Wednesday, August 3, 2005

Nepal is taking a vanguard's role in global women rights

by Cedric Rehman, Germany

The first widow's rights charter was drafted at an international conference organized in Katmandu from May 12 to May 14. It will find its way from Nepal to the SAARC legislation and from SAARC to the UN and end the complete ignorance of the problematic situation of single women throughout the world in all the consisting women rights charters.

The conference organized by the Nepalese Single Women Group: "Women for Human Rights", under the participation of international organizations such as "Widows for Peace through Democracy" (UK) and BRAC (Bangladesh) and the support of international donors like FES, USAID and SNV, touched a topic of international relevance that can not be underestimated

Not only Nepal but various countries throughout the world suffer from political unrest. Political disturbances do not only effect men, who are mainly involved in them. On the contrary effects on their dependent families, their wives and children are tremendous. If a soldier falls at the front he leaves a large number of dependents behind. The widowed wife has to take her role as the feeder of the family. Certain social and cultural practices, which lead to a discrimination of single women, constrain their efforts to bring up their families. Even in peace times whole parts of the population who are dependent on female-headed households poses reduced possibilities to take part in social development due to certain social practices that discriminate against single women. This discrimination produces without doubt a backlash for the whole development process of the effected society.

Wartimes again turn things worse. Due to the increase of households who have lost their male heads and depend as a consequence on single women. A recent and striking example for the change in family structures due to war is the conflict in Iraq, which following to UN sources has produced an approximate toll of 100 000 casualties since 2003. The mainly male victims of the conflict left a large number of widows and orphans behind. Due to the fact that Iraq was being involved in a plenty of wars in the last two decades, in Iraq an estimated toll of 65% of the female population are widowed and 70% of the infant population are depending on them. One can imagine the fatal impact that discrimination of single women has on a society which largely consists and depends on them and their dependents in regards to social development.

Like Iraq a recognizable number of countries see in their society an increase of single women headed households due to war or natural disaster. They all suffer the fatal consequences that a social context of discrimination against single women produces not only on this growing part of the population but also on the society as a whole. Such societies can hardly achieve development by excluding the increasing number of single women and their dependents from social equality.

The widow's rights charter therefore undoes the striking evidence that single women rights have never been specifically mentioned in any international agreement concerning women's rights, although the importance of legal measures against the discrimination of single woman can not be denied Nepal is now the first country that recognizes the international widow's rights charter.

The widow's charter consists of ten articles, each of them dealing with a distinct aspect of widow's discrimination. They claim equality of widows and widowers. The right of widows to inherit the prohibition of harmful traditional practices concerning widows restrictions of any kind regarding the widows mobility, discriminations in the employment, field and violence against widows in general, The charter also claims measures in favor of dependent children of widows and measures to protect widow's rights in times of conflict and post conflict when they are especially endangered. Further the charter claims the government's support for the establishment of national widow's networks and the addressing of widow's concerns in their work to achieve the Millennium Development Goals and further international agreements concerning human rights and women's rights

Nepal's civil society represented by "Women for Human Rights' and representatives of the Nepali Government are entering with the draft a path to improve conditions of a social development within the country and are setting at the same time a remarkable sign for human progress on a global scale.

The author was working as an intern at the FES Nepal office until recently-ed.

New Regulations for Rural Tourism Promotion

-Hari Dharel, Nepal

Despite Nepal's unparalleled potentials, the nation is unable to harvest the tourism benefits chiefly because of our inner conflict, inadequate policy and infrastructure. To add to these, knowingly or not, tourism scenario in the country is being degraded damaging the prevailing infrastructures, and augmenting the negative propaganda to bring the tourism industry to a steep decline in the recent years. The sector that occupied a major role in the GDP is now at a threshold of crisis.

The current scenario has become more critical for the travel and trekking business considered as the backbone of tourism in Nepal as the visitors' inflow declined sharply in recent years because of turbulence and insecurity in the country. Moreover, it has badly hit the trekking segment, which account for more than 60 percent of the total visitors to Nepal. Considering the present trend of trekking packages varying from four days to three months, if the trekking routes could be diversified further and made to cover almost half of the nation's VDCs, it could promote and help develop the trekking activities in rural areas too.

