USAID/OTI Nepal Field Report
April - June 2008
Program Description
In August 2006, USAID’s Office of Transition Initiatives (OTI) inaugurated a program to help advance Nepal’s transition to peace and democracy. The objectives of the USAID/OTI program in Nepal are to:
- Increase access to information and diversify public debate on issues critical to the political transition, and
- Increase local-level engagement and participation in the peace process.
OTI/Nepal’s implementing partner is Chemonics International Inc., and the FY 2008 program budget is $5.75 million. The OTI program provides small grants and short-term technical assistance to further Nepal’s transition.
Country Situation
CA Elections Conducted Successfully - Despite two postponements and high levels of pre-election violence, Nepal held relatively peaceful Constituent Assembly (CA) elections on April 10, 2008. Incidents of violence and booth capturing were reported in some areas, resulting in re-polling in 21 constituencies. National voter turnout was more than 60 percent, and the post-election atmosphere was surprisingly calm.
CPN-Maoist Wins a Surprise Victory - The results of the CA election, for both the first-past-the-post (FPTP) and proportional representation (PR) systems, gave an unexpected victory to the former rebel group, Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist (CPN-Maoist). Out of 575 contested seats (240 under FPTP; 335 under PR), CPN-Maoist secured a total of 220 seats (FPTP: 120; PR: 100). Meanwhile, the dominant political parties before the election, Nepali Congress (NC) and CPN-United Marxist Leninist (UML), secured 110 and 103 seats, respectively. The unexpected Maoist win has been attributed partially to intimidation, but also to a sincere desire for change among voters. Also somewhat surprisingly, the Madhes based parties secured 83 seats in the Terai, with the Madhesi People’s Rights Forum receiving 52 of the 83. No single party won the two-thirds majority needed to lead the government.
Declaration of the Republic of Nepal; Political Uncertainty Around Formation of a New Government - At the first sitting of the CA on May 28, Nepal was declared a republic state, and the status of then King Gyanendra was reduced from a royal to a general Nepali citizen. However, a month after the seating of the new assembly, disagreement within the CA over key issues continues to create political uncertainty in Nepal. The Seven Party Alliance agreed to the positions of Ceremonial President, Vice President, and Executive Prime Minister, with the Maoists leading the government, but there has been no agreement on a presidential candidate or any of the other positions.
In late June, the Prime Minister resigned from his post. And for the fifth time, the CA was unable to take up a proposal to amend the constitution because Madhesi legislators were obstructing meetings. Amendments would provide for the formation of the government and the election of a new Prime Minister. The Madhesis are demanding that a clause providing for an autonomous Madhes state be included in the amended constitution per the agreement that was reached between the government and the Madhesi parties in February 2008.
Security Situation Continues to Worsen - During the reporting period, security conditions continued to deteriorate, particularly in the Terai. A number of bomb blasts shook Kathmandu in the days before the first sitting of the CA, resulting in a few injuries. The Terai region has seen an alarming increase in extortion, kidnappings, and killings; in one district, four people were kidnapped in a single day. A number of people have been killed or injured by bomb blasts in the region, and recent bandhs (strikes) have affected day-to-day activities. Terai-based armed groups allegedly have been meeting to discuss an alliance. Such and alliance would significantly threaten the fragile peace and security conditions in the region. Much of the violence in the Terai is not being reported on a national level.
OTI Highlights
A. Grant Activity Summary
During this reporting period, OTI approved 20 new activities worth $813,793, including seven grants worth $183,531 cleared by the Itahari field office. In addition to new activities, several ongoing activities were extended to provide voter education for the CA election, to help manage public expectations in the post-electoral period, and to disseminate accurate information on the roles and responsibilities of the CA and on key political transition issues. Since August 2006, OTI, through implementing partner Chemonics, has funded a total of 175 small grant and technical assistance activities , totaling $6,649,579.
