Kathmandu, May 28

Former Home Minister Madhav Ghimire said dialogue and mediation enabled the government to sign the peace accord with the Maoist party and the same process can now help the government resolve the Tarai crisis.

Addressing a two day seminar on ‘Peace and justice through mediation,’ Ghimire said mediation should be an inbuilt process in the country to manage conflicts and ensure sustainable development. Terming Nepal’s peace process a unique experience, he said Nepal’s effort to manage conflicts could offer valuable guide to other conflict-hit countries.

Supreme Court Justice Gopal Parajuli said mediation was also necessary in society to ensure lasting peace and hence the country’s judiciary was promoting mediation. He said dangers of conflict would continue to lurk if political parties lacked minimum consensus on key issues.

He, however, said open dialogue devoid of self serving interests could alone ensure positive results. Justice Prajuli wondered why people who have been nominated to the constitutional positions were not being able to assume their duty. “I cannot understand why (parliamentary) regulations cannot be framed,” he added.

Nandita Baruah, deputy representative of The Asia Foundation said mediation was inherent an belief in South Asia but the belief got violated in the region.

After the inaugural session, participants of the event split into six groups to discuss various aspects of peace and justice through mediation. “We need to start dreaming a different dream. We need to examine our own values,” she added.

The participants discussed the role of mediation in reconciliation and transitional justice, influencing peace process through dialogue and mediation, supporting and promoting gender justice and social inclusion through mediation, mediating multi-party civil disputes, supporting knowledge creation and ensuring the quality of mediation, and application of restorative justice principles in mediation.