Travel and Trekking Agency Regulation 2005, promulgated by HMG/Nepal recently could be quite helpful on resolving the above problems. The new regulation, which is the amendment of the 2037 regulation, has identified that this sector could be instrumental in promoting nation's tourism through an effective and proper management. Accordingly, the new provision has abolished the rule of signing the bond between the promoter and the Tourism Industry Division in the presence of the four persons including tour officer, ticketing officer and tourist guide. This is a great welcome move for the entrepreneurs. This has also checked the undue expenses of the agencies and has helped them save time and money.

The new provision now requires an applicant, Travel Agency to make a safety deposit of Rs 300,000 and a Trekking Agency an equivalent of Rs 200,000 to the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation to receive the license. The older licensee are required to raise the bank guarantee accordingly. This arrangement of bank guarantee has protected the quality service of international tour operators as well as the government's commitment to ensure consumer's rights.

The financial burden to the professionals meanwhile cannot go unheeded after the decline on tourism, although Nepal Association of Tour Operators (NATO) itself advised the government to raise the bank guarantee to a sum of Rs 250,000. The majority of trekking agents now demand that the amount either has to be discounted for a period of five years as the transit to tourism promotion, or the depositor at least should get its interest.

Amendment in the regulation however has a positive implication too. Accordingly now, a company has to pay a fee of Rs 10,000 for license renewal, or a default of 50 percent in addition to the fee for failing the renewal in 3 months, or a default of 100 percent in addition to the fee after 6 months, or cancellation after 6 months. Likewise, a travel agency without license has no right to deal in air tickets, or work as GSA.

The new provisions have also increased the remuneration of wage earners in this occupation. Now the companies have to pay the daily wages of Rs 250 to the porter and Rs. 300 to the captain working up to 700 hundred meters height. The old regulation provided them Rs 21 and Rs. 30 only. The new wages are though much less than as recommended by TAAN. Similarly, the porter working over 3,700 m now receives Rs 350 per day. For the first time, provision of insurance is also there against a hazard to the porter. The captain accordingly has a cover of Rs 300,000 while the porter has of Rs. 250,000.

The rule also binds a travel or trekking agency to submit its financial statement to the government twice in a year - Shrawan - Poush (July - December) and Magh - Ashadh (January - June). It now prevents an agency from illegal run or tax evasion or underpaying the porters.

The new rules are appreciable if honestly implemented. The government yet is way behind to treat seriously the travel and trekking agencies that have expanded business of tourism to the difficult areas of the kingdom otherwise limited to the urban sectors only. When the rural sector holds nation's 85 percent of the population as well as major tourism sites, an integrated development of the country is only possible by making the destinations accessible to the tourists. The rural sector has immense tourism potential but has abject poverty. Tourism activities here can address the poverty alleviation.

Since 2001, the TRPAP programs running in the 6 districts in association with the government and donor agencies, is a giant step towards the direction of alleviating poverty through tourism. Even in this short span of time, the program has created awareness of tourism in the people as an efficiency measure, has raised an opportunity of income generation and helped build infrastructures in the areas. The positive socio-economic impact it has created should also be replicated in other rural parts of the country too. These programs in co­operation of TAAN have been able to identify new tourism destination, publicize and promote them.

Text courtesy: NTTR July 04 - 10, 2005

The author is a tourism entrepreneur and is currently the General Secretary at Trekking Agents Association of Nepal. This article courtesy from NTTR. Thanks. Ed.

ADB/N Perspective: Local Views Matter

By Eric Van Zant Consultant Writer

Over the next 5 years, the people of Nepal-from farmers and workers, to teachers, health providers, and the socially disadvantaged-will have more say about how development projects in their country are planned and undertaken.

In its first major effort to put results management into practice-and in a fun­damental departure from past practice­ the Asian Development Bank (ADB) 's Nepal country strategy and program (CSP') has been devised to reflect and act more than ever on local views.

