4 January 2023
Dr. Kundan Aryal Appointed as a Chairperson of Informal Sector Service Centre (INSEC)
- Seven member Executive Committee in the Chairpersonship of Dr. Kundan Aryal has been formed by the 26thGeneral Assembly of Informal Sector Service Centre (INSEC) for the tenure of three years. Rudra Chamrakar, Lata Pyakurel, Gita Baral, Jyoti Baniya, Raghu Nath Adhikari and Nara Nath Luitel ha been appointed as the members of Executive Committee. Positions of the members will be finalized by the meeting of the elected Executive Committee to be held after a few days. Similarly, General Meeting has passed proposal in the following issues:
- (Civil Liberties) The civil organizations of Nepal are facing multi-faceted and complex public administrative problems. It is necessary to radically improve the paper-based processes to make the non-governmental organization transparent and accountable. Non-Governmental organizations must be in alignment with the Constitution of Nepal and should amend any provisions contrary to the law. A simple one-door system should be implemented to ensure procedural dexterity. Nepal Government should be in charge of intergovernmental communication. The General Assembly has taken the initiative to coordinate with the relevant agencies, including the NGO Federation, to find a solution regarding this issue.
- (Transitional justice) After the formation of the new government, people’s concerns on old issues are on increasing trend. Currently, the issue of transitional justice stands as a complex problem in the field of human rights. In the past, the bill that sought to provide Amnesty to high-ranking political and security officials was controversial. General Assembly has decided to prioritize and advance advocacy and expose the existing impunity based of the documentation of INSEC in order to resolve the matters related to transitional justice, find truth and satisfy victim’s need and without harming their dignity.
- (Clean Elections) Periodic election is the foundation of democracy. Voters residing abroad are still not able to cast their votes in accordance to the order rendered by the Supreme Court. The percentage of invalid votes is not decreasing as per the expectation. Polling stations are still not convenient for the voters. Voting has not been clean and fearfree. The Election Commission has failed to discipline and oversee political parties. For this, the party and the government have not been able to recognize the legal authority and importance of the Election Commission. Nepal still has not been able to adopt an electronic voting system or implement a machine to count votes. The General Assembly has decided to take necessary initiatives, like ongoing election work throughout the year, effective election commission, meaningful cooperation with civic organizations, cooperative parties and candidates, and state-of-the-art voting processes and mechanisms to secure clean, fair, and modern elections.
- (Good governance and human rights) People have high expectations for the recently elected parliament. In this election, 24 percent of voters were first-time voters, leading to the representation of youths. The main concern at present is related to the chaos of public administration. The productivity of State management depends on the compatibility of its activities with people’s needs. It is necessary to monitor and supervise the nation’s parliament, in the context of constitutional supremacy, fundamental rights, human rights, and directive principles of the constitution to draw attention to the topical issue of the state. In addition, it is equally crucial to be vigilant to ensure an organized commitment toward the realization of the Sustainable Development Goals, The Right to Health, the National Action Plan for Human Rights, Nepal’s commitment to Human Rights, and The Global Periodic Review. Also, regarding the recommendation made by the Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions (GANHRI) to reduce the rank of the National Human Rights Commission, the General Assembly has decided to cooperate with stakeholders to maintain the current rank status quo. Therefore, the General Assembly has decided to make an action plan so that INSEC takes necessary initiatives for Parliament Watch.
- (World Situation) The world’s strategic power balance is becoming multipolar. The war in Ukraine is unjust. A strong nation has ignored past agreements to enter into a conflict with a weak nation for its vested interest. Nepal is also suffering from the global crisis caused by this conflict. The effects of polarization caused due to the conflict are affecting international cooperation as well. In addition, it is important to visualize justice related to climate change in the current scenario. The General Assembly is aware of the current world situation and is determined to find the necessary strategies to mitigate the issues.
- (Civil relations with the state) This General Assembly has drawn the attention of the stakeholders to take appropriate steps keeping in mind that the questions raised by the public to the newly elected government are related to the self-reliance, awareness, organization, leadership, and dignity of the people. Failure to adopt a culture of meaningful acceptance of the criticism by a citizen can lead democratic governments astray. Therefore, the general assembly has drawn the attention of the government and the parliament to create an environment in which independent citizens’ organizations, professional organizations, experts, and constitutional bodies can function in free, fair, autonomous, and accountable manner.
Bijaya Raj Gautam
Executive Director