H.E. Hou Yanqi | Chinese friends will make every year Nepal Tourism Year
H.E. Hou Yanqi, Ambassador of China to Nepal
What was your first impression of Nepal when you landed here as an Ambassador?
Before my appointment as ambassador to Nepal, I have visited Nepal for many times and been impressed nicely every time. Nepal is a multi-ethnic, multi-religious, and multilingual country, where different cultures collide each other to create different colors. Whether it is the historical city of Kathmandu, or the trekking paradise of Pokhara, the Buddhist holy land of Lumbini, or the animal’s heaven of Chitwan, it makes me linger all around. Since taking the post as ambassador, I have received strong support and help from people from all walks of life in Nepal with whom I have forged a deep friendship. My love for the country made of hundreds of flowers goes even more. Nepal has become my second homeland.
What are the similarities between Nepal and China?
There are too many similarities between China and Nepal. For example, the two countries are with ancient civilizations and both of them enjoy a time-honored history and splendid culture. The two countries are very rich in tourism resources, and both have beautiful natural scenery and unique cultural landscapes. In addition, both countries are developing countries, and we are both yearning for national development and pursuing a better life.
What are the three milestones you feel you have achieved as China’s Ambassador to Nepal?
Firstly, In 2019, the heads of state of China and Nepal conducted a historic exchange of visits. President Bhandari paid a state visit to China and attended the second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation. During President Xi Jinping’s state visit to Nepal, the two heads of state jointly announced that bilateral relationship was elevated to a strategic partnership of cooperation featuring ever-lasting friendship for development and prosperity. China-Nepal relations have got on a new historical starting point.
Secondly, In December, 2020, President Xi Jinping and President Bhandari exchanged letters to jointly announce that the new height of Mount Zhumulangma (Sagarmatha) is 8,848.86 meters. As an important symbol of the China-Nepal traditional friendship, “China-Nepal Friendship Peak” has got a new height, which showcased the high level of the continuous development of ChinaNepal relations. This year marks the 60th anniversary of the signing of the border treaty between China and Nepal. We will continue to promote border cooperation and build the border between China and Nepal into a border of peace, friendship, and cooperation.
Thirdly, since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Chinese and Nepali governments and people have always watched out for and helped each other to overcome the difficulties together. At the difficult time for China to fight the pandemic, Nepali friends donated masks to China and expressed support in various forms. Later, the pandemic situation in Nepal gradually deteriorated. China has donated anti-pandemic materials such as masks, PPEs, testing kits and oxygen generators to Nepal, and provided nearly 15 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine to Nepal, which makes China the largest donor of medical materials and supplier of vaccines to Nepal. These have become a vivid reflection of building a community of shared future between China and Nepal.
How are the people-to-people relations between Nepal and China and how can the relationship be further enhanced?
In recent years, China-Nepal people-to-people exchanges have developed vigorously with various forms of exchanges. “China Mania” and “Chinese language Mania” have continued to heat up in Nepal. Before the pandemic, China became Nepal’s second largest and fastest-growing origin of tourists for many consecutive years. The Chinese government provides many scholarships to Nepal every year. The Chinese Embassy has actively organized painting competitions, video competitions, book donations and other activities to promote exchanges between the youths of the two countries. Local communication between the two countries are also very close. 13 pairs of sister cities have been established and Tibet-Nepal cooperation has yielded fruitful results. I believe that after stabilization of the pandemic situation, with our joint efforts, more Chinese friends will come to Nepal to visit and tour, making every year “Nepal Tourism Year”.
What do you like the most about Nepal?
I like Nepal’s beautiful natural scenery, long historic culture. Particularly I like Nepali people the most. They have the traditional virtues of hard-working and kindness as well as a positive and optimistic attitude towards life. One can see happy smiles on their faces wherever he or she goes. The time spent with Nepali friends is always unforgettable. I hope to get to know more Nepali friends after the pandemic.
Where do you think Nepal as a country should improve?
As a developing country, Nepal faces the important task of developing its economy and improving people's livelihood. I suggest that Nepal further enhance its infrastructure construction, continuously improve the business environment to attract more foreign investment, and embark on a development path suitable for Nepal’s national conditions.
Is there anything you have planned but are yet to achieve in Nepal?
I planned to travel to seven provinces in Nepal during my tenure and have been to Pokhara, Chitwan, Lumbini, Surket and some other cities as well as the two China-Nepal border ports of Tatopani and Rasuwa. However I have never left Kathmandu since the outbreak of the pandemic. I hope that after the pandemic situation stabilizes, I will have the opportunity to visit more places in Nepal to see a more colorful Nepal.
