Nepal tells UN of its commitment to drafting a new democratic constitution
Nepal is committed to the drafting of a new constitution that will consolidate peace and democracy as the country moves away from the “feudalistic and autocratic” monarchy that was abolished in 2008, Prime Minister Bauram Bhattarai told the General Assembly today.
Nepal is committed to the drafting of a new constitution that will consolidate peace and democracy as the country moves away from the “feudalistic and autocratic” monarchy that was abolished in 2008, Prime Minister Bauram Bhattarai told the General Assembly today.
“The constitution will not only guarantee the fundamental democratic norms… It will also ensure that our multi-party democracy is inclusive, participatory and life-changing for all, especially the labouring masses and the marginalized ones.”
The South Asian country has been plagued by political disputes since the civil war between Government forces and Maoists formally ended in 2007 and the monarchy was abolished. Several deadlines to draft a new constitution have been missed.
Mr. Bhattarai also called for a “new Marshall Plan” – the large-scale aid programme that helped Western Europe recover after the Second World War – to rebuild countries emerging from conflict to ensure sustainable peace and socio-economic development to lift people out of poverty.
“The islands of prosperity amidst the sea of poverty are not sustainable. It is morally indefensible,” the Prime Minister said.
“The financial capital-driven ‘globalization’ process is increasingly exposing its inherent structural deficiency and incompatibility. Unless the interest of labour, the basic source of human wealth, is duly integrated in this process, we may have to face the ‘globalization’ of unrest and upheavals.”
At a meeting with Mr. Bhattarai on the margins of the debate, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon voiced his appreciation of Nepal’s leadership and active role in the work of the UN, especially in social and economic development and peacekeeping.
The two officials also exchanged views on the peace process in Nepal, with Mr. Ban expressing his hope that the outstanding issues of the peace process, including integration and rehabilitation of the former Maoist combatants and the drafting of a new constitution, would be completed in a spirit of compromise and cooperation in the Constituent Assembly.