One wintery night in late October saw John Brown and I attend the Nepal Development Conference at the Nepalese Embassy, London. The conference was jointly organised by the Nepalese Embassy and the Britain-Nepal Society with the rather ambitious aim of taking a look at the relationship between Nepal and Britain over the next 200 years.
The Nepalese Embassy was brilliantly lit to celebrate one of the many festivals recognised in Nepal – as the Ambassador said, “There is a festival every other day in Nepal!”.
The Great Hall, lined with pictures of Mount Everest, led into the main presentation room. The captive audience comprised members of the Britain-Nepal Society as well as young Nepalis studying in England. The evening began with Sir John Chappel, the Chairman of the Britain-Nepal Society deep-diving into the world-class conservation programs in Nepal. He explained that national parks did not exist in Nepal, a stark contrast to today, where a large percentage of the country is protected by reserves. In fact, Nepal now has a larger percentage of reserves than any other country in the world and has lost only four rhinos in the past year (compared to East Africa which has lost 1,000) and no elephants or tigers. One particularly interesting fact was the use of menthe as an elephant repellent; prior to this discovery elephants had been wandering into local villages & destroying rice fields. The elephants now stay in the national parks, crops are protected and the people in the Annapurna region have built five menthe distilleries; in addition to repelling elephants, the invaluable menthe is supplied to the cosmetic industry.
Fergus Auld, responsible for the diplomatic network in South Asia, highlighted five important themes regarding the relationship between Britain & Nepal:
- The continuation of good governance to allow collaborative working. One good example is the UK government building better infrastructure for the country.
- Inclusive growth and prosperity through a slow transition to federal democracy i.e. boosting trade, reducing business waste, improving renewable energy, supporting development in remote areas, ensure earthquake infrastructure is in place and providing healthcare to women and girls.
- Maintaining a green economy through the provision of sustainable and reliable clean energy supply; maximising the use of natural resources such as fast flowing rivers.
- The provision of educational scholarships for Nepali students to study in England with the aim of fostering skills and employability, in particular for women.
- Improving defence relationships with the Gurkhas and celebrating the outstanding welfare scheme. One example, the provision of clean water and sanitation to 600,000 people has greatly improved welfare.
The final speaker, MP Jon Mann, wrapped up the session by stressing the level of warmth, compassion and hospitality that he felt during every visit to Nepal and that we should continue to strengthen our relationship on every level.
To be in such a room, where the clear passion for Nepal was felt by each and every person, gave me hope, not only for the country, but also for the strengthening ties between both Britain and Nepal. Knowing that JMB Educational Fund has been contributing to these ties for over 55 years made me extremely proud. Bring on the next 200 years!
Anna Wirth