Field Update May 2006

The situation in Nepal has shifted significantly in the last month. Following mounting protests, the King of Nepal made significant concessions to the political parties, which which led to the reinstatement of Parliament which had been closed since 2002.

In their initial weeks, the Parliament has withdrawn many of the restrictions on the media and the NGO community, matched a ceasefire called by the Maoists, recalled many of the King's political appointees and is preparing to make changes to the constitution. However, there remains much uncertainty as to how the process to establish a constituent assembly will progress and the perceived slow pace of reform to the King�s powers especially in relation to his control over the Royal Nepalese Army (RNA) has led to further protests in Kathmandu. In general the outlook for peace talks, building on the current ceasefire, are hopeful.

This has led to dramatic changes for the PBI team in Nepal, and provides us with several important opportunities.

We quickly launched a field trip to Nepal's Far West region in early May. The Far West is one of the remotest areas of Nepal, and an area where the ongoing conflict has been very intense. As PBI-Nepal will be establishing a team of international volunteers in the Far West, the goals of the trip were to renew contact with people we had previously met in those areas and to start assessing the situation for human rights and peace workers in the region.

Planned work over the next few months includes an assessment trip to the Eastern region of Nepal and a return to the Far West to establish a long-term presence there. Accompaniment will start when deemed feasible in light of our registration process.

Registration

All international organizations working in Nepal are required to register in order to operate in Nepal. In May, PBI-Nepal took the first and most important step by signing a General Agreement with the Government of Nepal. Our success comes from the unwavering efforts of our team in Kathmandu along with legal advice from local attorneys. With the General Agreement, we receive one long term visa and also move to the next step; negotiating a Project Agreement.