Five years have already passed since the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement between the government of Nepal and the Maoist Party, but peace is still elusive. Nepal’s southern plains are finding no respite from the armed rebels who are threatening the lives of the people. Genuine efforts for reconciliation among communities to end their hostility are still to come forth. One of the positive sides of the recent political developments is that the process of integration has begun and it is heading in the right direction. Despite the agreement on some issues, political parties are yet to agree on the state restructuring. This is going to be a major challenge for the country. As the tenure of the Constituent Assembly will expire on November 30, parties will have to decide its fate soon. We are not pessimists about Nepal’s politics and the current trends. Given the history, we want to reiterate that the country has to go a long way before political stability and economic prosperity take a firm hold here.
Despite political instability and frequent changes in the government, Nepal has made enormous progress in stabilizing HIV/AIDS. As the World AIDS Day is being celebrating, we chose to discuss HIV/AIDS as an agenda for this week’s lead story. Similarly, Durban’s COP 17 is also an important event in the context of Nepal. We have taken a look at Nepal’s role as the chair of Least Developed Countries in that meeting.
Keshab Poudel
Editor