Personal Message
Nepal, located in the southern Himalayas, is a friendly neighbor of China. There are beautiful scenery of snow peaks and limpid lakes, the birthplace of Buddha, the legend that Manjushri split the Kathmandu Valley, the unique and inclusive world cultural heritage sites, and the uncompromising and kind people. The towering snow peaks witness the diverse cultures of both sides of the Himalayas and the friendly people-to-people exchanges across the mountains. Since the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1955, China and Nepal always support and treat each other equally, and develop mutual beneficial cooperation on the basis of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence. Nowadays, China-Nepal relations are facing new prospect for development. The two countries are jointly advancing the Belt and Road Initiative to promote the cooperation in connectivity, trade and investment, energy, agriculture, culture and tourism. The increasing people-to-people exchanges are deepening the friendly feeling between us. I would like to take this opportunity to wish friendly Nepal prosperity and the people happiness and well-being.
Quick Questions
Favorite Nepali food: Momo. Because it is very similar to Chinese dumplings, a traditional food very popular in China .
Favorite place in Nepal: The Durbar Squares in Kathmandu, Patan and Bhaktapur. I took some photos in Durbar Squares and posted them on social media in order to promote Nepal’s tourism resources in China, which attracted widespread attention from Chinese netizens.
Favorite Nepali song: Resham firiri. Because this song is a well-known traditional folk song in Nepal and its melody is beautiful and pleasant. During Dashain Festival last year, I sang this song with my colleagues in the embassy.
Favorite trek in Nepal: Sagarmatha trek. I once arrived at the Everest Base Camp on its North Slope and hope to have the opportunity to visit the Everest Base Camp on its South Slope.
Favorite season in Nepal: All the four seasons in Nepal. Kathmandu is like spring all year round and the climate is pleasant.
Favorite Nepali festival: Tihar. Because it symbolizes the spiritual “victory of light over darkness, good over evil”. There is a Chinese traditional festival called Lantern Festival, during which people also light lanterns to exorcise evil spirits and pray for a bright life
NB Group ‘unfit’ to buy NBB shares
Nepal Rastra Bank has found NB Group, one of the main promoters of Nepal Bangladesh Bank, to be unfit to buy 40 percent of the company’s shares on sale, following a decision by the foreign shareholder group to leave.
IFIC Bangladesh, which holds 40 percent of the bank’s shares, had announced on July 13 that it intends to sell its stake in the bank and called on prospective groups to apply to buy the shares.
According to the central bank, only NB Group applied for the shares within the given deadline. However, the group was found to be ineligible to buy the shares following a ‘fit and proper’ test conducted by the central bank.
IFIC had bought the 40 percent shares from the NB group to become the biggest shareholder of the bank.
Also read: Nepal SBI Bank still misusing employees’ money
NB Group has had a history of financial controversies and been linked to different irregularities by regulating agencies in the past decades. At one point, Nepal Rastra Bank directly intervened in the bank to save the public’s money.
According to central bank sources, after the lone applicants were found unfit to buy the shares, IFIC can now directly deal with other groups to sell the shares. However, they too need to pass the central bank’s test.
Bank sources say that IFCI hopes to sign a deal with Chaudhary Group to sell the shares. Chaudhary Group is a major promoter of Nabil Bank, which is looking for banks to acquire or enter into a merger.
Good Neighbors International: Empowering people, transforming communities
Introduction
Good Neighbors International (GNI) is an international development and humanitarian organization that empowers people in 40 countries across the world through socioeconomic development activities. Employing an integrated child-centered community development approach, Good Neighbors International (GNI) has been working in Nepal since 2002 for improving the lives of poor people, especially children through child protection, education, income generation, health services, water, sanitation and hygiene, disaster risk reduction/climate change adaptation, and advocacy programs. GNI Nepal has child rights and child protection programs in 22 districts for empowering children to make them capable of claiming their rights and promote their holistic development.
Empowering people, transforming communities
Good Neighbors exists to make the world a place without hunger, where people live together in harmony. We respect the human rights of our neighbors suffering from poverty, disasters and oppression, and help them to be self-reliant and have hope.
