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Dr. Eileen Borris Principal 480-951-0544 Email Dr. Borris Latest Developments |
Nepal - An Institute for Multi-Track Diplomacy Project
The signed peace agreement ended a decade-long armed conflict in Nepal which claimed 13 000 lives. Reconciliation and trauma healing are now more urgent and important than ever for the Nepalese people. Since the official end of the conflict, violence has continued at a smaller scale, while poverty, human rights abuses, and internal displacement still plague the country. Political wrangling has repeatedly delayed elections for a Constituent Assembly to draft a new constitution. However, the multi-party alliance has held, and progress is being made toward the establishment of stable democratic government. Dr. Borris and Ambassador John McDonald were first invited to work in Nepal by local NGOs in 2001 to help with the issue of the Maoist insurgency. We initially met and worked with more than seventy individuals including the members of the dalit or "untouchable" class, Maoist revolutionaries, women's groups, business leaders, and two former prime ministers. Subsequently, Dr. Borris and Ambassador McDonald have provided two extremely successful trainings for a total of sixty individuals. These individuals have bonded and some have formed their own NGO, the Collective Campaign for Peace (COCAP), which trains local villagers in conflict resolution. Tensions between the government and the Maoist revolutionaries had a pervasive effect in Nepalese communities where the traditionally marginalized groups in society, such as women and the dalit caste, have often been the most affected by the conflict. IMTD is currently developing further projects in the fields of conflict resolution and trauma healing. We hope to return to Nepal soon and continue contributing to a peaceful and democratic Nepal. We were last in Nepal in September 2004, but continue to build and maintain relationships with groups an individuals working with Nepal, including Search for Common Ground, The Center for Victims of Torture, the Jagaran Media Center, and members of COCAP residing in Washington DC.
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