UN to Send Political Mission to Nepal

United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan today authorized the creation of a special UN political mission in Nepal to advance reconciliation, support a transitional government, and assist with elections. The mission consists of a small group of multi-disciplinary civilian advisors led by Ian Martin, in his new role as special envoy. Martin returns on Monday to Nepal from UN Headquarters in New York. It’s unclear what the appointment means for his current role as the head of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in Nepal. The mission is being created in response to a joint request by Nepal’s government and the insurgent Maoist rebels for UN assistance. At first glance, the mission’s limited staffing and lack of enforcement authority may seem an insufficient response, but the mission will have importance influence at a crucial juncture for Nepal’s struggle for democratic self-determination.

Two weeks ago, the prime minister and the armed rebels, sent a letter to the UN asking for help with the management of weapons during the peace process and the monitoring of Constituent Assembly elections. In the letter, they proposed to confine all armed troops, with their weapons, to camps and barracks during the transitional government and to allow compliance monitoring by the UN. Problematically, the parties requested unarmed UN civilian compliance monitors. Without enforcement capabilities and authority, the monitors’ effectiveness would be limited to the ability to report, but not to stop, ceasefire violations. Moreover, the unarmed monitors would be unable to defend themselves if attacked by either side. Most troubling, not only would the civilian monitors be ill-equipped to prevent violence against civilians and themselves, but also, they would be unable to restore peace.

Because the parties have not reached consensus on functional security protocols and other key political issues, UN Secretary General Annan is choosing first to send high-level international advisers to facilitate a second round of peace talks to finalize consensus on arms management and the next steps to open elections. Once the parties finalize their agreement for transitional procedures, the UN may adjust the mission structure and size. Initially, the five-person political mission will be staffed by the special envoy, a political advisor, a cease-fire monitoring expert, a military advisor out of uniform, and an electoral advisor.

The government announced earlier this week that both parties remain committed, despite recent ceasefire violations, to informal negotiations on key political issues in preparation for a second round of peace talks to be held in consultation with the new UN mission. Ceasefire violations, exemplary of the volatile political situation, occurred when the rebel factions killed an opposition political party worker on August 18 and abducted twelve local government officials in southern Nepal the same day. Rather than allow the breaches of a few rebel factions to collapse the ceasefire, the parties met informally to discuss the implications. Today, in another encouraging sign of progress, the Interim Constitution Draft Committee (ICDC) today presented the 172-article draft constitution to the both parties for further consideration, with the hopes that the details could be finalized at the upcoming summit talks. Notably, the new draft constitution recognizes the King, but not as the head of state. Under Article 165 of the draft constitution, the people would decide by referendum whether to retain the monarchy.

It’s unclear whether any women will be represented in the new UN mission or whether women will be included in the upcoming formal peace talks. Sapana Malla, a lawyer and head of a women’s legal aid and advocacy non-profit in Nepal, has lobbied for women’s participation in peace negotiating teams. Women successfully lobbied for representation in the interim constitution drafting committee, but some activists sharply criticized the acquiescence to include the women as being too late to allow substantive influence on the document’s contents.

At stake is whether Nepal will end its decade-long internal conflict, which has killed more than 12,000 people, impacted millions, destroyed infrastructure, and kept the country’s economy among the lowest in the world (GNI per capita US$ 250 in 2004; GDP per capita US$ 1,400 in 2003).

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