Statement on Constituent Assembly elections in Nepal

With the election of its new Constituent Assembly, Nepal now has an historic opportunity to put 10 years of brutal and destructive civil war behind it, to re-write its Constitution, and to renew its entire system of governance in order to better serve its 27 million people. The fact that the elections on 10 April 2008 were conducted in largely peaceful conditions is a very welcome sign of the potential for democratic participation to take the place of armed conflict.

Those who have been elected to the Constituent Assembly have a collective responsibility to faithfully fulfill the mandate entrusted to them on behalf of and in full accountability to all the people of Nepal, and to ensure that peace process does not fail. Nepal’s partners in the international community also have a responsibility, whether they like the election outcome or not, to respect the democratic process and to support the ongoing struggle for sustainable peace and human development in the country. This election and its outcome is a key landmark in that process. It is an opportunity that Nepal and the international community cannot afford to miss.

The Lutheran World Federation has been present in Nepal since 1984, supporting projects and programs for the empowerment of the poor and for the most marginalized groups – Dalits, freed Kamaiyas, Haliyas and Janjatis. The LWF has also sought to promote the full recognition of the dignity and rights of women in Nepal. We call for the Constituent Assembly to ensure that the new Constitution and system of government will guarantee equal rights and opportunities to all Nepalis, and that the most marginalized groups are fully integrated in the process of rebuilding the nation.

Respect for the human rights of all the people of Nepal is the best and only assurance of sustainable peace and development in the country. It is a currency that cannot be received from outside, but can only be granted by Nepalis to themselves. But even the most progressive and best-written Constitution will not by itself be sufficient to realize those rights. The promises the new Constitution will make to the people of Nepal must be implemented in practice, or those unfulfilled promises will simply set the stage for further conflict. The expectation of all those who care for the future of Nepal is that the Constituent Assembly will not only to write a good Constitution, but will also to set in place the systems and mechanisms of governance that will translate constitutional pledges into meaningful actions. The suffering of Nepal’s people in the past, and the hopes of its children for the future, demand it.

Rev. Dr Ishmael Noko
General Secretary
The Lutheran World Federation
Geneva, April 2008