Kathmandu, August 25 :

Minister for Education and Sports, Prof Dr Mangal Siddhi Manandhar, and resident representative of the UNDP, Mathew Kahane, today released ‘Nepal: Readings in Human Development’ a new publication of the United Nations Development Programme.

Minister Manandhar said knowledge about Human Development would help politicians, government officials and students understand their country better and will also be a guideline for future.

Addressing the programme, Kahane called for more emphasis on empowering women, Dalits, Janajatis and members of ethnic minorities.

“No country can afford to let half its human capacity wither away,” Kahane said, adding those groups still have less opportunity to participate in decision-making and they still have less access than others over opportunities for education, health and employment.

While the government of Nepal has incorporated the human development framework into the Tenth Poverty Reduction Strategy, more action is needed to empower traditionally excluded groups, he said.

The book, also a text for masters-level students, was handed over to Tribhuvan University and Kathmandu University.