NATIONAL 1 (Spotlight Weekly)]

Call For Common Goal

Two-day-conference of South Asian Lawyers and Jurists concludes calling for stronger regional cooperation

By KESHAB POUDEL

At a time when the SAARC Summit is still in limbo, justices and lawyers of the region met calling for closer cooperation in the area of judiciary.

Organized by SAARCLAW, a forum of South Asian Judges and Lawyers, the two-day-meeting discussed the issues of corruption, good governance and legal systems in the region.

As South Asia shares many resemblances in the judicial systems, exchange of ideas between senior jurists and lawyers can help to improve the quality of judiciary.

Although they have many resemblances in legal systems, no one has ever made any attempt to exchange the decision of the court in the region. Agreement of Chief Justices to exchange the rulings/decisions is another major achievement of the meeting.

Proclaiming the Kathmandu Declaration, Judges and Lawyers of Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Indian, Pakistan and Sri Lanka agreed to work closely in the area of human rights and rule of law.

The declaration affirms that the good governance is the fountainhead of the emerging new social, economic, political and legal order.

The conference recognized human rights and good governance as the core components of democracy and reaffirmed them as necessary ingredients for socio-economic development and for fostering peace and progress in the region.

The declaration also points out the declining state of legal profession in the region and environmental degeneration posing a threat to human existence and inter-generational equity in the region.

Reiterating their commitment towards the rule of law, the justices and lawyers expressed the need to protect the basic human rights as concepts shared by the people and enshrined in respective constitutional documents.

Some of the major achievements of the conference was the establishment of a South Asian Court of Human Rights and a South Asian Commission of Human Rights for the effective monitoring and implementation of human rights issues in the region. The justices and lawyers also agreed to work towards the withdrawal of reservations on the convention on the elimination of all forms of discrimination against women.

Galliformes

Call For Preservation

As the galliformes are under threat of extinction due to human activities, the international symposium on Galliformes has raised the hope for their preservation.

Organized jointly by the World Pheasant Association International, the Bird Conservation Nepal, the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation and King Mahendra Trust For Nature Conservation, the six day international symposium will identify various ways to conserve the rare birds.

Six species of Galliformes are distributed in the world and Nepal alone is home to its many species like Himalaya Snow-cock, Chakor Partridge, Swamp Farncolin and the Blood, Cheer and Koklass Pheasants.

"Several pheasants and partridges are threatened in Asia. Having said this, prioritizing these hazards remain central for status surveys on the perceptions and requirements of each country," said Prince Gyanendra Bir Bikram Shah, Chairman of the King Mahendra Trust for Nature Conservation, delivering the key-note address to the Symposium, - Nepal 2000. "There are more than 850 recorded bird species in Nepal. This diversity is reflected most obviously in the varied and often brilliant plumage of the six species of Himalayan pheasants."

Participated by more than 40 scholars from India, Germany, Cambodia, Italy, Myanmar, Netherlands, Uganda, Vietnam, Bangladesh, Pakistan, USA, United Kingdom and Australia, the symposium discussed different issues related to the conservation of Galliformes.

"We need to develop a long term strategy to conserve the bird from extinction," said Karna Shakya, vice president of World Pheasant Association (WPA).

The first symposium was organized twenty-one years ago in Nepal by WPA. "We are very proud to organize the symposium twice in Nepal," said Richard Hoard, chairman of the WPA.

"Nepal is trying its best to preserve some species of Galliformes," said Dr. Tirtha Man Shakya, Director-General of Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation.