PODS by PEI

#Ep.038 More than 15 years have passed since the end of the armed conflict between the Maoists and the Government of Nepal with the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Accord. While the country has done a remarkable job not recoiling back into the violent conflict with which it grappled for a decade, the years after have been slow and painful for the thousands of survivors who keep waiting for a justice that just won't show.  In this episode, PEI colleague Khushi sits with Jaya Luintel to highlight the harrowing stories of thousands of Nepali women who survived war atrocities and are still struggling to find justice and reparation for their losses. Recounting women's experiences during and after the conflict, the two explore gendered aspects of war and how the Nepali State has failed to cater to its female survivors.   Jaya is the co-founder of The Story Kitchen, where she works with women nationwide to empower them to share their stories by providing them with the skills and platforms to vocalize their issues and experiences to seek social justice. She has over two decades of working as a journalist and a development practitioner. She is currently pursuing her Ph.D. in Applied Conflict Transformation Studies. The episode also features testimonies from some survivors themselves, which were retrieved from the archives of The Story Kicthen’s radio broadcasts.

#Ep.037 Adopted in 2015, the Paris Agreement was hailed as a leap for humankind to achieve climate change mitigation, adaptation, and establish effective mechanisms for climate finance. The agreement set the long-term temperature goal to keep the rise in mean global temperature to well below 2 °C (3.6 °F) above pre-industrial levels, and preferably limit the increase to 1.5 °C (2.7 °F), recognizing that this would substantially reduce the effects of climate change. Building on this, the final synthesis report of the IPCC Sixth Assessment Report, published recently in March 2023, unequivocally states that climate change has been caused by greenhouse gases emitted through anthropogenic activities. Climate change has created substantial damages and increasingly so, irreversible changes to the planet. The recently published report is unequivocal about climate change arising from anthropogenic carbon emissions, and that it is indeed high time that the world starts to cut down its emissions, reduce the dependency on fossil fuels, and adopt carbon-neutral technologies for energy generation, industry, and transport. PEI’s Saurab and Bimal discuss the recently published synthesis report of the IPCC Sixth Assessment Report, some of the key takeaways from the report and climate change through a Nepali lens. Bimal is a climate resilience and natural resource management expert with more than 23 years of experience supporting national and local climate change adaptation priorities in Nepal. He has experience supporting the Government of Nepal (GON) in risk reduction, natural systems sustainability, and biodiversity conservation, and has made significant contributions to the development of Nepal’s Climate Change Policy and institutional reform. He holds a PhD in Climate Change from Flinders University, Australia. Click here to support us on Patreon!!

#Ep.036 Kathmandu has evolved drastically in the past few decades. A bird’s eye view of the valley would find aggregates of concrete where the lush canopy once domineered. While Kathmandu’s urbanization gave way to socio-economic development, its native wildlife has been increasingly marginalized. This has been reflected, among other things, in the sharp decline of migratory birds visiting Kathmandu in the past 20 years.  In this episode, PEI’s Dheeraj and Hem Sagar Baral talk about the Beauty of Birds and Bird Watching. They begin with exploring the art of bird watching and the immense opportunity for it in Nepal. The two then fondly recount their experience as avid bird watchers and observe the changes they have observed especially the population decline. They discuss urbanization and climate change as main deterrents and consider what can be done to mitigate their effects to restore avian life and diversity. Hem Sagar Baral is an ornithologist with a Ph.D. in Bird Ecology from the University of Amsterdam and has been involved in wildlife conservation for nearly three decades popularizing public engagement and appreciation. He is the Country Director of the Zoological Society of London, Nepal where he leads multiple wildlife conservation projects, charities, and research.  Click here https://patreon.com/podsbypei to support us on Patreon!!

#Ep.035 नदी किनार खोतल्ने र ढुङ्गा, गिट्टी, बालुवा झिकेर बिक्री गर्ने कारोबार पछिल्ला दुई दशकमा देशैभरि उल्लेख्य बढेको छ। कारोबार, व्यापार भन्दा पनि प्राकृतिक श्रोतको दोहन भैरहेको र त्यसमा पनि यसबाट सिर्जित लाभ सिमित व्यक्ति/समूहहरुको पोल्टोमा मात्र जाने गरेको छ | २०७२ सालमा संबिधान निर्माण भइ संघिय गणतान्त्रिक लोकतन्त्रको नयाँ व्यवस्थामा देश गैसकेपछि, यो र अन्य धेरै अवस्थामा सुधार आउने आशा सम्पूर्ण जनताले गरेका थिए | देशको शासन प्रणालीको पुनर्संरचना भए संगै, स्थानीय सरकार सञ्चालन ऐन, २०७४ ले नदीजन्य पदार्थ उत्खनन तथा सङ्कलनको ठेक्का लगाउने अधिकार स्थानीय तहलाई दियो, तर नदिजन्य पदार्थको दोहन अहिले पछिल्ला वर्षहरुमा झन् बढेको छ | नदिजन्य पदार्थ संगै अरु पनि कुन- कुन प्राकृतिक श्रोतको दोहन भैरहेको छ, किन भैरहेको छ र यसबाट क-कसले लाभ लिईरहेका छन् र क-कसलाई, कस्तो हानी भैरहेको छ त? यिनै बिषयहरुलाई समेट्दै, आजको भागमा पी. ई. आई. का जनक पोख्रेल, पत्रकार रमेश कुमार न्यौपानेसँग उनको गत भदौ १ गते, हिमाल खबर पत्रिकामा प्रकाशित खोजमुलक लेख “प्रकृति दोहनको धन्दा” को अन्तरङ्गमा रहेर संवादमा बस्दैछन् | न्यौपानेले प्राकृतिक श्रोतको अप्राकृतिक दोहन भैरहेको कुरालाई उठान गर्दै, यसको पछाडी राजनैतिक र ब्यवसाहिक समुहहरुको गठजोड रहेको कुरालाई २०७४ र २०७९को स्थानीय चुनाबमा निर्वाचित जनप्रतिनिधिमा क्रसर उद्योग ब्यवसाहीहरुको बढ्दो संख्यासंगै जोडेर बिस्लेशन गर्नुभएको छ | रमेश कुमार, पेशाले एउटा पत्रकार हुनुहुन्छ। उहाँले त्रिभुवन विश्वविद्यालयबाट पत्रकारिता तथा आमसञ्चार र चीनको शाङहाईस्थित थोङ्ची विश्वविद्यालयबाट दिगो विकास विषयमा स्नातकोत्तर गर्नुभएको छ| पत्रकारिता पेशामा उहाँ पछिल्लो १४ वर्षदेखि संलग्न हुनुहुन्छ र उहाँ अहिले हिमाल खबर पत्रिकासँग आवद्ध हुनुहुन्छ। यो बीचमा उहाँले दैनिक पत्रिका, साप्ताहिक पत्रिका, म्यागेजिन र अनलाइनमा पनि काम गरिसक्नु भएको छ। उहाँले खासगरी, अर्थ–राजनीति, विकास र वातावरणका विषयमा लेख्ने गर्नुभएको छ। प्राकृतिक स्रोतको दोहन, वित्तीय कर्जामा विद्यमान अपचलन, सरकारी अनुदानको दुरुपयोग, जमीनको अर्थराजनीति, धितोपत्र बजारमा सुशासनको अभाव, सार्वजनिक स्रोतको अनियमितता लगायतका विषयमा उहाँले लेख्दै आउनुभएको छ। उहाँको खास रुचि गहन र अनुसन्धानात्मक रिर्पोटिङमा रहेको छ र उहाँका केहि रिर्पोटिङले पत्रकारिता क्षेत्रका राष्ट्रिय अवार्ड समेत जितेका छन् । पी. ई. आई ले प्रकृति दोहन बारे नै, सन् २०१९ मा महाकाली र टिस्टा नदीहरुको उदाहरण सहित दक्षिण एसियामा बालुवा उत्खननको अभ्यासबारे एउटा रिपोर्ट तयार गरेको थियो, त्यसलाई पढ्न यहाँ क्लिक गर्नुहोस् | Patreon मा हामीलाई समर्थन गर्न यहाँ क्लिक गर्नुहोस् !!

As economies worldwide look to bounce back from the unforeseen setback created by COVID-19 pandemic, most of them are faced with rising inflationary pressures caused by the Ukraine-Russia war. Nepal also seems to have hit a stumbling block in the recovery phase after 2 years of decent growth after facing a negative growth rate in NFY 19/20 for the first time in over 40 years. High inflation, liquidity crunch, plummeting foreign exchange reserves, and low internal revenue all seem to be troubling the economy simultaneously. Hence, the recently elected government has its hands full. In this episode, PEI’s Aslesh and Siddhartha discuss the impact of COVID-19 on Nepal’s economy and its post-pandemic recovery. They explore the macro issues faced by the Nepali economy during the unprecedented days of the pandemic and the external shocks that followed. They also review possible fiscal and monetary policies to manage the current economic woes and structural limitations. Siddartha is an economist with research interests in the areas of Macroeconomics, agriculture economics, financial inclusion, sustainable finance, and ESG. He has experience working in the financial services industry and holds a Ph.D. in Economics from Peking University. A seasoned research professional, he has led several projects pertaining to the academic and development sector. Click here https://patreon.com/podsbypei to support us on Patreon!!