* This figure excludes the four grants implemented by USAID/OTI prior to the commencement of the Chemonics contract.
| Social Inclusion |
2 |
$192,198 |
18 |
$568,146 |
| Elections |
1 |
$2,179 |
24 |
$1,108,956 |
| Key Political Transition Agreements and Processes |
8 |
$141,082 |
75 |
$2,508,700 |
| Community Stabilization |
8 |
$433,157 |
44 |
$1,938,561 |
| Media Strengthening |
1 |
$45,231 |
14 |
$525,216 |
| Total |
20 |
$813,793 |
175 |
$6,649,579 |
Data as of June 30, 2008.
With the successful completion of the CA election on April 10, OTI is increasing its focus on the local level. After consultations with the USAID/Nepal Mission, OTI has decided to scale up programming in the Terai through small-scale stabilization initiatives that elicit substantial community involvement. This new initiative, which will likely serve as a model for future Mission programs in the Terai, will receive $500,000 in 1207 funds through the Mission.
B. Grant Activity Highlights
Elections - OTI’s support for the Election Commission’s Media Center proved effective. The center provided a venue where journalists and media representatives could access official, timely, and accurate information from the Election Commission (EC) for use in pre- and post-CA election coverage. The EC held 22 press conferences at the center, and in the days before and after the election, usage was high, with an average of 100 journalists attending the briefings. The center also accredited more than 1,170 national and 120 international journalists during the election cycle. The success of the EC Media Center has prompted a request from the Secretariat of the Legislative Parliament for a media center to ensure transparency of CA proceedings. The Secretariat is seeking support for a resource center for journalists, a press conference hall, and an internal broadcasting system.
In the run-up to the elections, OTI also provided necessary equipment for a media-monitoring program. The program, which was funded in conjunction with other donors, was the first of its kind in Nepal and was deemed a success.
To respond to the need for managing immediate expectations in the days and weeks after the election, OTI widely distributed the EC’s “What Happens after the Polls Close?” leaflet in national and local newspapers and to the general public. Now that the CA election is complete, all election-related activities are closing out.
Community Stabilization - Youth are a critical resource in the effort to motivate Nepali communities to work in support of the peace process. New activities will train and mobilize youth in the central Terai in the areas of community conflict management and reconciliation processes, good governance, and human rights. OTI is also working to reintroduce sports – soccer in this case – as an independent and politically-neutral medium to constructively engage youth. A popular national soccer team will travel to eight locations around the country to play friendly matches with young people. Clinics will also be held at all of the locations, and the messaging around the tour will focus on peace and developing safe spaces where youth and the community can interact.
During the quarter, an OTI initiative focusing on youth mobilization in the eastern Terai launched Youth Mobilization Committees (YMCs) in 150 Village Development Committee (VDC) administrative sub-jurisdictions. The YMCs organize youth to work on community development issues in their VDC districts. Once organized, the youth consult with community members to identify pressing small-scale development needs. The youth have access to $370 in community development funds to implement projects to address these needs. OTI will scale-up this initiative in additional districts in the coming months.
Post-election analysis suggests that the Nepali people voted in large numbers for candidates and parties that they felt would be more responsive to their needs and demands, and expectations for the new government are very high. With this in mind, OTI funded a number of TV and radio public service announcements – with trusted local partners such as MaHa, the popular comedic duo – to manage expectations and encourage political tolerance in the post election period. In addition, OTI is providing opportunities for citizens in the Terai to discuss pressing issues with district- and national-level government officials via radio talk shows. Also, through local theater troupes, OTI is conducting 195 CA awareness street dramas in the eastern Terai. These dramas are intended to impart grassroots awareness of the CA and citizen responsibilities, as well as to encourage patience.
OTI also supported an effort by Madhesi women at the Janakpur Women’s Development Center to train 10 Pahadi women in Mithili painting, an art linked to Madhesi culture. Upon completion of the training, 20 Madhesi artists and the 10 Pahadi trainees painted 39 peace messages in central locations in four central Terai districts. In the midst of recent increases in community tensions between the two ethnic groups, the campaign was successful in promoting positive inter-ethnic relations between Pahadi and Madhesi women and in motivating both communities to work for communal harmony.