Achievements of the past five years
Children in Nepal are at risk of child labor, child marriage, trafficking, malnutrition, and other ills. GNI Nepal's child protection program is based on the rights-based approach, and underpinned by the principles of nondiscrimination, respect for the views of the child, and zero tolerance of child exploitation and abuse. Raising awareness of the right holders (children) so that they can claim their rights and assisting duty bearers (families, communities, and state) to deliver them is GNI Nepal's top priority. GNI Nepal works with children, students, child clubs, local governments, grassroots organizations, non-governmental organizations, networks, and government line agencies for promoting child rights and child protection.
GNI Nepal actively engages in strengthening and mobilizing child protection mechanism; capacity development of and sensitization of stakeholders; promoting child participation and capacitate for claiming their right; and child case management. Under the children-for-children approach, GNI Nepal forms/reforms school-based child clubs, provides them logistic support, and builds their capacity on child rights and child protection, leadership and grassroots advocacy, wall-magazine publication, and child club management. Complementing it, child protection committees and grassroots child protection mechanisms are formed and mobilized.
Adolescents take part in an awareness-raising deuda event organized with GNI Nepal's support
Working together with children, child clubs, schools, and local governments, GNI Nepal sensitizes and promotes participation of children so that they are able to deal with child protection issues at home, school, and in their community. Along with capacity development, GNI Nepal helps local governments to formulate and implement child protection policies that contribute to institutionalize and make grassroots child protection systems sustainable.
In the past five years, a combined effort of duty bearers (government agencies, community, school, family, civil society), right holders (children, adolescents) and GNI Nepal has resulted in:
1. 330 child clubs formed/reformed and were empowered on CRC and other child rights protocols.
2. 116 child clubs prepared action plans for fighting against child rights violations and conducted progress-monitoring meetings.
3. 236 child clubs were oriented on Child Friendly Local Governance (122) and DRR (114).
4. 2,938 child club members were empowered with leadership training, life skills and self-protection training.
5. 13,762 children, 3,000 community members and 1,275 community-level stakeholders were sensitized/trained on CRC; against early child marriage, child trafficking and child sexual abuse and child protection issues.
6. 2,250 children and grassroots stakeholders participated 40 grassroots and two national-level Balkachaharis (stakeholder dialogues).
7. 5,336 child club members participated in co-curricular activities organized with support from GNI Nepal.
8. 160 child clubs used complaint boxes to uncover and solve problems and issues concerning their counterparts.
9. 162 child clubs regularized discussions on child protection issues.
10. 86 child clubs published monthly wall-magazines.
11. 78 child protection committees formed/reformed at different municipal, rural municipal as well as school level and sensitized on child rights.
12. 76 child marriages about-to-happen faced disruption attempts from child clubs.
13. 6 local governments supported to formulate child marriage elimination strategies.
14. 350,000 people reached weekly through radio drama against child marriage.
15. Child Helpline - 1098 in Bajura is in operation since 2018.
Membres of Sunadevi Child Club participate in a child protection training
Child club curbs child marriage
In June, Nanda Saud (name changed) was all set to marry‒off his underage daughter. Members of Sunadevi Child Club came to know about it and immediately informed the police, the Ward Chairperson and gathered a large number of children, and marched straight into the marriage ceremony.
At first, Nanda thought that the children were there to help. But when they asked the age of bride-to-be and groom, he was left searching for words, and visibly nervous. He knew that child marriage had been outlawed in Nepal. It was a criminal offence, and he could go to jail for it.
Meanwhile he was thinking, “invitees and these pesky children would eat, drink, enjoy the feast, and leave”. Never in a million years, he had imagined that he would have to call off the marriage.
In 2019, Sunadevi Child Club succeeded in stopping six child marriages. The club has also filed two cases of “child elopement” with the Child Protection Committee and Area Police Station.
We assisted Sunadevi Child Club’s reformation at the start of academic session 2076 (April 2019) and provided them logistic support and training. Prior to that, the club’s work was limited to a few school events.
“GNI Nepal-provided trainings have instilled determination in the club members for curbing child marriage in Ladagada”, notes Ward Chairperson, Lal Bahadur Kadayat.
Child activists express their solidarity against child marriage in the national-level stakeholder dialogue held in Kathmandu
These adolescent activists are working vigorously to spread awareness against child marriage among their friends and neighboring communities, which the Ladagada Rural Municipality also aims to completely curb within the next three years.
A grave risk for adolescent children in the districts GNI Nepal works is child marriage. Since 2017, GNI Nepal has been raising awareness, building capacity, and mobilizing local level child protection related institutions in an effort to ending the vice of child and early marriages in Nepal.