The November of last year saw a heated contention between the Kathmandu Metropolitan City and the slum-dwellers of Thapathali, as the yellow dozers of the first were confronted with the homemade weapons of the latter. This wasn’t the first time the squatter (or Basti) had garnered public concern, but it continues to struggle to reach a resolution as the State finds itself torn between its duties. On the one hand, it’s called by the ideals of urban planning for a world-class city; on the other, it’s obliged to uphold human rights within its territories.  In this episode, PEI’s Khushi and Sabin Ninglekhu look into the informal settlement of Thapathali to understand the rationale, actions, and desired ends of its two key stakeholders: the State and the settlers. They unfold, in detail, the tumultuous past and present of the Basti, covering all grounds, including the recent public discourse over the “fake settler”. They then branch out to other resettlement initiatives in Nepal, rethinking the role of aesthetics in humane urban planning and exploring how to best manage and resettle informal settlements. Sabin holds a Ph.D. in Human Geography from the University of Toronto, Canada, focusing on informal politics and urban poverty. Sabin co-leads a long-term research project titled ‘Heritage as placemaking: The politics of erasure and solidarity in South Asia’, where he looks at the tacit and implicit roles of religion and heritage in urban planning agendas. Sabin also voices his findings and thoughts in op-eds for The Record, The Kathmandu Post, Naya Patrika, and Chetlung and occasionally translates popular pieces from Nepali to English. Click here to support us on Patreon!!

Nepal is one of the most vulnerable nations to the effects of climate change, such as floods, landslides, and droughts. Yet, the government and other stakeholders are struggling to usher in proper climate financing, which, when worsened by poor management of the received funds, is rendering the country’s chances to achieve its Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) unfeasible. In this episode, PEI’s Saurab Lama and Subash Pandey discuss the hurdles in Nepal’s path to climate financing. The discussion is based on the latter’s recent op-ed titled “Climate Financing Dilemma.” They explore both the external limits to Nepal’s access to climate funding, especially the ideal grants, and the internal factors that obstruct it from optimizing the funds that do make it in. They also consider the possible steps Nepal can take to overcome its climate financing dilemma beginning with the re-directing of its focus from grants to loans. Subash is a graduate of Climate Science and Policy at Bard College’s Center for Environmental Policy with research interests in the UNFCCC and its implementation architecture. He works in the fields of climate and environment with experience ranging from local grassroots organizations to international development and research institutes both in the Global South and North. He aims to help the Least Developed and developing countries in achieving their ambitious (NDCs). Click here to read Subash’s op-ed titled “Climate finance dilemma” published in The Kathmandu Post on March 1, 2023. Click here to support us on Patreon!!

There prevail challenges to financing Nepal's development and growth in the midst of its limited sources of funding available. In this current climate of limited funding, foreign aid, foreign direct investment, and domestic resources have played a crucial role to sustain Nepal’s economy. Nepal has received financial assistance from several countries, including the US, Japan, and the UK, as well as international multilateral organizations like the World Bank and Asian Development Bank. The government has also implemented policies to attract foreign investment, particularly in hydropower, tourism, and manufacturing sectors. Additionally, Nepal has been focusing on increasing tax revenues and promoting entrepreneurship and small and medium enterprises to boost economic growth. However, there is a need for better coordination and monitoring of the use of funds, as well as a focus on creating an enabling environment for private sector investment to sustain growth and development in the long term. In this episode, the second of a two-part series, PEI Executive Director Saumitra Neupane sits down with two guests, Anup Upreti and Shreejesh Ghimire to discuss the lessons from successful and not-so-successful experiences of infrastructure project financing in Nepal, and outline policy priorities for building an enabling environment for future investment mobilization in the country. Anup is a legal expert who regularly advises clients on diverse transactional matters ranging from foreign investment and project finance to private equity. He is the Managing Partner of Pioneer Law Associates and specializes in financial laws, foreign investment, private equity, and capital markets. He holds a Banking and Financial Law degree from the Queen Mary University of London, U.K. Similarly, Shreejesh is the Chief Investment Officer at NMB Bank Ltd. and was formerly the CEO of NMB Capital Limited. He is an MBA graduate from Kathmandu University School of Management, specializing in Finance, Marketing. He also holds a BMCC from Pune University, India. This episode has been partly funded by the generous contribution of VRock & Company. Click here https://patreon.com/podsbypei to support us on Patreon!!

