Locations
The ongoing partnership between UNDP Nepal and the Himalayan Consensus Institute was born of the belief that a holistic, multi-disciplinary and community-based approach is essential to conflict mitigation and crisis prevention in the region.
The formulation of shared agendas with regard to conflict can be a crucial ingredient in ushering nations and regions along the path of development. The involvement of local communities is also tremendously important in this process, ensuring as it does inclusive participation, representation and decision-making. Policies, institutions, laws and regulations are, after all, more effective when they enjoy the engagement and backing of the people.
Nowhere is this better encapsulated than in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which strongly emphasizes the importance of inter-linkages between the “five P’s”—people, planet, peace, prosperity and partnership—as contributing to the mitigation of conflict and crises. It recognizes that to tackle common regional challenges and achieve sustainable peace, there are no alternatives to a holistic, multi-disciplinary and community-based approach.
It was with this in mind that UNDP Nepal and the Himalayan Consensus Institute (HCI) entered into a partnership in 2017, to collaborate in conflict mitigation and crisis prevention in the Himalayan region, an area where vulnerability to natural disasters and complex demographic realities consistently threaten to exacerbate tensions between people. The partnership is set to focus, among other things, on developing systematic early warning systems and building local mediation capacities ahead of environmental catastrophe, so as to aid governments and communities in their response to such events.
The pilot program in Nepal is expected to serve as a model for conflict prevention and mitigation in countries affected by climate change and underdevelopment. Nepal is one of the 20 countries that are most vulnerable to climate change and other kinds of hazards.
“This initiative has the potential for far-reaching impact beyond the borders of Nepal. It is envisioned that similar programs could be adopted across the developing world to address conflict at its root cause rather than its effects,” says Laurence Brahm, founder of HCI. The initiative will also focus on training local mediators on the principle ‘the community knows best’, and will conduct second-track dialogues through workshops where crisis can be mitigated and avoided.
“The new facility we have put in place will help the government and people of Nepal take informed decisions, better prepare for climate-induced and other kinds of disasters and respond to crisis more systematically,” says Renaud Meyer, Country Director of UNDP Nepal.
The key in cardamom
The ‘Cardamom for Peace’ campaign was launched as part of the joint UNDP-HCI initiative, where the idea was to use a high-value crop, like cardamom, to help communities generate income while at the same time protecting the fragile ecosystems in which they lived. In this way, by working to improve livelihoods and social cohesion, on one hand—conflict frequently erupts due to systematic marginalization of a particular group and deprivation from economic opportunities—and promoting environmental resilience on the other to mitigate natural disasters, the campaign sought to solve two problems in one go.
The initiative was piloted among the Thamis, a 30,000-member minority community indigenous to certain pockets of Dolakha district, who have long remained economically disenfranchised. The community was mobilized to establish and manage an integrated approach to production and distribution of cardamom, a plant that has a deep, extensive root system conducive to maintaining moisture in the soil.
“Owing to its high value, low volume and low perishability, cardamom enjoys a comparative advantage over other crops,” explains Surendra Raj Joshi, Program Coordinator for Resilient Livelihood with ICIMOD Nepal. Cardamom is in great demand in both the regional and global markets, as it is widely used to flavor a variety of food and drinks.
For the leading role she played in the campaign and in lifting the fortunes of her community, Chhali Maya Thami of Sorung Khola was conferred the Leadership Award for Community Resilience at the Himalayan Consensus Summit 2018 held in Kathmandu on 23 March 2018.
Chhali Maya Thami, Social Worker and Community Leader
“Cardamom farming has not just become an important source of income for the women of the Thami community in Dolakha, offering them a ticket to financial independence, it has also proven crucial to fostering friendship and harmony among community members. Cultivating cardamom has also promoted greenery and improved soil fertility in our farms, as well as raising the life expectancy of the animals that feel on the byproducts. It’s a crop that just keeps on giving.”
Gregory K. Tanaka, Founder, Sierra Consensus Institute
“The Cardamom for Peace campaign is very much in the spirit of bottom-up community building as well as economic and environmental sustainability. Cardamom helps promote organic agricultural practices, soil fertility and ultimately contributes to a sustainable ecosystem. The initiative has created employment opportunities and is now seeking investments and proper marketing strategies for market expansion.”
