National 4 (Spotlight Weekly)

“The Challenge Is To Implement Poverty Alleviation Programs At The Village Level”

— Erna Witoelar

ERNA WITOELAR, United Nations Special Ambassador for the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) for Asia and the Pacific, was recently in the capital to attend regional meeting of South Asia regarding the progress in the realization of the MDG. Witoelar, an Indonesian, spoke to KESHAB POUDEL about MDGs implementation and other issues related to poverty alleviation. Excerpts:

How do you see the state of poverty in Nepal, in particular, and in the Asian region, in general?

There are big disparities between the people living in capital and those living far away from the capital. This is not a typical problem of Nepal as most of the countries of Asia Pacific region have such problems. Whether in Indonesia, Thailand or other parts of the region, the disparities are growing between the urban and rural areas. I had met a group of civil society members; I learnt how they are handling water scarcity, irrigation facilities, poverty reduction, education, health sector’s challenges in conflict prone areas as well as in other areas. Nepal has been facing very difficult phase of violence and it is difficult for the country to achieve the MDG.

Despite all these conflict, Nepal is one of the very first countries in the region to produce MDG report. The report shows that there are hopeful signs for progress in the development process in Nepal. In general, the situation here in Nepal is not bad. If the situation changes for the better, Nepal’s progress will be more positive.

You have seen the implementation of development programs in areas like Aceh in Indonesia. In a conflict situation like we have in Nepal, what do you suggest to implement the programs effectively?

I don’t know the nature of insurgency in Nepal. So I cannot show the way for the implementation of program. The Indonesian government has declared the state of emergency in the Aceh province giving sweeping administrative power to the Military. Since military does not allow any other organization to implement the programs without their consent, it is not easy to implement the programs. What we are doing is engaging in trust building efforts between the civil society and military so that the programs are effectively implemented. After building trust with the army, the civil society is now allowed to work in conflict zones. Prior to the new policy, only Red Cross was allowed to work in emergency situation. Now civil society members are allowed to work in schools, health centers and other such areas. There are still some problems but all sides have agreed to continue development programs.

What is the role you play as a special ambassador?

I visit different countries of the region to see how things are going on. I listen to the civil society members, UN agencies and government officials of concerned countries regarding the progress in implementing MDG and other poverty alleviation issues. My whole objective is to play a role in the process of implementation of MDG. I also try to suggest how other countries like Nepal are implementing the programs in the conflict prone areas.

How do you see the implementation of MDG in Nepal?

Nepal is in the initial phase of implementation of MDG. Since Nepal has already published the MDG report, the government seems to be working in line with the MDG report. There are many countries in the region including my own country, which is yet to prepare MDG national report. I am happy that Nepal is developing second MDG report. It shows that Nepal is aware about the situation and importance of MDG. Civil society members are also aware about the MDGs. Since there is always awareness at the central level regarding the MDG, the challenges will be the implementation of it at the district level. I find active civil society at district level also. This is a good sign for implementation of poverty reduction strategy and MDG.

How do you see the possibility of joining hands with South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) in implementing the MDG?

It is very preferable to have regional bodies like SAARC to implement the MDG and poverty alleviation programs. I am also working with ASEAN. Many goals of MDG can be catalyzed through peer-to-peer exchanges of the ministers. If poverty reduction issue is also discuss at the ministerial level talks like on trade and economic cooperation, it will be more effective.

How do you see the level of poverty in ASEAN and South Asian region?

South Asian region is more unfortunate than our region because of wide range of cultural and traditional discrimination against women. My experiences are that the women in this region are less fortunate than the women in Southeast Asian countries. Women’s empowerment is necessary pre-requisite for the all round development of the country including the implementation of MDG. The literacy level is lower so as the income disparities between the men and women. I read that the women in Nepal spend more times in fetching the water than other productive works.

How do you see the possibility of poverty reduction in the region by 2015?

Well, it is going like the business as usual. There has been no paradigm change. If we do not change the programs and planning, it will be impossible to achieve. We are working to change old working pattern linking the poverty alleviation programs with each other. We are bringing in the global solidarity in poverty reduction. That is what is MDG all about. It is bringing the countries of the region together to fight against the poverty reduction. We also want to see the solidarities among the countries in the areas of poverty alleviation. Every country has its own strategies and programs in the area of poverty alleviation. It is the role of international and global community to support the programs. International resources are available for the poverty alleviation. There are expertises in the countries in implementation of poverty reductions. Different countries are working to overcome the issue differently. Pakistan and Thailand are two examples of how to directly allocate resources to the district levels. Both the countries are successfully allocating the development budget at the district levels. This will help the village people identify what kinds of poverty reduction programs do they require. In this process, SAARC, UNDP and ESCAP can also bring in their expertise.

Is it difficult to achieve the goals?

The goals that have been set are minimum goals, which are not difficult to achieve. Our countries in the region have resources to achieve it. The only problem is that they lack the priority of resources mobilization. I am working to influence Asian Development Bank and World Bank and other international organizations to prioritize their budgets in the poverty alleviation sector. In the past, the priority was given to profitable areas but now countries are shifting their priorities including international organizations. If we improve the infrastructures in rural parts of the country, the poor themselves can manage the poverty alleviation programs. We don’t need to give poor money and houses but what is required is to give them basic infrastructures to improve their access to market. The problem of poor is that they don’t have access to market for their products. In many countries, the status of rural poor improves as soon as the access to market improves. In rural areas we need to provide health facilities, schools, drinking water projects, irrigation facilities and other services. There are many international agencies that are working in this area. It is up to the country of the region to decide what kind of resources they require.

Nepal has been implementing the poverty alleviation programs for the last many years but the number of people living the under the absolute poverty line continues to expand. How do you look at it?

There are similar problems everywhere. Many countries of the world have already spent billions of dollars in poverty alleviation programs. But most of the time, the resources do not reach to the targeted areas. Often, we have poverty alleviation programs at national level but it will take time for benefits to trickle down to the village level. In the process of distribution of resources from center to village, only a small amount of resources reach at the lower level. There is inefficiency in the sectoral level programs implementation areas. You need adequate resources for the poverty alleviation at the local level to see the change. The effective implementation of poverty alleviation is possible only through investing money at the village level. Three is also a need for a more integrated approach in program implementation. In many cases, a family suffers from several problems like it is infected by malaria; have large households and have to go a long way to fetch drinking water. So, there is a need for an integrated approach to deal with such problems. In the past, the programs were basically designed without taking holistic approach. You cannot talk about poverty alleviation without understanding the local environment. One intervention might support other factors. For instance, empowerment of women may help to increase income-generating activities.

Do you think that poverty alleviation programs will be successful in future?

We don’t have any excuse any more. We have technologies, experiences and expertise to effect changes in society. They are actually adequate resources to initiate any programs for the poverty alleviation. Most importantly, there is global solidarity. I hope that the implementation of MDG is going to be different and it is going to be real effective. If everybody felt the importance of poverty alleviation program, we can eradicate the poverty.

What is your impression about Nepal?

Although this is my first visit, I am very impressed by Nepal. People here are very friendly. Despite no legacy of colonization, your people can speak good English. I want to see more of your country.