Key Political Transition Agreements and Processes - OTI continues to support activities focused on educating communities on the role and function of the CA and on managing citizen expectations following the CA election. Through local partners, OTI has trained and mobilized women and youth to educate people in their communities about the role and function of the CA.
Feedback from the program’s Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) information dissemination activities included strong suggestions to provide information on the CPA to local and mid-level political party leaders. While these individuals are often excluded from national-level decision making, they, in fact, play a key role as local-level opinion leaders. Based on these recommendations, OTI provided leadership training and key information regarding the CPA and the upcoming CA elections to 750 members of political parties, civil society organizations, and media outlets in three key districts of the Terai (Bara, Parsa, and Mahottari). Response from participants was extremely positive, with some attendees wondering why they did not have this information earlier.
During this reporting period, the Citizens’ Campaign for Right to Information broadcast all eight episodes of its program to educate the public on the Right to Information Act of 2007. The grantee is currently developing a Web site that will provide a permanent public-information resource.
Media Strengthening - OTI has continually engaged with partner organizations in media-strengthening activities to provide larger numbers of Nepal’s people with increased access to information. Nepal’s free, energetic, and sophisticated media sector is both a protagonist and a catalyst in the country’s ongoing political transition.
Radio Kailash, with support from OTI in the form of equipment, successfully conducted its official inauguration program on May 26, 2008. The station now reaches more than 20,000 listeners in 17 VDCs in the remote Humla district, broadcasting music, Nepal Chautari (a national, live call-in talk show supported by OTI), national news (through a national satellite communication system also supported by OTI), and local programs. A number of dignitaries attended the inaugural ceremonies for Radio Kailash, the first community radio station in Humla, including Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Evan Feigenbaum; Deputy Chief of Mission, U.S. Embassy, Nepal, Randy Berry; USAID/Nepal Mission Director Beth Paige; and OTI Country Representative for Nepal Melissa Rosser.
OTI is also providing training for 48 Madhesi women journalists from eastern and central Terai districts. The activity will expand the reporters’ access to professional opportunities and enhance their abilities to cover local issues and concerns through newspaper and radio outlets. An OTI-supported internship program facilitates exchanges between Madhesi and Pahadi newspapers, and the journalists also participate in six inter-ethnic exchange visits to sensitive areas in the eastern hills region and in the Terai districts. This successful activity was highlighted in the Nepali Times, a weekly English-language newspaper.
OTI has completed its support to Equal Access, the organization tasked with the creation of a media code of conduct that governs responsible media conduct and regulates the media sector. Equal Access held a number of national- and regional-level meetings on the code of conduct, as well as a national-level meeting on the Radio Broadcasters’ Code of Conduct and Operational Guidelines. Even though a strike made it extremely difficult for many of the participants to attend, more than 130 radio station managers and program developers from across the country made it to the 2-day broadcasters consultative meeting. The code of conduct – which was created with the support of the entire media sector, references existing regulatory provisions, and requires self-regulation during its initial phase – will play an important role in moderating inappropriate use of the media.
Social Inclusion - To continue to build consensus and increase understanding of Madhes issues identified under a previous activity, OTI is conducting an in-depth survey in eight Terai districts. Workshops under the previous activity led to consensus on 39 issues in the social, economic, cultural, and political sectors. This follow-on activity will allow Madhesi activists to consolidate a platform and help political leaders – both new and old – to form a clearer understanding of the key Madhes issues. This activity also seeks to promote moderate views during this tense time in Nepal's transition – when radical views and actions threaten to derail the peace process.
