'Conserve wetlands carefully'

By A Staff Reporter

KATHMANDU, Sept. 19: The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Nepal organised a one-day seminar on "Wetlands Around the World: Conservation and Governance Issues" here today.

Presenting his paper on IUCN and Wetland and Water Resources Conservation, Dr. Hans Friedrich, Head of the Regional Water and Wetlands Programme of IUCN Asia, said, "We should be very careful while adopting any development project in the society to protect the wetland and in water resources conservation."

The government should launch its development projects by mobilising the local community in a responsible manner, he added.

Ms. Lucy Emerton, Head of the Regional Environment Economics Programme, IUCN Asia, in her paper on 'Valuing Nature: IUCN's work on wetland valuation', said the national economy played a vital role in the conservation of the environment.

The IUCN has been working in Asia, Africa and Latin America as a global organisation. In Asia, the focus has been on Nepal, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Vietnam and China.

Although there are high economic values to conserving water-based ecosystems, these values are often unknown, ignored and misjudged, Ms. Emerton said.

In the current situation there is no financial security, management or proper plan of the government in sectors where the commercial aspect does not help in conservation.

Planners, while focusing on poverty alleviation, often undermine the necessity of conservation. The government should remain alert on conservation of the environment and biodiversity while launching any programme for poverty alleviation, she added.

Darrell Deppert of Winrock International said that development programmes should be run with the help of the local government and by mobilizing the community.

This kind of seminar would help us to share our experiences in global conservation and sustainable use of wetland resources, Deppert said.

Dr.Azharul Mazumdar of USAID Bangladesh and Luke Colavito of Winrock International Bangladesh also presented papers on 'Rethinking Environmental Governance: Natural Resources Management in Bangladesh' and 'Wetland economic valuation using a bio-economic model' respectively.

Programme coordinator and country representatives of IUCN Nepal Dr. Mahesh Banskota said that this kind of seminar was beneficial for all organisations as well as the government. "It is the poor people - and biodiversity - that will benefit if we preserve our wetlands."

Nepal to be self-reliant in tea

By A Staff Reporter

KATHMANDU, Sept.19: Nepal will be self-reliant in tea production by 2003. Nepal' annual demand for tea stands at 78 million kg.

According to statistics, per capital consumption of tea is 350 grams in Nepal. This figure is less than half of what an Indian citizen consumes, which is 600 grams per year. Similarly, a Pakistani consumes a kilo of tea annually.

Nepal produces two kinds of tea: Orthodox and CTC. There is high demand for orthodox tea in the international market. Ninety six per cent of all orthodox tea is exported, said Rajendra Kumar Dahal of Nepal Tea Association at a seminar organised today at the Agricultural fair in Kathmandu. But much of Nepal's tea lands up in the markets of Europe and Japan through Indian dealers.

Despite the growing popularity of Nepalese tea in the international market, Nepalese tea is sold with Indian label as people abroad still do not know about Nepali tea.

Even German importers use Indian label to market Nepalese tea, informed Chandrabhusan Subba, Director of Himalayan Tea Association. Nepal imports 10 per cent of its demand from India.

Tea entrepreneurs today demanded that the government boost tea exports through Nepalese embassies and missions abroad.

National Planning Commission member Dr. Prakash Sharan Mahat also agreed with the tea entrepreneurs, and urged the private sector to play a bigger role in promoting Nepalese tea in the world market.

He also informed that the government would formulate a tea policy and will try to develop the necessary infrastructure to promote the industry.

Give up violence, come to negotiating table, Maoists told

RSS

NEPALGANJ, Sept. 19: Human rights activists have appealed to the underground Maoists to stop the rampant violence and atrocious killings throughout the Kingdom and come to the negotiating table at the earliest.

Speaking at an interaction programme organised here today, president of Human Rights Organisation Nepal Sudip Pathak and former minister Dr Mathura Prasad Shrestha stressed the need for both the Maoists and the government to hold peace talks and abandon their attitude of mutual suspicion.
Showing concern at aggravating condition of the Kingdom, President Pathak objected the Maoist activities of killing innocent and helpless village people based on political faith and in the name of spying.

Referring to the collective voices being raised from all sectors emphasising the need for peace talks, he categorically explained the 7-term demands put forward by the Maoists including the need for government to be prepared with transparent policy matters, need for the talks to be concentrated in progressive reforms, need for referendum to be held if the demand for constitution assembly be dropped, whether to hold talks or not on the 4 topics mentioned in the present Constitution which were said to be unalterable etc.

He said that a dialogue coordination committee has been constituted from the side of civil society so as to bring the government and the Maoists to the table and added that the committee has been working for the possibility of talks through constant contact with one of the government ministers and a certain Maoist leader.

Former minister Shrestha pointed out the need for all to beware towards the ultras who have been charging the present constitution to be responsible for all this crisis and emphasised the need to adopt peaceful ways rather than violence to solve the problems.