Stakeholder dialogue against child marriage
Since 2018, GNI Nepal has been organizing stakeholder dialogues on the issues of children in Darchula, Bajura, Doti, Kailali, Humla, Mugu, Bardiya, Myagdi, Parbat, Kaski, Gorkha, Kathmandu, and Lalitpur districts of Bagmati , Gandaki , Karnali , and Sudurpaschim Provinces. These stakeholder dialogues are called Balkachahari. Children and grassroots stakeholders participate in municipal, provincial and national-level Balkachaharis. Children, students, child club members, teachers, parents, elected officials, local and provincial government authorities, I/NGO representatives dialog and discuss ways to combat child marriage.
Discussants have been highlighting poverty, illiteracy, unemployment, traditional social norms, culture, and practices, spread of social media, weak enforcement of laws, and lack of awareness as major contributors to the scourge of child marriage in their communities. Participating children have asked thought-provoking questions to local government representatives, police personnel, child rights activists, political leaders, and stakeholders such as:
• Why are some political leaders reluctant to speak against child marriages happening in their constituencies? Rather they participate in such marriages and enjoy the feast without any shame?
• What measures/plans have been adopted by the local governments for mitigating child marriage?
• What plans rural municipalities have for strengthening the capacity of child-clubs and child protection committees?
• Why cases against child marriage are not allowed to be registered at the police offices?
• What punitive measures/legislation is in place for penalizing child sexual offenders?
• How and where the funds earmarked for child sector get spent?
Prominent personalities working for child rights and child protection take part in a panel discussion at national-level balkachhahari held in Kathmandu
Even after decades of effort, campaigning, and action, millions of children in Nepal are deprived of their fundamental rights to education, nutrition, self-determination, and health care. Apart from persistent issues of child marriage, sexual abuse, child labor, and neglect, children in Nepal are at risk from new forms of online abuse, bullying, predation, etc.
In Nepal, 32.8 percent females and 9 percent males are married before the age of 18 (Nepal Multiple indicator cluster survey 2019). Child marriage is not only a violation of a number of rights of children outlined in CRC, but it also has severe implications for the child’s health, particularly the child bride. Child labor is also a major protection issue in Nepal. An estimated 286,000 children under the age of 17 are involved in waged labor (Nepal Labour Force Survey Report 2017/18). Child labor deprives the children of their rights to have education and health care services and hinders their physical, mental, spiritual, moral, and social development. Children because of their age and limited physical development are vulnerable to abuse and exploitation.
Against this backdrop of persistent and emerging child protection issues, in the coming five years, GNI Nepal aims at:
I) Strengthening child protection system at the local level
1. Mapping of child protection committees
2. Formation/re-formation of child protection committees
3. Training for child protection actors, and local government officials
4. Strengthening child case reporting mechanism
5. Research/assess child right issues
6. Policy/guideline formulation and implementing them at the local government level
II) Sensitizing children for making them capable of claiming their rights
1. Formation/re-activation of child clubs and networks
2. Capacity development of child clubs and networks
3. Organization of awareness-raising/social action events through child clubs
4. Life skills training for children
5. Complaint handling mechanism establishment and operation
6. Capacity development of children on complaint handling mechanism operation
Local government officials in Doti endorse child marriage elimination strategy at a public event
III) Promoting preventive and responsive support systems at household and societal levels
1. Community awareness-raising campaigns
2. Training for parents, and community members on child rights
3. Research/studies on child protection issues
4. Advocacy/social dialogue events
5. Immediate response for needy children and their families
6. Support to run Child Helpline 1098
For more information:
Website: www.gninepal.org
Facebook: www.facebook.com/gninepal.org
Instagram: www.instagram.com/gninepal
YouTube: www.youtube.com/gninepal
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/gni-nepal/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/GNI_Nepal
TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@gninepal
Editorial: Nepal COP-ing badly
The effects of climate change are visible all across Nepal: the melting glaciers, drastic changes in rainfall patterns accompanied by unseasonal floods and landslides, thick smog in cities, loss of crops, new diseases. Yet the country does a poor job of making its case before the global community, largely because it lacks robust data to back its anecdotal claims. Thus while the likes of Bhutan and Bangladesh, two of its South Asian neighbors, have been able to garner global attention thanks to their data-driven approach, Nepal’s cries for help in dealing with climate change continue to fall on deaf ears.
During the recent UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow, Nepal made common cause with other Least Development Countries (LDCs) and highlighted how these countries suffer disproportionately from a changing climate even though their own carbon footprints are negligible. The group also made an impassioned plea for greater resources to fight climate change in their midst. But the rich countries—also the ones with the biggest carbon footprints—were noncommittal. They were reluctant to make financial commitments to amend for their historical wrongs or to help other countries deal with climate change.
