Preeti Thapa on Dialogue for Strategic Peacebuilding: A Practitioner’s Insights

01/16/24 • 42 min

#Ep.077

In this episode, Khushi and Preeti discuss strategic peacebuilding and the role of Dialogue in it. The two explore the core principles of dialogue as a conflict-solving tool and the wide scope of issues it has helped tackle professionals like Preeti in inviting resolution. They place the significance of dialogue & peacebuilding in the specific context of Nepal and highlight how underlying contentions impact aspects of society and development. They then discuss Preeti’s view on the nexus of peace building and justice and recommendations to improve the State’s efforts for sustainable progress in this front.

Preeti Thapa is a peacebuilder, lawyer, mediator, and certified master trainer in mediation and dialogue with more than 21 years of experience. She is The Asia Foundation’s deputy director of Justice and Governance in Nepal. Her expertise lies in access to justice and strategic peacebuilding through community mediation and multi-stakeholder dialogue. Preeti has worked with Nepal’s Ministry of Law and Justice on mediation policies and, in particular, contributed to the passage of the Mediation Act and Regulation. Preeti is a member of the Nepal Bar Association and of the Community Mediators’ Society Nepal. She is also a visiting faculty member at Kathmandu University, the Army Command and Staff College, and Folke Bernadotte Academy, Sweden on Mediation and Dialogue.

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#Ep.077

If you liked the episode, hear more from us through our free newsletter services, PEI Substack: Of Policies and Politics, and click here to support us on Patreon!!

Previous Episode

Rebroadcast: Sagar Prasai offers a Political Economy of Electricity Market in India and Beyond

Last week, Nepal and India signed a power trade deal during the Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishanker's visit. The agreement consolidates the bilateral understanding of electricity exports pushed during the PM's visit to India in 2023.

Given the Indian government’s conditions on cross-border electricity trade, which recognizes electricity as a strategic commodity of interest, the recent agreement can be interpreted as a positive sign. However, the current agreement does not specify who, how, and when this electricity will be traded.

Hopefully, these matters will be progressively defined in the days to come. For now, we are re-releasing an earlier episode that touches upon the drivers, optimism, and challenges of Nepal India's power trade.

Originally aired on 26 September 2022, in this episode of PxP: Conversations, Saumitra Neupane and Sagar Prasai discuss how the Indian electricity market gets featured in Nepal’s hydropower imagination, the impact that this has had on Nepal’s ability to exploit its hydropower potential, and what differentiates the Nepali model from that of other bilateral arrangements such as those between India and Bhutan.

They also examine India’s policy positions on cross-border electricity trade in the last ten years and how regional rivalry between India and China complicates energy markets in South Asia. They also discuss the future market opportunities for Nepali hydropower and whether there are longer-term trends that support supply signals and investor confidence in Nepali hydropower. They end their conversation by discussing the possibilities of markets beyond India, primarily Bangladesh and China, and evaluate whether realistic opportunities exist on these fronts.

Sagar Prasai is a development professional with over two decades of experience working in water, energy, climate issues, and regional cooperation in South Asia. He is based in Nepal and provides advisory services to various organizations, including The Asia Foundation and the Australian Government’s DFAT. Previously, he served as The Asia Foundation’s country representative in India. He has a Ph.D. from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

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Next Episode

Jesselina Rana on Driving Policy to the Margins: Advocating for Dignified Periods in Nepal

#Ep.078

Introducing and directing agendas in the policy sphere is a challenging task. Additionally, when the agenda in question is pushed to the margins with shame, stigma, and taboo, the pursuit becomes ever more demanding. Menstruation is one such topic repressed by societal norms of the global south, the stigma of which causes detrimental effects on the lives of innumerable individuals. How does one advocate for that?

In this episode, Khushi and Jesselina discuss the challenges in pursuing policy solutions to issues of access to a dignified period. Jesselina shares the unexpected hurdles in advocating for menstrual rights and the importance of strategy, collaboration, and sustainability in it. They explore barriers to accessing menstrual health and dignity, their deep impacts, and recount national issues like the Period Tax and the state of periods in prison. They also discuss the evolution of a dignified period in the realm of human rights, the different ways it has expanded, and how the conversation can be taken forward.

Jesselina Rana is a human rights lawyer, social entrepreneur, and feminist activist. A Harvard Law School graduate, Jesselina co-founded Pad2Go, a social enterprise focusing on menstrual health in Nepal, in 2018. Since its inception, Pad2Go has garnered national and international recognition for its impactful contributions to the menstrual health landscape in Nepal. Jesselina’s passion for feminism, human rights, and the law has driven her to contribute to both human rights and politico-legal discourse in Nepal and internationally.

If you liked the episode, hear more from us through our free newsletter services, PEI Substack: Of Policies and Politics, and click here to support us on Patreon!!