LWF General Secretary Noko Urges Nepal's International Partners to Support Struggle for Sustainable Peace

GENEVA, 24 April 2008 (LWI) - The General Secretary of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) Rev. Dr Ishmael Noko, has described the recent constituent assembly election in Nepal as a key landmark in the country's democratic process and ongoing struggle for sustainable peace.

"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," said Noko in a statement released today.

That the 10 April elections were conducted in largely peaceful conditions "is a very welcome sign of the potential for democratic participation to take the place of armed conflict," the LWF general secretary noted.

According to Nepal's election commission, the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) won the most seats - a total of 217 of seats in the 601-member constituent assembly. Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala's Nepali Congress party took the second position with 107 seats, while the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist) won 101 seats. Last December the country's interim parliament agreed the 240-year-old monarchy would be formally abolished in the first meeting of the new assembly. The assembly will re-rewrite the national constitution.

Noko underscored the responsibility of Nepal's partners in the international community "whether they like the election outcome or not," to respect the democratic process and support the ongoing struggle for sustainable peace and human development in the Himalayan state. He said the election and its outcome was an opportunity "that Nepal and the international community cannot afford to miss."

Noko highlighted the expectation that the new Constituent Assembly would not only write a good constitution, but would also establish governance systems and mechanisms that would 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," he stressed.

The LWF has been present in Nepal since 1984 through its Department for World Service (DWS) country program. DWS Nepal focuses on empowering the most disadvantaged and vulnerable groups including Dalits and freed Kamaiyas (former bonded laborers) to achieve a just and sustainable livelihood, and promotes full recognition of the rights and dignity of women. It also supports the efforts of civil society groups in addressing injustice and representing disadvantaged people.