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| Kathmandu, Saturday March 15, 2003 Chaitra 01, 2059. |
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UN can play pivotal role in
post-conflict scenario
Post Report
KATHMANDU, March 14: United Nations can be very
helpful in planning and mobilising support for humanitarian action and post-conflict
reconstruction in Nepal, said Kulchandra Gautam, Assistant Secretary General of the United
Nations and Deputy Executive of UNICEF.
Gautam said that the UN family and the donors
would agree to launch an urgent humanitarian action plan for the people most affected by
the armed conflict, as the negotiations for peace and reconciliation begin in earnest.
Speaking at an interaction here today, Gautam,
who is on a private visit to Nepal for the last few years, said the truce declared in
Nepal was an immediate relief to the people but it was an opportunity for the king,
political parties and the Maoists as well to arrive at common points of consensus for the
betterment of the people.
"I have personally offered to help Nepal on
the basis of experience and expertise of the UN family achieved through involvement in
post-conflict reconstruction programmes in Afghanistan, Cambodia, East Timor, El Salvador
Bosnia and other parts of the world," said Gautam.
"Prospect of receiving enough resources for
reconstruction is prominent due to our outreach to donors, and track record of some good
work in Nepal itself."
He said that attracting substantial donors for
post-conflict reconstruction was a challenging job though. "There is a lot of
sympathy for Nepal in the international donor community but the issues of management
capacity, corruption and accountability are playing a crucial role," he added.
He suggested quadrupling the budget for the
villages to manage unemployment problems in the local level and implementation of a
well-designed and credible package of reconstruction programme funded by a mixture of
national and increased international cooperation.
Gautam urged the Maoists and the government for
their full adherence to the code of conduct they signed yesterday and to allow unhindered
access of relief supplies to women, children and vulnerable groups, especially in
terror-hit areas of the country.
"None of the political groups should
attempt to seek undue political advantage of humanitarian assistance."
Gautam urged the politicians not to insist for
final settlement of political dispute in planning immediate relief and long-term
reconstruction. "I trust that our politicians will not say that planning for
immediate relief and longer-term reconstruction need to wait for final political
settlement," Gautam opined, adding that the political settlement might take time but
the relief and reconstruction were urgent.
Padma Ratna Tuladhar, a human right activist who
worked as a facilitator during the three-rounds of dialogue between the government and the
Maoists nearly one-and-a-half-years ago, suggested the negotiating parties to hire
international agencies to facilitate the talks.
"They can receive UN’s good office
service or appoint an individual or agencies with the consent of both the sides, " he
said.
The speakers at the programme, most of them
intellectuals and political activists, called for strong commitment from the Maoists and
the government, to bring the present cease-fire to a positive end.
They urged the Maoists not to escape from the
negotiations on the pretext that the government side rejected to entertain their political
demands and suggested to them to continue talks for socio-economic reforms until the last.
Amik Sherchan of People’s Front Nepal and
Chakra Prasad Bastola of Nepali Congress stressed the need to go for a constituent
assembly election, if the present constitution was declared defunct.
"Whether the constitution is alive or
already dead should be identified first before advocating for reforms in the constitution
and election for a new constituent assembly, both the leaders said.
Bimalendra Nidhi of Nepali Congress (Democratic)
said there was need for dialogue among the king, political parties and the Maoists to
effect an agreement on certain points of consensus for the betterment of the people.
Yubaraj Ghimire, Editor of Kantipur and The
Kathmandu Post said there was a need to clarify the status of the constitution and not to
let the country remain without constitution, if present constitution was already made
defunct.
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