Campaign for Peace-Building and Development

This Nepali initiative aims to improve the ability of conflict victims to fulfil their basic needs, as well as raising awareness on human rights issues and lobbying conflicting parties.

Description

The initiative aims to improve the capacity of communities to fulfil their basic needs and create effective awareness of human rights and peace.

Aims / Objectives

The organisation hopes to:

• Improve the capacity of communities to fulfil their basic needs and create effective awareness of human rights and peace;
• Develop a vibrant network for advocacy and conflict mitigation in the peace-building process (the sharing of experience and working together); and
• Enhance the institutional competence of CBOs and other likeminded organisations enabling them to work together on human rights, peace-building and policy advocacy.

How it is Articulated

• Training on peace, human rights, children’s rights and development;
• Publication and dissemination of human rights and peace materials;
• Formation and mobilisation of a community mediation forum, teacher/intellectual forum, human rights coordination forum;
• Legal assistance, counselling and support for emergency rescue and relief to the conflict victims;
• Coordination and facilitation;
• Formation of community victims groups and providing human rights and peace education to the groups; and
• Fact-finding and documentation of human rights violations.

Achievements / Learning Points

• Local organisations and community groups are aware of human rights and have gained skills to launch campaigns;
• Communities are able to conduct dialogue with conflicting parties and human rights violations have decreased;
• Communities have learned to coordinate relief and rehabilitation work and to take the lead in repairing and reconstructing the demolished infrastructures; and
• Public service agencies (both government and others) have recognised the community based structure and allocated resources and programmes.

INSEC has successfully helped relocate people who left their own villages due to threats from the military and the rebels. In Narainapur VDC, for example, 115 families left their village to live in India. INSEC held several meetings with both conflicting parties and gained promises from them not to threaten the villagers any more, and finally the families returned to their own village. Such initiatives also helped displaced people in neighbouring villages such as Kalaphata, Ratehiya and Gegli to return to their own villages.

Geographical Area of Operation

The following districts of the mid-western and far-western regions of Nepal: Surkhet, Bardiya, Doti, Kanchanpur, and Banke.

Funding Resources

• United Nations Development Programme - Support for Peace and Development Initiatives;
• Danish International Development Agency;
• Canadian Cooperation Office; and
• European Community (for peace programmes).

Stories

The impact of the peace programme by INSEC was not only felt in the project areas; it was also beneficial in maintaining congenial relations between Nepal and India.

Indian police entered Behuchahawa Village, Laxmanpur Village Development Committee (VDC) on motorbike on the day of bandh, a general strike called by the Maoists. The organisation does not know the reason for the police's arrival. Indian police left the motorbike and retreated to India when the Maoists started questioning them. The Maoists then took control of the Indian motorbike. Later the motorbike was returned to the Indian police as a result of INSEC negotiating with the Maoists.

Associated Organisations

INSEC is affiliated with 45 Nepali human rights organizations at the district level:

• Human Rights Consciousness & Development Centre (HUCODEC), Phidim- Panthar 024-20245/20248;
• People Awareness Campaign (PAC), Myanglung-Terhathum 026-460267;
• Human Rights Social Awareness & Development Centre(HUSADEC), Dhankuta-7, Dhankuta 026-20606;
• Social Awareness, Human Rights & Development Centre(ASAHURD), Bhojpur-6, Bhojpur 029-20181;
• Human Rights, Environment & Development Centre (HURENDEC), Gaighat-4, Udayapur 035-20208/20157;
• Forum for Human Rights & Environment (FOHREN), Biratnagar-6, Morang 021-27053;
• Human Rights & Social Service Centre (HUSEC), Rajbiraj-4, Saptari 031-20349/21172;
• Nepal Welfare Society (NWS), Lahan , Siraha 033-60576;
• Human Rights, Environment and Development Centre (HURED), Birtamod , Jhapa 023-40440;
• Human Rights Forum (HURF), Ilam-1, Ilam 027-20800;
• Information Centre for Social Awareness (SICA), Inaruwa, Sunsari 025-60738;
• Human Rights Awareness & Development Centre (HURADEVC), Charikot, Dolakha 049-20240;
• Human Rights & Environmental Education (HUREC), Banepa-10, Kavre 011-63096;
• Centre for Human Rights & Social Awareness (CENTHUR), Bidhur-4, Nuwakot 010-60261;
• The Dynamic Rural Rising Group (DRIG), Chautara –8, Sindhulpalchok 011-20068;
• Human Rights Enlightenment Centre (HREC), Kalaiya-5, Bara 053-50604;
• Human Rights Conscious Centre (HRCC), Gaur-8, Rautahat 055-29526;
• Society Upliftment Centre (SUC), Janakpur-9, Dhanusa 041-23315;
• Rural Development Centre (RDO), Malangwa, Sarlahi 046-20210;
• Human Rights Education & Awareness Centre (HURENCE), Kamalamai-6, Sindhuli 047-20259;
• Women Development Centre, Khareini-4 Parsa, Chitwan 056-82012;
• Human Rights and Social Service Centre (HUSEC), Dhunche, Rasuwa 010-69282;
• Resunga Human Rights Awareness Organisation (RERE), Tamghas, Gulmi 079-20222;
• Society for Protection of Human Rights & Rural Environment (SOPHRE), Beshisahar-9, Lamjung 066-20161/20125;
• Prakas Awareness Group (PRAG), Sadhikharka-6, Arghakhanchi 077-20181/20222;
• Human Rights Education & Development Centre (HURED), PutaliBazar-9, Syngja 063-20128;
• Rural Strengthening Centre, Haramtari - Gorkha 064-20126;
• Forum for Social Awareness and Development (FOSAD), Butwal-06. Rupendehi 071-044384;
• Human Rights & Legal Education Service Centre (HURLESC), Kapilbastu- 4. Kapilbastu 078-60172;
• Nepal United Village Development Centre, Byass-10, Tanahu 065-60315;
• Women Service Centre, Pokhara, Kaski 061-25906;
• Peoples' Rights and Environment Society, Kushma, Parwat 067-20112;
• Human Rights Awareness Centre (HAC), Sejwaltakura-, Salyan 088-29078;
• Human Rights & Environment Concern Centre (HUREC), Gulariya, Bardiya 084-20136;
• Green Peace Movement (GPM), Nepalganj, Banke 081-40211;
• Human Rights Consciousness Forum (HRCF), Ghorahi, Dang 082-60877;
• Protection of Human Rights and Legal Service Centre (PHLRCS) Khalanga, Rukum;
• Human Rights Awareness Centre (HURAC), Liwang, Rolpa;
• Human Rights Awareness Movement Centre (HURAMOC), Khalanga. Dedeldhura 096-20147;
• Human Rights & People Service Centre (HURPEC), Silgadi, Doti 094-20158;
• Api Community Development Centre (ACDC), Khalanga-5, Darchula 093-20193/20237;
• Human Rights Awareness & Social Development Centre(HURASDEC), Tikapur-9, Kailai 091-23348;
• Human Rights and Environmental Preservation Centre (HUPEC), Mahendranagr, Kanchanpur 099-22432;
• Human Rights & Social Service Centre (HUSEC), Gothalapani, Beitadi; and
• Human Rights & Social Development Project (HRSDP), Bayalpata, Accham.

INSEC is also affiliated with the following international organisations: World Organisation against Torture, Forum Asia, Asia Election Observation, and South Asian Forum for Human Rights.