[Comment] European Commission should not shirk responsibility in Nepal
ARJUN KARKI
08.02.2007 @ 09:14 CET
EUOBSERVER / COMMENT - Two years on from the royal coup - 1 February 2005 - Europe has an opportunity to help Nepal transform itself into an inclusive multi-cultural democracy, using entirely peaceful means. And with Nepal officially recognised as one of the world's 50 least-developed countries, it offers ample scope for the Union's policy-makers to prove that when they talk about eradicating poverty, they mean what they say.
Health and education is where the EU's money is urgently needed in Nepal (Photo: European Commission)
The European Commission is currently finalising its aid plan for Nepal in the 2007-13 period.
Certainly, this strategy paper has to underscore the EU's support for the peace process in Nepal. Significant progress has been made since the April 2006 mass protests, which called time on King Gyandera's direct rule. The peace agreement signed between the Kathmandu government and Maoist rebels in November has ended a decade-long civil war.
While all of this is welcome, the EU needs to ask itself how it can contribute to lasting peace and stability.
The conflict in Nepal did not arise in a vacuum. When the Maoists mounted their insurgency in 1996, they did so amidst large-scale public disaffection with the country's elected leaders, who had failed to deliver on promises that they would turn Nepal into a more equal society. The Maoists have often been successful in using poverty and discrimination as central planks in their recruitment and radicalisation efforts.
Today, more than one-third of Nepal's children are out of school; 73% of the overall population is without access to basic sanitation; and only 20% of medical posts in rural areas are filled.
Health and education must, therefore, be uppermost in the EU's aid activities. Under the EU's new Development Cooperation Instrument, the Union is legally bound to allocate at least 20% of its aid to these social sectors.
This pledge must be honoured and, in my view, exceeded.
Regrettably, however, there are signals that the Commission is not taking its responsibility as seriously as it is obliged to.
The 33 country strategy papers which the Commission has already drafted for Asia and Latin America fail to pay proper attention to health and education. Instead, they are driven by the EU's trade agenda and its desire to push developing countries into liberalising their economies, solely for the benefit of Western firms.
Even at this late stage of its drafting, I would urge the Commission not to make the same mistakes in its strategy for Nepal as it has with its plans for much of Asia but instead to deem health and education issues as paramount.
Next, the Commission needs to prioritise the rights of the marginalised.
Nepal may be a mosaic of more than 60 different ethnic groups but several of these have been systematically discriminated against, as have those who belong to the Dalit caste (better known to many Westerners as the Untouchables).
The recent protests by Dalits and unrest in the Terai region should serve as a reminder of such discrimination. The Terai region is home to the ethnic Madhesi people, who make up about 15% of Nepal's total population. They have been demanding proportionate representation in Nepal's parliament, government and state agencies.
As a starting point, the Commission should reach out to the marginalised. Disruptions caused by the civil war have prevented public consultations in areas where insurgents held control but, now that a ceasefire is in place, this should no longer be the case.
Gender inequality is another vitally important question for the EU to address. Whereas Nepal's Central Bureau of Statistics estimates that women account for more than 60% of agricultural production, they only control 11% of the land in this largely rural country.
The South Asia Alliance for Poverty Eradication (SAAPE) has found that foreign aid has failed to lessen Nepal's poverty. This is because of a variety of factors, including a tendency by donors to pursue their own strategic interests, rather than bringing about meaningful human development.
The European Commission is fully aware of these criticisms and has made some efforts to address them in Nepal, if not more generally in Asia. It is imperative that it goes further by devising a programme for Nepal that puts the eradication of poverty at is core.
Dr Arjun Karki is president of Rural Reconstruction Nepal, a movement for economic, social and cultural rights.