In an extensive series of workshops, organized by ADB's Nepal Resident Mis­sion and run by the participants, ADB staff spread throughout the country to collect ideas that would form the core of the 2005-­2009 CSP. In particular, local needs and desires were used to design a results ma­trix linking specific goals with outcomes that can be monitored and measured.

ADB uses the CSP as its primary guide to development strategy in each of its de­veloping member countries (DMCs). The experience gained in putting the Nepal CSP together will be used as a model for all ADB CSPs in the future.

"I would say that this (process) is not just a question of more intensive or exten­sive consultation," says Nepal Country Director Sultan H. Rahman, who has worked on eight CSPs during his ADB tenure. "It is substantially different-- it ended up reflecting the ideas of the people. All that came from our heads is the heavy-duty analysis."

A Long Learning Curve

The Nepal CSP was published in Septem­ber 2004 and implementation began in January 2005. It has been a learning pro­cess for the Nepal Resident Mission from the start. "No one knows how to imple­ment MfDR [managing for development results], but we are learning by doing," says Sungsup Ra, Senior Country Programs Spe­cialist in the Nepal Resident Mission.

According to Mr. Rahman, "We have to keep an open mind and visit and revisit the processes through the CSP update."

Beginning in December 2003, ADB organized consultations in five regions in Nepal, and conducted parallel discussions in eastern regions of the country that included different castes and women rep­resenting several ethnic groups. Locals were asked to share their views about the causes of poverty, to recommend poverty reduc­tion measures, to assess the development needs of their region, and to list the risks and opportunities. Recom­mendations from the workshops were used to prepare the CSP. ADB only facilitated the meetings, while the participants set the agenda.

Engaging the Government: Importantly, government officials were included "from the word go" in preparing the CSP, says Mr. Rahman. They saw the seriousness with which ADB now treats results and, as a consequence, are begin­ning to recognize the need to reorient their own policies.

"I just met with Dr. Shankar Sharma, Vice-Chairman of the National Planning Commission," says Mr. Sungsup Ra. (The commission coordinates government min­istries in the preparation of their poverty reduction strategy paper.) "He proposed inviting other development agencies to an upcoming workshop designed to discuss progress in implementing the new CSP."

"In this I can see a commitment from government reformers and that they under­stand the importance of the MfDR initia­tives." As implementation proceeds, it will be critical to continue working with government officials in developing new monitoring systems and establishing other procedures.

Organizers have created a poverty­ monitoring and analysis system at the National Planning Commission to coordi­nate data collection and analysis from existing and new monitoring mechanisms. There are weaknesses in the quality of data, but the greater challenge will be to make full use of available information on the delivery of results to foster learning and guide development decision-making. ADB will harmonize its monitoring and evaluation efforts with the Government and with other development partners and stakeholders. In the CSP's annual update, ADB will continue to tap local knowledge to assess progress toward the goals in the matrix and make suitable changes. The in­dicators were selected based on ease of col­lection and reliability of data, as well as their relevance to ADB's support to Nepal. Baseline and target values will be part of routine monitoring.

Local Participation is Critical: The CSP update exercise will also evalu­ate Nepal's shaky security situation. If security worsens and makes project imple­mentation impossible, ADB will consider restructuring both the existing projects and the future project pipeline.

Significantly, however, people in the far-­western and western regions of the coun­try-where the conflict is worst-said that development can proceed so long as the right approach, such as implementing programs that either ensure local partici­pation or are demanded by local commu­nities, is used. Importantly, the inclusive and results-oriented CSP will help make it easier to monitor the security situation and to make the right decisions.

Program planners also worry that the commitment to reforms may falter or be tempered by frequent changes in the Government. However, once again, by root­ing its assistance firmly in local needs, ADB is mitigating such risk. Its assistance will help build partnerships between government agencies, local think tanks, the private sector, and civil society, so the program can be implemented.

Results Management to Government: ADB is helping the Government build on results management, with an emphasis on formulating better public policy, strengthening monitoring, and helping selected ministries and line agencies incorporate results-based planning and management approaches.

Mr. Rahman and Mr. Ra are convinced the new CSP's focus on results makes ADB more effective and will contribute to achieving the Millennium Development Goals in Nepal.

