Today is not the time when the earth was created about 14 billion years ago, this is not the time when plants and animals started to flourish, this is also not the time when human hoards fought to control their territories. Those were the moments either the nature itself continued to make the earth favourable for survival or the species were not conscious enough to observe what is going on in their mother earth. Today is the time humans should correct their mistakes otherwise the earth is going to be inhabitable putting every earthling at risk. Humans committed several mistakes in the name of getting civilised, industrialized, and more competitive. Who gained what and who lost what has been a serious political issue. But attempts are being made to correct those mistakes.
Perhaps the first attempt was made at global level through the initiative of United Nations in 1972 at Stockholm, in Sweden to protect human environment, where many developed, developing and least developed countries including small Himalayan country Nepal made commitments to reduce the consumption of resources that deteriorates the earth environment. Mistakes were realised and with very optimistic goals heads of different nations signed agreements. After 20 years in 1992 at Rio Brazil, UN organised another conference with huge participation of 172 nations. The name of this famous conference is Earth Summit 1992. 'The UN sought to help Governments rethink economic development and find ways to halt the destruction of irreplaceable natural resources and pollution of the planet' (Ref). In this conference, perhaps for the first time the mistakes were made more clear. The industrialized nations were pointed out and asked for bearing the brunt of environmental destruction. With a great misfortune, by that time scientists have found that the effect of environmental destruction, especially the climate change would be more for developing and least developed nations rather than the industrialized ones. For example, some of the island countries are being affected because of the rising sea level and mountainous countries like Nepal are being affected because of the decreasing amount of snow on the Himalayas. The countries were divided on the line that who made mistakes and who are affected more. It was also committed that 0.7% of total Gross Domestic Product of the industrial nations to be given to developing and least developed nations as a compensation for affecting their lives and their society without committing the mistakes. But by the time Rio +20 is going to take place in 2012 the commitments have not been fulfilled.
What is Rio +20
Rio 20 is a UN conference on sustainable development. It can also be defined as a historical opportunity to define pathways to safer, more equitable, cleaner, greener and more prosperous world for all. Once again 'world leaders, along with thousands of participants from governments, the private sector, NGOs and other groups, are meeting to decide how to reduce poverty, advance social equity and ensure environmental protection on an ever more crowded planet to get to the future humans need and want' (Ref). The priority areas are promotion of decent jobs, clean energy and sustainable development to reduce poverty. This summit has a greater significance to developing countries and basically the least developed countries than other industrialized nations. The conference is being organized June 20-22 at Rio after several meeting, consultations and preparations at national, regional and international level.
The Rio +20 conference has double pronged focus: reducing the poverty and tackling with the climate change. How does the measures to reduce poverty correlates with the measures taken for tackling with climate change or the global warming is a genuine issues needing more discussions, commitments and translating those commitments into practice. The number of people living in extreme poverty that is unable to eat full stomach and live in a shelter that protects from wind and rain is increasing. The congregation of those people is burgeoning in the rural villages of the least developed countries. In 48 countries of this type the problem in Africa and South Asia is more pervasive and these are the countries that face global warming more. Those countries that have agriculture as major source of GDP are facing problems because of the changing pattern of weather basically the rain that has started to fall unusually and untimely. Agriculture and domestic products have been so fragile and people have less motivation towards their work from domestic products. Young people are out of the country leaving their elders and youngsters desperately at home. These illustrations show that there is a close link between burgeoning poverty and global warming. As the global warming increases so happens to the poverty. Now global warming is a topic of discussion of developed nations but the problem of least developed countries. Had the former realised it as a problem perhaps their commitments would have been materialized. The US, China, Germany and other industrialized and neo-industrialised countries have just discussed and giving cautions to the developing nations but not doing anything significant, at least they have not truly realised their mistakes.
Nepal's participation
Nepal is a small Himalayan country in South Asian. A large portion of Nepal's (147,181 sq km) area have been covered by the snow. The snow provides not only natural beauty but also a source of living by providing cool environment and source of water who live below the mountains. Nepal has been making an active participation to world conferences such as the conferences organized by the UN. It has been a signatory of many international agreements and and commitments. As the issues of Rio +20 - poverty, global warming, and sustainable development - are intractably related to the issues of Nepal, it's genuine participation is a key to the success of this UN Conference.
1992 Earth Summit had a significant impact in Nepal. One of the successful projects of Nepal is Community Forestry. Forest resources have been an integral means of survival in Nepal. 77.7% of fuel consumption in Nepal comes from firewood that is from the forest. Similarly it has great value to promote agriculture and for growing domestic animals. Now what to do and expect in this conference.
Nepal is an active member of the Least Developed Countries (LDCs). It is going to be the head of LDC in 2013 where all the issues I discussed above becomes the issues of not only Nepal but also the issues of all LDCs where Nepal is going to give a leadership. Does Nepal have that capacity to lead those countries? Like other LDCs Nepal also depends on foreign direct investments. A large amount of its fiscal budgets is covered by the donations and loans from indusrialised nations and the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. The world is clearly divided into two classes: the have's and the havenot's. Nepal's future will be in trouble if international community stop providing financial support. But the problem is Nepal as a leader of LDC should be able to speak against the tyranny the developed nations are doing so far, especially for the destruction of the global environment - the global warming. The havenot's will never have their share preserved until and unless they can fight against the tyrants. Other LDCs who are participating in the Rio +20 conference are certainly expecting something bold from their prospective leader.
By the time prime minister Baburam Bhattarai of Nepal heading towards the Rio conference a lot of things going on in Nepal. Political leaders are hated at the worst level for the first time because of their inability to give constitution. Their leadership have been a matter of defamation and hatred. Deteriorated from the civil war, and indulging into uncertainty about the future course, Nepal is now a failed state reeling into anarchy. Anything may happen any time in Nepal and there is nobody to take the responsibility for that. Yet the leaders have not realised their mistakes, rather complaining each other. The dramatic ceasefire from the revolting Maoist and the advancement made after people’s revolution has been a complete failure.
Moreover, the largest political party has split into two one leading by a warmonger. The splited faction still want to revolt but doesn't know against who. There is no objective definition of who are their real enemies if there are any. Dr. Bhattarai have been a puppet of Prachanda. It sounds for me that these leaders including the top leaders of other major political parties do not know what is the right track. They seem to be contended as though no development is needed further so they need to compete for the posts. No leaders seem to be cooperating and giving constructive suggestions. Just complaining, blaming and backbiting...just to prove their austerity which they have already lost and is irrecoverable.
I wonder, what the delegates of Nepal are thinking to speak in such conference. What the head of the delegation would speak with the world and what commitment would they make. The world is different and problems are many. Nepal has many problems and it will not come out of the vicious cycle of poverty unless the internal problems are solved first. Why the leaders of Nepal do not understand the facts? Everything is clear...making government, changing it, having the position of minister is not a major thing. Perhaps there are no leaders who have not been in position since last 20 years. Still they are blaming other and telling that they can do if they get the position. It is the world and the simplicity you can prove that counts not the what position you held and you would like to hold. Now is the war against poverty not against what you have been blaming for. Nepal was not looted by anybody and will not be looted in the future. We will be languishing in such limbo until and unless we can realise this fact and help each other to push this country up. Hope the Nepali delegates of Rio +20 conferences have an opportunity to unlock their politically jaded mind and think about the problems widely and find right solutions of the right problems.
Composed at
EDST Lab
University of British Columbia
BC, Canada
No comments:
Post a Comment