poverty trap and generate new employment, Nepal needs to raise its annual GDP growth rate to at least 5 percent on a sustainable basis. This needs an efficient financial system to support business activity, savers need positive returns and borrowers require timely and competitively-priced credit. Various reform efforts since the 1980s have not significantly improved the resource mobilization and allocation as many regulatory and institutional weaknesses remain unaddressed.

Critical: On recapitulation, during the ADB Vice President’s of visit to Nepal in February 1999, he said that the Asian Development Bank is now trying to transform itself from a mere project financier to a broad-based development institution which provides both financial assistance and policy advice to support the overall development process of the clients. Of corruption in ADB funded project, he said the bank can stop its assistance. Besides, other measures can also be taken. It is generally said of a ADB project that it has more consultant component producing unnecessary paper. ADB’s experience states that inappropriate project design, an inadequate policy and institutional environment, lack of ownership, and insufficient monitoring and supervision are major causes of unsuccessful projects. Political instability, inefficient administration, policy distortions, and institutional weaknesses continue to hamper private sector development and adversely affect the effectiveness of development inputs to generate and sustain longer term development impact. Poor governance and corruption are of major concern to all segments of society.

Nepal is a founding member of ADB. Nepal has traditionally been an important borrower from the ADF- the ADB’s concessional lending window. On cumulative basis, the Bank’s lending to Nepal has reached $ 1.6 billion for 94 loans as of December 31, 1998. During the same period, the ADB also provided 208 technical assistance grants for a total of $ 85 million for capacity building and policy studies as well as for the preparation of projects. At the beginning of 1999, Nepal had a portfolio of 21 loans totalling $ 561 million while disbursements amounted to $ 105 million.

ADB’s lending assistance to Nepal will be tied to the utilization of the aid made available to the country by the bank. These cautions are from almost all donors, representing a large majority of donor agencies in Nepal.