There prevail challenges to financing Nepal's development and growth in the midst of its limited sources of funding available. In this current climate of limited funding, foreign aid, foreign direct investment, and domestic resources have played a crucial role to sustain Nepal’s economy. Nepal has received financial assistance from several countries, including the US, Japan, and the UK, as well as international multilateral organizations like the World Bank and Asian Development Bank. The government has also implemented policies to attract foreign investment, particularly in sectors such as hydropower, tourism, and manufacturing. Additionally, Nepal has been focusing on increasing tax revenues and promoting entrepreneurship and small and medium enterprises to boost economic growth. However, there is a need for better coordination and monitoring of the use of funds, as well as a focus on creating an enabling environment for private sector investment to sustain growth and development in the long term. In this episode, the first of a two-part series, PEI Executive Director Saumitra Neupane sits down with two guests, Anup Upreti and Shreejesh Ghimire to discuss the current state of, and the future of development financing in Nepal. They also discuss some of the underlying factors for Nepal's inability to mobilize financing for infrastructure and economic development and the roles and challenges of mobilizing foreign capital in the country. Anup is a legal expert who regularly advises clients on diverse transactional matters ranging from foreign investment and project finance to private equity. He is the Managing Partner of Pioneer Law Associates and specializes in financial laws, foreign investment, private equity, and capital markets. He holds a degree in Banking and Financial Law from the Queen Mary University of London, U.K. Similarly, Shreejesh is the Chief Investment Officer at NMB Bank Ltd. and was formerly the CEO of NMB Capital Limited. He is an MBA graduate from Kathmandu University School of Management, specializing in Finance, Marketing. He also holds a BMCC from Pune University, India. This episode has been partly funded by the generous contribution of VRock & Company. Click here to support us on Patreon!!

गाँउ गाँउमा सिंहदरबारको मनोकांक्षाले स्थापित सङ्घीय शासन प्रणालीमा तीनै तहका सरकारलाई हालसम्म पनि वार्षिक योजना तर्जुमा र बजेट परिचालन गर्दा सुशासनका मापदण्डहरुको परिपालना चूनौतिपूर्ण रहदै आएको देखिन्छ । तीन तहको सरकारको उपस्थिति रहेपनि आवश्यकतामा आधारित योजना तर्जुमा र योजनाको प्रभावकारी कार्यान्वयन अझैपनि कसरी गर्ने भन्ने सोचमै सीमित रहेको छ । तीनै तहको सरकारको वार्षिक कार्यक्रम र बजेट विगत पाँच वर्षमा कहिल्यै पनि पूर्ण रुपमा खर्च हुन नसक्नु र भएको खर्चमा पनि सुशासनको दृष्टिकोणले विभिन्न प्रश्नहरु उठिरहेको सन्दर्भमा सङ्घ र प्रदेशमा निर्वाचित जनप्रतिनिधीहरु मार्फत खर्च भईरहेको निर्वाचन क्षेत्र विकास कार्यक्रम र निर्वाचन क्षेत्र पूर्वाधार विकास कार्यक्रम पनि विवादबाट अछुतो रहन सकेको छैन । त्यसमा पनि न्यून रकमका योजनाहरुको संख्या धेरै हुनु, राजनैतिक आस्थाका आधारमा योजना छनौट हुनु, योजना सञ्चालनमा जनप्रतिनिधिसंग सम्बन्धित राजनैतिक दलका कार्यकर्ता मात्र संलग्न हुनु, योजनाहरु अधुरो रहनु, सम्पन्न योजनाहरु हस्तान्तरण नहुनु, पर्याप्त मात्रामा योजनाहरुको अनुगमन र मुल्यांकन नहुनु, जनसहभागिता नजुटनु जस्ता जनगुनासोहरु व्यापक रुपमा सुन्ने गरिन्छ । जनताको आवश्यकतालाई सम्बोधन गर्ने भन्दै आफु खुशी विभिन्न कार्यक्रमहरु विभिन्न माध्यम र निकायहरु मार्फत संचालन हुदै गर्दापनि यसले आम नागरीकको प्राथमिकता र आवश्यकतालाई अझै पनि सम्बोधन गर्न सकेको देखिदैन्, जसले यस्ता योजनाहरुको औचित्यमै प्रश्न उठाएको छ । देश विकास र जनताको लागि भनेर गरिने यस्ता खर्चहरुमा सम्बन्धित पक्ष पारदर्शि र जनउत्तरदायी हुनुका साथसाथै जनसहभागितालाई सुनिश्चित गर्नुपर्ने आवाज पटक पटक उठने गरेकै छ ।