LDC Watch observed International Day of Peace in Nepal

Photo: Rural Reconstruction Nepal.

LDC Watch International Secretariat in Nepal participated in a mass rally coordinated by the Ministry of Peace and Reconstruction on the occasion of the Day of Peace on Sept. 21 in Kathmandu. Rural Reconstruction Nepal (RRN, focal point of Social Watch), South Asian Alliance for Poverty Eradication and hundreds of people representing various government agencies, civil society organizations and private sectors participated in the rally.

"Only the elected government under the new constitution may play an instrumental role for creating an enabling environment for lasting peace in Nepal," said Mr. Dhruba Sharma, Secretary of the Ministry while addressing the mass meeting.

He also urged that the ongoing peace process of Nepal should be concluded within the given time frame of the Constituent Assembly, whose extended term will expire on Nov. 20.

The slogan for this year's Peace Day in Nepal was "No interference on the way to peace and constitution making". The UN’s theme for the International Day of Peace this year is “Youth, Peace and Development”, and its slogan is: “Peace = Future”. 

The rally passed through the major streets of Kathmandu including Ratna Park, Bagbazar, Putalisadak, Anamnagar, Babar Mahal and finally arrived at Maitighar Mandala where it converged into a mass meeting.

Some of the LDC Watch slogans in the rally were: “Lets build an inclusive society to ensure sustainable peace”, “Respect, protect and fulfill the rights of people”, “No pounding of people's sovereignty”, “Say no to war”, “Poverty is the greatest enemy of peace, let us kill it”, “Let there be peace and let it begin with me”, and “Secularism is a key tenet of democracy and peace”.

This information is based on data from LDC Watch: http://bit.ly/dYskSU