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Contacts: Atlanta: Deborah Hakes, +1 404 420 5124
Kathmandu: Sarah Levit-Shore, +977 1 444 5055/1446
Kathmandu… In a report released today, Carter Center observers found that although the overall functioning of Local Peace Committees (LPCs) has improved since November 2009, their effectiveness remains unclear and they continue to face serious challenges.
"Cartercommends the small number of high-functioning LPCs that have earned local reputations for effectiveness, often through successful mediation of conflicts in their districts. However, the Center notes with concern that despite positive efforts, many LPCs have still not been able to demonstrate relevance and utility," said Dr. David Pottie, associate director of the Carter Center's Democracy Program.
Compared with November 2009, when the Carter Center released its last report on LPCs, a much larger number of LPCs are formed and undertaking some activities. The 33 district LPCs visited for this report could be classified according to four levels of functioning at the time of observers' most recent visits: not formed (3 districts), formed but mostly inactive (9 districts), formed and active/meeting regularly (19 districts), and formed and highly active or effective (2 districts). In contrast, in November 2009, only two of 18 LPCs visited were reported as functioning and active.
The main reasons for this positive shift are: increased support, funding, and guidance from the Ministry of Peace and Reconstruction; the resolution of local-level disputes among political parties; and the end of the UCPN(M) boycott. However, at the time of observers' most recent visits, more than one-third of LPCs visited were either mostly inactive or not formed, demonstrating that progress has been uneven.
The large majority of LPCs have focused on reviewing conflict-affected persons' applications for interim relief. However, in many districts, Carter Center observers heard complaints that parties had used their dominance on LPCs to channel interim relief payments to their supporters, while many genuine victims had still not received assistance or were unaware of the process.
Many LPCs are also undertaking activities apart from interim relief; however, the impact of these activities remains unclear, and observers found that public awareness of LPCs was low at both the district and Village Development Committee (VDC) levels.
A small number of LPCs have engaged in successful conflict mediation and received praise from district administration officials, political party members, and civil society for being highly active and effective. Cartersuggests that the Ministry of Peace and Reconstruction and its partners consider additional support to these effective committees and reassess support to the majority of LPCs that are low-functioning.
The following report is based on data collected by Carter Center long-term observers from 33 districts from September 2010 to March 2011. Observers met with LPC staff and members, civil society representatives, police and government officials, and Nepali citizens to assess the functioning and utility of LPCs. The report describes the activities of LPCs at the district and VDC levels, discusses the challenges they face, and offers several recommendations to the Ministry of Peace and Reconstruction, its partners, LPCs, and Nepal's political parties.
Read previous Carter Center reports on Nepal's peace and constitutional drafting process.
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