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Federalism and State Restructuring in Nepal the Challenge for the Constituent Assembly - Report of a Conference organised by the Constitutional Advisory Support Unit, UNDP 23-24 March 2007, Godavari, Nepal
Abstract:
The intention had been to hold this conference outside the Kathmandu valley – partly because the topic was one in which people outside the capital might have a special interest, and partly because CASU took the view that its activities should not be too Kathmandu centered. Holding it in Biratnagar proved impracticable because this was at the height of the ferment in Tarai ironically a ferment in which claims for federalism played a major part. The venue was changed to Pokhara, but, in the few days before it was due, the Chambers of Commerce called a bandha in protest against the Maoist cadres' severe beating of a hotel owner in Kathmandu. Closure of hotels was threatened and also of flights, so the venue was shifted again, this time to Godavari just outside Kathmandu. Fortunately people were able to shift their travel plans. So on March 23rd over 130 persons (more than had been expected) gathered in Godavari. They came from far and wide – one participant said she had walked for a day and then caught a bus and then a plane to get there. Following a formal welcome by UNDP Deputy Resident Representative (Programmes) Mr Ghulam Isaczai, over the next 2 days delegates heard presentations focussing on various aspects of federalism. The programme was organised in such a way that the first day was devoted to the consideration of the Nepali context for the debates on federalism and the second day on foreign experiences, so that foreign experts would become familiar with the Nepali context before they presented the experiences of their own countries. #Federalism #StateRestructuringInNepal #ChallengeForConstituent Assembly
Publisher:
UNDP
Type / Script:
Publication
in
English
Keywords:
FEDERALISM, POLITICAL SYSTEMS, FEDERAL GOVERNMENT, DIVISION OF POWERS, CONSTITUTIONAL LAW, DECENTRALIZATION IN GOVERNMENT, STATE GOVERNMENT
Thematic Group:
UNDP
, (
2008
)
Thesaurus:
01.01.00
-
Political Conditions, Institutions, Movements
PDF
| File Size:
2.55 MB
Download
Feeder:
LUNI SHRESTHA
, Editor:
SANJIYA SHRESTHA
, Auditor:
...
Federalism and State Restructuring in Nepal the Challenge for the Constituent Assembly - Report of a Conference organised by the Constitutional Advisory Support Unit, UNDP 23-24 March 2007, Godavari, Nepal
Abstract:
The intention had been to hold this conference outside the Kathmandu valley – partly because the topic was one in which people outside the capital might have a special interest, and partly because CASU took the view that its activities should not be too Kathmandu centered. Holding it in Biratnagar proved impracticable because this was at the height of the ferment in Tarai ironically a ferment in which claims for federalism played a major part. The venue was changed to Pokhara, but, in the few days before it was due, the Chambers of Commerce called a bandha in protest against the Maoist cadres' severe beating of a hotel owner in Kathmandu. Closure of hotels was threatened and also of flights, so the venue was shifted again, this time to Godavari just outside Kathmandu. Fortunately people were able to shift their travel plans. So on March 23rd over 130 persons (more than had been expected) gathered in Godavari. They came from far and wide – one participant said she had walked for a day and then caught a bus and then a plane to get there. Following a formal welcome by UNDP Deputy Resident Representative (Programmes) Mr Ghulam Isaczai, over the next 2 days delegates heard presentations focussing on various aspects of federalism. The programme was organised in such a way that the first day was devoted to the consideration of the Nepali context for the debates on federalism and the second day on foreign experiences, so that foreign experts would become familiar with the Nepali context before they presented the experiences of their own countries.
Publisher:
UNDP
Type / Script:
Publication
in
English
Keywords:
FEDERALISM, POLITICAL SYSTEMS, FEDERAL GOVERNMENT, DIVISION OF POWERS, CONSTITUTIONAL LAW, DECENTRALIZATION IN GOVERNMENT, STATE GOVERNMENT
Thematic Group:
UNDP
, (
2008
)
Thesaurus:
01.01.00
-
Political Conditions, Institutions, Movements
PDF
| File Size:
2.55 MB
Download
Feeder:
LUNI SHRESTHA
, Editor:
ANITAKARKI2052@GMAIL COM
, Auditor:
...