OTI is supporting an Aarohan Theatre activity that will gather input to inform the effort to draft Nepal’s new constitution. During a series of 320 legislative forum theatre performances in 16 districts of the central and eastern Terai, the theater group will solicit audience feedback on the overall constitution-making process and views on what rights and policies the constitution should address. The opinions will be compiled and dramatized at a final national-level performance for CA members, the media, and civil society in Kathmandu.
C. Indicators of Success
Speed - Responding to a request from the EC to broadcast its expectation management campaign, OTI organized TV and radio public service announcements (PSAs) to air immediately after the CA election. In addition, the grant to distribute the EC’s information leaflet entitled “What Happens after the Polls Close?” was approved on the day the request was received, and 1,600 copies of the document were distributed the following day.
The program also moved quickly to address the possibility of post-election violence. OTI supported four radio stations, Koshi FM, Kanchenjunga FM, Radio Janakpur, and Saptakoshi FM, with an effort to record and broadcast messages calling for nonviolence. The messages were read by political candidates who were recording the PSAs within 24 hours from the time the content was approved.
Re-targeting/Flexibility - With the successful completion of the CA elections, OTI/Nepal is shifting its attention away from elections and key transition institutions and directing more of its energies toward local-level programming. The shift in focus is reflected in the program’s revised objectives and is the impetus for the scale-up of community development activities in the Terai. The program will also be placing a greater emphasis on engaging youth in activities that foster communal harmony and reduce violence.
OTI has continued to support media programming that can adapt to changing transitional scenarios. In particular, the MaHa comedy show and Interface’s animated TV PSAs have proven very effective. These popular broadcasts have reached large audiences with essential information on the peace process and the CA election and are also distributing information to help manage voter expectations. Similarly, OTI has continued to support live youth-focused call-in talk radio programs that draw their topics from the current political context.
OTI is also incorporating lessons learned from completed activities into new and ongoing projects. For example, the program has cleared two new grants for street dramas after noting the effectiveness of such dramatizations in previous projects. The grants, which will focus on the eastern and central Terai districts, will raise awareness on the role and function of the CA and seek to manage expectations.
Community-based - Many OTI projects, such as CPA awareness-raising, youth peace volunteer, and CA education activities, have grassroots-level outreach components. OTI is also encouraging the efforts of local FM stations that reach out and hold dialogues at the VDC level.
As OTI has shifted its focus to the local level, the framework set up earlier this year that uses community “mobilizers” (CMs) has become increasingly important. Nineteen CMs have been working in 12 districts of the eastern and central Terai for nearly 3 months. The CMs have submitted VDC assessment reports as well as results from focus group discussions held in 576 VDCs. In addition, the CMs have provided invaluable information on ongoing events and political and security-related trends in the Terai districts. Since the CM model is producing useful results and proving to be an appropriate methodology, OTI is planning to extend some of the CMs’ engagements for an additional 3 months and expand their role to include activity monitoring.
Next Steps/Immediate Priorities
Emergent issues include the following:
- Expectations for change – and for what that change will look like – have increased exponentially for Nepalese citizens at all levels. There is the possibility that these expectations could generate some unrest in coming months. OTI will develop new activities to support the drafting of the constitution and the management of expectations as necessary.
- The potential for unrest and violence in the Terai still exists; armed groups in the region allegedly have met to discuss the formation of an alliance. In addition, problems could arise as the new government implements – or ignores – agreements made with the Madhesi or other parties. These issues will warrant special programmatic focus.
In the next quarter, OTI will:
- Begin scaling-up activities in the central and eastern Terai;
- Extend the CM framework for approximately 3 months;
- Finalize consolidation of and reporting on VDC assessment data and develop a VDC mapping framework that can be used for targeting and reporting;
- Continue to develop activities that are responsive to political and conflict issues, with a focus on the Terai; and
- Finalize a framework, with input from broadcasters, that will support training, content development, and a common Web-based platform for program sharing between 15 key FM radio stations.
For further information, please contact:
In Washington, D.C: Brigitte Hoyer, Program Manager, 202-712-5212, bhoyer@usaid.gov
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