Text courtesy: ADB Nepal Office. Printed from the ADB REVIEW June2005. Ed.

The invisible enemy of development

By Rajeeb L. Satyal, Social Marketing/Management Consultant, Nepal

 Every time media and others ask Nepal’s School Leaving Certificate (SLC) toppers what they would like to become in life when they grow, their stereotypical answers have always been that they would like to become either doctor or engineer.  None of the SLC toppers has ever said they would like to become an artist, a schoolteacher, lecturer, musician, dancer, singer, cook, waiter or businessperson.

 When I asked my nephews who recently passed SLC what they would like to become, not surprisingly, their answers were also similar; they too want to become engineers because that is what their father is. Therefore, it is quite predictable for the children of civil servants to aspire to join civil service. Youngsters in developing countries tend to follow their parents or their close relative’s footsteps when it comes to selecting a profession.

 Students follow their family or parent’s footstep not only there; they inherit everything from parents, including their values. Though seemingly unfair to generalize, there is fair chance of children of corrupt parents resorting to corruption later in life. It is because children are not trained to assess, think and develop their own values. Usually, children in the developing world inherit everything from their parents and grandparents, including their value system, tradition and culture.

 If you say you are not feeling well, everyone you meet will turn into self-proclaimed doctors and will prescribe their own medicine. Majority of doctors in Nepal diagnose their patients to suffer by some limited list of ailments that they know of from the past, and treat symptoms rather than the disease itself with their limited intervention; they prescribe medicine even before the patient enters their clinic. It is too much of coincidence that a majority of patients should feel compelled to resort to foreign hospitals when they loose hope to get cured in Nepal, where they are diagnosed with completely different disease and cured with a completely different intervention. Nobody ever wonders why. 

 A majority of marketing and related companies just imitate or adapt from the ideas of others rather than create new products, ideas and services to meet a customers’ unique needs; they have yet to learn to thrive on their originality instead of imitating and counter-attacking their competitors. Despite apparent different political values, all political parties say or do the same things without exception; they are so predictable and unethical.  Almost all media broadcast the same news, interview the same personalities repeatedly, and present the same kind of soap operas and comedies. Media in Nepal is far away from being even close to professional; knowing their ethical boundary and being accountable to the people. In Nepal, everything is taken for granted and assumed. There is a lack of continuous study and learning. Everything is operated by knowledge from the past. In fact, we all live in the past.

 One of the underlying causes for underdevelopment is the lack of originality, creativity and self-esteem in the people. In developing countries, everyone becomes, or does what others do. They do not want to risk “being themselves” and do what they really want. As a result, even those who want to introduce new ideas, products, and strategies do not feel safe. They want approval or endorsement even for being themselves. People feel safer to steal, imitate, inherit and copy rather than initiating something new that they sincerely believe in. There may be different schools of thought about it among professionals. Nevertheless, the major causes of slow development is convergent thinking that is so prevalent in the developing world. We are taught to look for a fix solution for  a fix problem. Why the person in developing countries are so unoriginal, stereotypical and devoid of creativity now comes into question. The question may be about what brings creativity and originality in people. Is creativity or originality a skill that one can learn or a natural quality that one has to be blessed with?

 The answer lies in the kind of education one received during the childhood, which lays the foundation for their personality. Usually the educational system of developing countries put heavy emphasis on “rote learning” that train students to memorize from the book to pass certain examinations; not to generate new and original thoughts and ideas to understand and cope with reality. Education is one area which needs fundamental change in its true sense. Another area that needs fundamental change is cultural and traditional values that seem to be overrated. Education and tradition have effectively neutralized development efforts of developing countries like Nepal by turning the whole population into convergent thinkers who are completely devoid of the ability to think deep, originality and creativity. We have failed to recognize our own problems are, let alone solve them.

Interest Of School Students In Socio-Politics

By Asst Prof. Rabindra Bhattarai, Mr. Tanka Raj Aryal, Mr. Sukhadev Sapkota

Are our politicians and political parties aware to the fact that politics is mostly hated social affairs by newer generation?

There is very high interest of the students in social work where as politics remains as most unwanted affair for young students of Kathmandu Valley. Similarly, music is loved by the majority students; however, the younger generation is not much attracted to cinema.