Federalism and State Restructuring in Nepal the Challenge for the Constituent Assembly - Report of a Conference organised by the Constitutional Advisory Support Unit, UNDP 23-24 March 2007, Godavari, Nepal
Abstract:
The intention had been to hold this conference outside the Kathmandu valley – partly because the topic was one in which people outside the capital might have a special interest, and partly because CASU took the view that its activities should not be too Kathmandu centered. Holding it in Biratnagar proved impracticable because this was at the height of the ferment in Tarai ironically a ferment in which claims for federalism played a major part. The venue was changed to Pokhara, but, in the few days before it was due, the Chambers of Commerce called a bandha in protest against the Maoist cadres' severe beating of a hotel owner in Kathmandu. Closure of hotels was threatened and also of flights, so the venue was shifted again, this time to Godavari just outside Kathmandu. Fortunately people were able to shift their travel plans. So on March 23rd over 130 persons (more than had been expected) gathered in Godavari. They came from far and wide – one participant said she had walked for a day and then caught a bus and then a plane to get there. Following a formal welcome by UNDP Deputy Resident Representative (Programmes) Mr Ghulam Isaczai, over the next 2 days delegates heard presentations focussing on various aspects of federalism. The programme was organised in such a way that the first day was devoted to the consideration of the Nepali context for the debates on federalism and the second day on foreign experiences, so that foreign experts would become familiar with the Nepali context before they presented the experiences of their own countries.
Publisher:
UNDP
Type / Script:
Publication
in
English
Keywords:
FEDERALISM, POLITICAL SYSTEMS, FEDERAL GOVERNMENT, DIVISION OF POWERS, CONSTITUTIONAL LAW, DECENTRALIZATION IN GOVERNMENT, STATE GOVERNMENT
Thematic Group:
UNDP
, (
2008
)
Thesaurus:
01.01.00
-
Political Conditions, Institutions, Movements
PDF
| File Size:
2.55 MB
Download
Feeder:
LUNI SHRESTHA
, Editor:
ANITAKARKI2052@GMAIL COM
, Auditor:
...
Federalism and State Restructuring in Nepal the Challenge for the Constituent Assembly - Report of a Conference organised by the Constitutional Advisory Support Unit, UNDP 23-24 March 2007, Godavari, Nepal
Abstract:
Federalism has emerged as the most controversial of the issues that will have to be resolved in the making of a new constitution for Nepal. While there is broad agreement that in the past government, and control over resources, has been far too much concentrated in Kathmandu, to the detriment of the rest of the country, there is no equally clear agreement over how to decentralize. Over the months since the janaandolan of 2006, “restructuring of the state” has increasingly come to have a federal tinge, to the extent that the Interim Constitution was amended to identify federalism as the route to bringing “an end to discrimination based on class, caste, language, gender, culture, religion and region by eliminating the centralized and unitary form of the state”, to quote Article 138. Now the Constituent Assembly has to decide the “how” but not the “whether” of federalism: it has the final decision relating to the structure of the state and federal system. Most of the discussion in Nepal, especially in the early stages, was about structure of a federal Nepal in a very narrow sense: how to draw the lines between the constituent units – on the basis of ethnicity/language or geographical features or resource distribution. The Conference of which this volume is a report was deliberately designed to get away from this aspect – though it could not be ignored completely – in order to begin to discuss the many implications of a federal system: how would powers and resources be distributed, how would the units below the national government participate in the center, would there be one court system or different systems? The conference organizers were convinced that it was important for the people of Nepal to begin to get to grips with these very complex issues, not only because they would have to be decided when making the new Constitution, but also because this would help people to assess how far federalism could in fact address the problems of discrimination, exclusion and dominance that require to be resolved. Even if the country is federal, what else will be required to ensure the rights of all: even if federalism is necessary, is it sufficient? This report is the second in a series based upon the proceedings of national conferences held by the Constitution Advisory Support Unit of UNDP. UNDP hopes that they will prove useful to members of the Constituent Assembly in their exciting and challenging task of preparing a new constitution and for the people of Nepal so that they can make a full input into the work of the Constituent Assembly.
Publisher:
UNDP
Type / Script:
Publication
in
English
Keywords:
FEDERALISM AND STATE RESTRUCTURING, CONSTITUENT, CONFERENCE REPORT, CONCEPT AND ISSUES, BOUNDARIES, STRUCTURE AND COMPETENCIES, RELATIONSHIP AND PROCESSES, STATES, REGIONALISM, FEDERAL GOVERNMENT, POLITICAL SYSTEMS
Thematic Group:
UNDP
, (
2008
)
Thesaurus:
01.01.00
-
Political Conditions, Institutions, Movements
PDF
| File Size:
2.55 MB
Download
Feeder:
LUNI SHRESTHA
, Editor:
, Auditor:
...