In a seemingly frustrated expression, he said the 7-point demands from Maoists and their talk proposal this time too can be only a form of words and illusive.

Former president of Federation of Nepalese Journalists Panna Lal Gupta had presided over the programme.

Hamdard to organise Safi Queen contest

A Staff Reporter

KATHMANDU, Sept. 19: Hamdard Laboratories is organizing the Safi Queen Naturally You Contest 2002 at the Birendra International Convention Center on Saturday.

Twenty contestants, aged 17-22 years, have been chosen from among 160 applicants for the pageant.
They have just finished a month-long training in various aspects of the contest such as wall climbing, sports, social work, table manners and etiquette.

The organisers claim it will be the biggest pageant ever held here in the last three years.

The winner will pick up Rs. 50,000, while the First and Second runners up will get Rs. 30,000 and Rs. 10,000 respectively.

There will also be prizes for best performance, Ms. photogenic, best hair, best skin, best eye sight and best figure. Prasant Tamrakar will choreograph the programme.

The panel of judges will consist of the proprietor of Safi company Hamid Ahmad, actors Nir Shah and Rajesh Hamal, President of Maiti Nepal Anuradha Koirala, First Secretary at the Embassy of India Nagma Malik and newsreader of Nepal Television Bandana Rana.

Film industry faces financial problems

By A Staff Reporter

KATHMANDU, Sept. 19: The Nepali film industry is facing severe financial problems, and film entrepreneurs blame it on the country's deteriorating economy, and the poor law and order situation.Film producer-cum-director Ashok Sharma and distributor Sushil Chaulagain talked about the problems faced by the film industry at an interaction programme held here today with the media. They spoke about the lack of market, decreasing number of viewers and growing number of flops.
After the emergency was imposed in the country in November last year, the number of viewers has dropped by 70 per cent, said Sharma. All evening shows were cancelled during the period.
But Chaulagain begged to differ. He said the number of viewers had not decreased, rather it has gone up. It was the number of films produced that has gone down sharply from about 90 in its heyday to only about 15 at present.

Sharma attributed the decrease in the number of film production to the decreasing audience and inability of film-makers to recoup their costs. Chaulagain said films that were made with an investment of about Rs. 5 million did not run into losses. There is enough market to make money, he said.
Sharma said that a recent regulation by the Producers' Association to release films in the Kathmandu Valley only on Fridays will do good for the industry. This is expected to bring competition in the film industry, resulting in the production of good movies.

Acharya highlights problems of landlocked countries

RSS

KATHMANDU, Sept. 19: Foreign Secretary Madhu Raman Acharya has said that remoteness from the main corridors of world commerce and geographic disadvantage are the problems of the landlocked developing countries.

Acharya made this remark in a statement made at the ministerial meeting of landlocked developing countries on the sidelines of the 57th session of the General Assembly in New York yesterday.
Our economies are high cost, and we have to depend on the goodwill of our neighbours for the access to sea and sea-borne resources, he added.

The most landlocked developing countries are desperately poor and seriously marginalised in the world, Acharya said, adding that this meeting is a powerful means to attract global attention to our plight and to advance our common agenda.

Acharya said that we should use this opportunity to work out a common programme and to map out our strategy for making the upcoming meeting a success.

"Our options are extremely limited due to high transit cost and difficult geographical terrain," Acharya said, adding this undermines our competitiveness and prevents us from economic expansion and wealth generation.

Improving transit-transport infrastructure is critical for us to join the global market, to derive due benefit from sea-based resources, to build domestic capacities and to enhance out economic development and social progress, Acharya said, adding that it is critical for them (developed countries) to expand markets to ensure better price for the products of our nations.

There is a need for bridging the wealth gap between developing and developed countries and between least developed and other developing countries to foster durable peace, development and justice, Acharya said, adding it is equally necessary to strengthen relations between the landlocked developing countries and their transit neighbours so as to promote shared development and harmony.
Meanwhile, Murari Raj Sharma, permanent representative of Nepal and member of the Nepalese delegation to the 57th session of the General Assembly said that Nepal believes that no country should undermine the integrity of the United Nations Charter.

Addressing ministers of foreign affairs being held on the sidelines of the 57th General Assembly meeting in New York, Sharma said that NAM should stand up and speak out in favour of defending the principles of international law.

Sceptics have always questioned the relevance of NAM. It should not worry us, Sharma said, adding what should aginise us is that even the faithful have begun to waver. If NAM loses its relevance, loss of membership will follow and this could prove fatal.

There is an urgent imperative to make a tectonic shift in the movement's approach and priority, Sharma said, adding the movement must think long and hard on how to make itself more businesslike and relevant.

Its meetings should not be mere festivities, he said, adding that NAM summits must continue to remain worth the title.

Stating that NAM represents billions of poor peoples around the world, Sharma said that NAM must reflect their aspirations for peace, sustainable development and justice.

Depite its overwhelming membership, the movement remain a minor player in international relations and governance, Sharma said, adding we have to put our numerical strength to our collective advantage.