We left for Kathmandu last week for the second of our field trips. The overall theme was “Conflict Transformation and Building a Sustainable Peace”. Nepal is in the process of recovering from a ten-year conflict which was finally ended with the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) in 2006. When we were there the politicians where in the middle of negotiations about the Constitution which must be agreed upon by the 29th May.
A view of Kathmandu from the Monkey Temple
Kathmandu struck me as a very culturally rich city with many historically significant sites such as Bodhnath Stupa and the Living Goddess Kumari.
Buddhists Stupa’s (Bodhnath & the Monkey Temple, accordingly)
At the same time though you cannot help but be caught up in the traffic chaos and taken aback at the sheer amount of rubbish in the city. It is estimated that 42% of the overall population of the country are living below the poverty line and the difficulties that a ten-year conflict creates in terms of governance, civic amenities etc. are very evident.
Waste Management Issues on the Bagmati River in Kathmandu
With over a dozen formal meetings with various NGO’s and a 7-12 hour journey to Pokhara midway though the week, it was an intense field trip. More pictures and details to follow…
Meeting at The Nepal Transition to Peace (NTTP) Initiative
Practical Peace 