Funding cuts threaten Nepal’s peace efforts, says retd US military officer Joe Evans at NIICE event

KATHMANDU: Nepal Institute for International Co-operation and Engagement (NIICE) invited Joe Evans to speak on “Impact of Western Isolationism on Global Efforts to Build Peace: Implications for Nepal” on Friday.

Evans is a retired military officer who worked at the US Embassy from 2014 to 2017 in Nepal’s Office of Defense Co-operation. He is also the Peacebuilding Project Coordinator at Villanova University in the United States.

Addressing a gathering of researchers, educators and members of the media, Evans said. “The cuts in funding for anti-human trafficking measures, planning for disaster response, UN peacekeeping operations and girls’ education in rural Nepal are reason for everyone to work together, both individually and collectively, to ensure these initiatives remain active.” He emphasised the need for peacekeeping to tackle the root causes of conflict.

In his presentation, Evans described peace as an intrinsic sensation that exists in tandem with developments in the wider world. He mentioned that peace is most often discussed in relation to security or justice and stated that peacebuilding requires a collective effort to address conflicts currently occurring among people worldwide.

The event included an interactive discussion during which Evans took questions from the audience. He observed, “The Nepali Army has niche capabilities in disaster response and performs well in UN peacekeeping operations. However, the funding gap compared with other armed forces is far too large. In South-East Asia, no country appears to harbour ill will towards the Nepali Army. This is why Nepal can be a neutral force to guide conflicting nations towards peaceful resolution.”

NIICE is a research centre and think tank that regularly invites experts to share their insights on their chosen subjects.