Also read: Editorial: Undercutting federalism
At COP26, Nepal also highlighted the growing vulnerabilities of those living in mountainous areas and linked a spate of recent natural disasters here to a fast-changing climate. It committed to getting to ‘net zero’ (whereby a country sucks up more carbon than it emits) by 2045, five years earlier than its prior commitment of 2050. The problem is that both its pleas and commitments are likely to be ignored. Again, the problem is lack of research and our tendency to commit without enough homework.
As the effects of climate change become pronounced, Nepal will have to be more adept in making its case, or it will be no more than a bystander in global climate negotiations. This will mean potential loss of billions of dollars that could otherwise have gone into cleaning up our own environment and resettling and rebuilding communities most affected by climate change. A poor, naturally-vulnerable country does not have that luxury.
Eating Out | For a lick of luscious laphing
With the growing popularity of Tibetian laphing in Kathmandu, quite a few places have opened in town to serve this spicy and cold mung bean noodle dish. Cool Brother’s Laphing, located in Ekantakuna Chowk, is one of those hidden gems for laphing lovers looking for an authentic taste.
The eatery was started by eight brothers nearly 17 years ago. The laphing here is spicy and tingles all your tastebuds. A quick stop by after a long day into this peaceful neighborhood to grab a plate of laphing will surely relax you no end.
Cool Brother’s Laphing
Special Dishes:
Chips/Chau chau laphing
Chicken keema noodles
Buff keema noodles
Opening time: 8:00 AM to 7:00 PM
Location: Ekantakuna
Meal for 2: Rs 400
‘Ma Yesto Geet Gauchu 2’ set for Jan release
Nepali movie ‘Ma Yesto Geet Gauchu 2’ is scheduled for release on 4 January 2022, according to director Sudarshan Thapa. The movie had originally been lined up for a pre-pandemic release.
Making public the new poster of the film on Facebook, Thapa said this is the time to restart the entire Nepali film industry.
Actors Pooja Sharma and Pal Shah play the lead roles while Thapa, Sharma, and Janmajay Sampang Rai are the movie’s producers.
Crossfire launches the new and updated Tracker 250
‘Classic wheels Export and Import’, the official importer of Crossfire Motorcycles in Nepal, has finally launched the new version of the Tracker 250 motorcycle today. Crossfire is all set to revolutionize the dual-sport motorcycle segment in Nepal with it’s new and updated Tracker 250 edition.
Back in August, the newly launched Tracker 250 was a game changer. Now the newly launched Tracker 250 edition is enhanced to ensure even greater performance with refined power, greater efficiency, improved mileage, superior handling, and a touch of modern look to add to its retro beauty.
The new Tracker 250 edition is now available for booking. You can receive a free helmet along with Rs. 5,000 cash discount for every booking or purchase made before 28 November 2021.
For more information: 01-4016070/01-4016062, www.crossfirenepal.com.
Nepal SBI Bank still misusing employees’ money
Nepal SBI Bank continues to deduct salaries of employees to contribute to the Social Security Fund without their consent, its employees inform. ApEx had first reported on this on September 30.
Following protests by various employees of various banks against the SSF and a writ filed in the Supreme Court, the court had issued a stay on the government decision making it mandatory for all banks to participate in the SSF program. Other banks then refrained from sending their employee’s money to the SSF—but not Nepal SBI Bank.
Nepal SBI management had then agreed to refund the employees’ money it had deposited with the SSF, but now the bank has reneged on its promise. It continues to deduct employees’ salary and deposit the amount in the SSF, against the court order, an employee tells ApEx.
The bank has pressed ahead with its decision to take part in the fund’s programs in the last month of the previous fiscal, even as a petition filed by employees of various banks remains under consideration at the court.
Also read: Central bank flags NCC Bank’s wrongdoing
Before the government rolled out the SSF, Nepal SBI employees had their own Employees’ Provident Fund. But the bank has also stopped sending money to the fund.
For the first few weeks of protests, employees worked with a black band on their arms to express their displeasure.
They stopped doing so as the employees’ union got increasingly worried about the bank’s public image. “The bank management seems to have seen our restraint as a weakness and still refuses to hear us out,” says another disappointed employee who is also a member of the union.
The union has also leveled other charges against the bank. It has accused the bank of not maintaining accurate records of money sent to the Employees’ Provident Fund, not transferring employees working in rural areas to urban areas for a long time, and cutting down on different perks.