This fact is disclosed when we conducted a research among 461 students of secondary and higher secondary (classes 9,10, 11 and 12) levels from renowned 11 schools of Kathmandu Valley.

Politics is the pivotal issue amongst the social affairs to address the needs of the time and society. The society having fair and prospective polities would only be able to promote democracy and protect human rights of the people. Nepal is in appalling conditions of human rights and political climate is very uncertain.

Future of nation or society rests on the shoulders of youths. Future of the politics can be predicted from the present interest and attitude of the young people. Solutions of present and upcoming problems should be sought with the eyes of youngsters rather than by the eyes of older generation. Therefore, interest of the youth should not be undermined but requires to be molded to the proper direction if mislead.

As it is essential to understand in the current situation that how young people take politics, either, they hate or they realize its importance, we had conducted a research to understand the attitude of the young students toward politics and to assess the status of their priority in social affairs.

The survey was carried out through first hand information. Politics, Social Work, Research, Cinema, Music, Sports and Literature were seven areas of social affairs given to the respondents as alternatives to indicate their priorities. Those seven areas were considered as the chief ones in social affairs related to the role and responsibilities of person in public life.

Findings of the Survey

The presentation and analysis of the priorities indicated by the respondents displayed that a vast majority of young students are positively taking the role of social work in social affairs and least priority for on the role of politics.

Overall Priority Distribution

Highest Priority: Social Work

Thirty-five percent of the respondents had given social work as their first priority. Similarly, 20 percent and 13 percent rated it as second and third priority respectively. There were very few, i.e., only three out of 461 respondents who give social work as last priority in their social affairs. The following table displays the increasing trends of giving priorities to social work.

Lowest Priority: The Politics

By the survey, it is found that young students have lowest priority in politics. Sixty-eight percent of the respondents ranked politics as their last priority. Similarly, 10 percent and 8 percent rated it as sixth and fifth priority respectively. Only 2 percent respondents pointed politics as their first priority. Priority ratio from first to last is increasing on the matter of politics. Following table clearly shows the number and the percentage of the respondent on the priority of politics as their social affairs.

Music: As a Higher Priority

Survey showed that young students have higher interest in music. Hundred and 26 respondents out of 461 have indicated that they keep music as their first priority in social affairs where as 111 have put music as their second priority. Only six respondents considered music as their last priority which is about 1 in hundred. Following table clearly shows the number and the percentage of the respondent on the priority of music as their social affairs.

Cinema: Lower Priority for Youngsters

Cinema is considered as most attraction among youngster by general people how ever the survey showed that the young students have less priority in cinema. Only seven out of 461 respondents took cinema as their first priority which is 1.5out of hundred. Hundred and 27 respondents which is about 27.5 out of hundred considered Cinema as their sixth priority. Similarly 85 respondents ranked cinema as their seventh priority. The following table shows details about the interest of youth in cinema as social affairs.

Research, Sports and Literature: Mean trends in Priority

Research, Sports and Literature are in less priority for young students as first choice overall. However, there is significant number of them to give higher priorities. The following table displays the status of sports, literature and research in interest layer of young students:

Conclusion

The result of this survey showed that there is great confusion amongst young students of higher education that politics is not a pivotal for all social affairs and most of them hate politics. It shows that there is a weakness in educating and socializing the youngsters. It is either failure of policy of streamlining social issues by politics or the civic education offered them is faulty.

They put social work as in first place of priority for which politics and knowledge of politics is threshold. The high priority to social work and least priority to the politics demonstrate that there is misleading understanding among young students. Social work can not be segregated from politics and they are highly co-related each other but the students take it quite controversially and as opposite concepts. The findings suggest lack of proper knowledge amongst respondents on the matter of interdependency of social work and politics.

The students are found quite interested for their carrier and health oriented field as they have chosen music and sports a higher priority but less in entertainments by putting cinema in lower priority. This shows that they are enthusiastic to progress rather than paying times in cinema.

The authors are associates with Research Department of Kathmandu School of Law, Dadhikot, Bhaktapur on 29th June, 2005