Get Involved: Development in Nepal (by Manish Thapa)

If one carried out a survey among all women and men of Nepal asking them the question, "What are the two highest priorities for you personally and for the nation?" the vast majority would probably say "peace and development". Peace and development are two sides of the same coin. Without peace, there can be no development, and without development, no peace.

Apart from the undeniable political and ideological causes of the current conflict in Nepal, there are legitimate grievances of the poor and excluded. They feel that they have hardly tasted the fruits of development and have lost hope and confidence in the capacity of the existing system to deliver services and provide them with the basic elements of a dignified life.

The United Nations Development Programme's (UNDP) Human Development Report from 2004 draws attention to governance as the "missing link" in the current state of affairs in Nepal. Unless management of the development process becomes truly participatory at all levels and those who deliver services are held accountable by those they are serving, little progress will be made.

A democratic state with all its checks and balances enshrined in the constitution needs the support of civil institutions to promote the value of transparency, accountability, and development of individual rights. Civil society can and should play the role of an educator and watchdog at all levels within the country. As well, it should play the role of social mobilizer and service provider all the way down to the level of communities and households where the state cannot reach.

Youth believe that our Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) have the potential to transform the world. In a very direct way, youth can also change the social, economic and political face of Nepal by means of addressing the root causes of conflict.

The goals were adopted by 189 nations at the Millennium Development Assembly in New York in September 2000 based on the realization that an unequal and divided world as it now stands simply cannot survive. The continuous denial of a dignified life free from fear and want to the majority of people on this earth will continue to breed tension and conflicts that do not stop at the borders of industrialized nations.

Out of the Millennium Development Summit and the Monterrey Conference on Financing for Development, a new global consensus has emerged demanding that mutual commitments are matched by mutual accountability: a political bargain has been built around a partnership of self-interest between the countries of the North and South. Sustained political and economic reform by developing countries will be matched by direct support from the rich world in the form of the trade, aid, and investment. The goals are the UN's effort to set the terms of a globalization driven not by the interest of the strong, but managed in the interest of the poor.

The MDG campaign in Nepal has eight simple targets at its core that are of direct relevance to the lives of every Nepali. These represent the ultimate bottom-up grassroots pocket-book development agenda; they are firmly focused on the bread and butter issues everywhere and one certainly does not need a PhD in economics to participate in the debate. From a sheep herder in Humla to a shopkeeper in Hetauda, the idea of cutting poverty, putting children to schools, building a cleaner environment, and providing better health care for mothers and infants is something that everyone can relate to in a very tangible way.

The National Planning Commission of Nepal has reflected these goals in the government's planning process and annual budgets. The Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP) will, in its final form, contain specific measurable targets and indicators in line with the goals. Even more important is the translation of these goals into concrete and tangible sub-goals, targets, and indicators at the local level. This does not mean advocating a one-size-fits-all approach. What matters is the setting of specific targets in line with the specific circumstances that prevail locally, and commitments by all concerned to keep these targets high on the agenda until they are fully realized.

The benchmark of whether policies are working will be:

• Are more children in school?
• Is maternal mortality declining?
• Is poverty dropping?
• Are we making progress on HIV/AIDS?

If in the final report the answer is "no" to all these questions then it clearly points to the need of a change in policies. If it is "yes" then it provides a powerful vindication of current strategies. The Millennium reports are a real accountability framework that track, year by year, which tactics are successful. In Nepal, ultimately, the future of the political system will be determined at the ballot box both at the centralized and decentralized levels.

All over the world, the MDGs have electrified the development community by connecting them to real public opinion. Donors are realigning their support around the reports, development agencies are doing the same, and so is much of civil society. Rather than using the language and subject matter of academic seminars, the report seeks to take the issues to classrooms and teashops, fields and factories, showing everyone from the Head of State down to school children where their country is lagging behind its neighbors and where it is leading. It clearly outlines where more attention needs to be paid and where things are on track, where more resources are essential, and where they are not being effectively used.

Monitoring the performance of politicians and bureaucrats in the realization of development is of vital importance to the nation. Decentralization and social mobilization are critical elements in a workable management and monitoring system. Ultimately, these will only yield results if citizens of all castes and creeds, women, men and children stand up and hold elected and appointed leaders responsible for the realization of agreed targets.

Sources

"Human Development Report 2004." United Nations Development Programme. 1 Sep. 2005. <http://hdr.undp.org/reports/global/2004/>.

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