ADB_book_18 April.qxp - Himalayan Document Centre - icimod

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Although progress is encouraging, much remains tobe done. EU countries have ratified the KyotoProtocol but the US has not. In the absence ofParliament, Nepal became a Party to the Protocolthrough a Royal ordinance in September 2005.International Tropical Timber Agreement (ITTA),1994. This Agreement seeks to promote internationaltrade in tropical timber, the sustainable managementof tropical forests, and development of tropical forestindustries. Trade-related aspects deal with providinga forum for consultation on promoting nondiscriminatorytimber trade practices, helpingcountries to develop strategies for sustainablemanagement of timber products (including exports),diversification of international trade in tropicaltimber on a sustainable and equitable basis, bringinggreater transparency in the international timbermarket, and promoting information sharing on theinternational timber market. Nepal is a member ofthe Agreement and has been participating in itsmeetings.Agreement for the implementation of theProvisions of the UN Convention on the Law of theSea of 10 December 1982 relating to theConservation and Management of Straddling FishStocks (UN Fish Stocks Agreement 1995). Thisagreement seeks to ensure the long-termconservation and sustainable use of straddling fishstocks and highly migratory fish stocks by requiringcoastal states and states fishing on the high seas tocooperate in implementing agreed measures. Thereare provisions to deter activities of fishing vessels thatundermine the effectiveness of internationallyagreed conservation measures. There are alsoprovisions to help build the capacity of leastdeveloped countries and small island nations towork towards meeting the agreement’s goals.Rotterdam Convention on the Prior InformedConsent Procedure for Certain HazardousChemicals and Pesticides in International Trade1998. The objective is to promote sharedresponsibility and cooperation in the internationaltrade of certain hazardous chemicals to protecthuman health and the environment. It focuses onpromoting environmentally sound use throughinformation sharing in all aspects of such hazardouschemicals. Trade in certain listed chemicals shouldbe on the basis of prior informed consent.Obligations of a party under any other existinginternational agreements are not changed by thisagreement. There are also provisions for providingtechnical assistance to countries if requested.Stockholm Convention on Persistent OrganicPollutants 2001. This convention aims to reduce oreliminate releases of persistent organic pollutantsinto the environment to protect human health andthe environment from such harmful substances. Theconvention makes provisions to prohibit or eliminatethe production, use, import, and export of thepollutants listed in Annex A (Elimination) andrestricts the production and use of those listed inAnnex B (Restriction). It calls for development ofnational plans to implement the agreement and alsoprovides technical assistance.WTO and NepalThe WTO was established to promote the free flowof trade and to ensure that trading rules are clear-cutand observed by all members; there is an acceptedmechanism within the WTO for settling all tradedisputes. It follows from the negotiations undertakenover many years in the GATT. WTO is not anenvironmental agency. However, a fewenvironmental issues are trade related in the sensethat environmental barriers could be erected bycountries to restrict trade and that trade could bedamaging to the environment. Such issues are withinthe domain of the WTO if members decide to seekits assistance. Further details about WTO areavailable on the WTO web site (www.wto.org ).Nepal was not a member of GATT, which wasstarted in 1947 following the Bretton WoodsConference of 1944, which established theInternational Monetary Fund and The World Bank,and discussed the need for an international tradeorganization. GATT’s focus was on reducing tariffsand trade barriers for promoting multilateral trade.Between 1986 and 1994 global trade talks werepursued under the Uruguay Rounds, which resultedin establishment of the WTO on January 1, 1995. InMay 1989 Nepal applied for membership in GATT,and on September 11, 2003 Nepal was invited tobecome a WTO member. The period in betweeninvolved submitting it’s Memorandum on ForeignTrade to be circulated within GATT, followed byvarious rounds of extensive questions from GATTand answers by Nepal before WTO grantedmembership.By joining the WTO, Nepal cannot bediscriminated against by another WTO member andit has the option to use the WTO’s dispute settlementprocedure, but there are also many obligations. Inthe area of services, Nepal has made broadcommitments in 11 service sectors. Regarding tariffs,Nepal has accepted average tariffs of 42% onagricultural products and around 24% on industrial180 Environment Assessment of Nepal : Emerging Issues and Challenges
goods. Most imports will be within the duty range of10–20%. Nepal agreed to progressively implementthe Agreement on Customs Valuation in accordancewith the action plan, and full implementation willstart from January 1, 2007. Nepal will implement fullythe provisions of the Agreement on Sanitary andPhyto-sanitary Measures by January 1, 2007. Nepalwill prepare an action plan, to be implemented instages after it adopts the Food Act andimplementation of the Codex Alimentarium. It willestablish and operationalize a single enquiry point.Nepal will progressively implement the agreementon Technical Barriers to Trade in accordance with anaction plan and implement those provisions fully byJanuary 1, 2007. Nepal has agreed to incorporate allthe substantive provisions of the Trade-RelatedIntellectual Property Rights Agreement in its newIndustrial Property (Protection) Act to bepromulgated no later than January 1, 2006.Nepal has not become a member of theInternational Union for the Protection of New PlantVarieties. Nepal seeks to adopt an effective suigeneris system for the protection of plant varieties asprovided under Article 27.3 (b). In answeringquestions about the benefits to Nepal from WTOmembership, Shrestha (2004) points out that this willavoid the risks of non-membership, as well asprevent any unilateral decision by a trading partneragainst Nepal. He further points out that Nepal willneed to amend or enact 40 laws, although WTOrequired compatibility only in customs valuation,technical barriers to trade, sanitary and phytosanitarymeasures, and intellectual property rights.This was to be achieved over a period of four years.Regarding questions of import surges affectingdomestic products, he did not believe that this wouldoccur. Regarding subsidy for some of the primaryproducing sectors, some level of subsidy was stillpossible and there were provisions to address theproblems of the primary sector through investmentsin infrastructure, research, and human resourcesdevelopment. At present Nepal’s protection levelsare nowhere near the levels permitted by the WTO,so there is no question about WTO membershipreducing subsidies to farmers.Nepal–India Trade Treaty of 2002India has been and will continue to be Nepal’s mostsignificant trading partner because of Nepal’slandlocked position with India enclosing it on threesides. The new trade treaty is far more restrictivethan the earlier one and is likely to create manyuncertainties for Nepal. The most significantdevelopment has been that India has imposedquantitative restrictions on four items—vegetableghee, acrylic yarn, copper oxide, and zinc oxide—based on rules of origin, quota allocation, and nontariffbarriers (NTCS 2003).Nepal’s Own Trade RestrictionsAs a WTO member Nepal must inform WTO aboutany ban notifications coming into effect.(i) Nepal has banned the following products frombeing exported (FNCCI 2004):(a) Articles of archaeological and religiousimportance;(b) Conserved wildlife and related articles: wildanimals, musk, bile, and any part of wildanimals, snake skin, lizard skin;(c) Drugs, marijuana, opium, hashish;(d) Metals and jewellery: valuable metals andjewelry (exceptions permitted);(e) Articles of industrial importance, explosivematerials, and related materials used in theproduction of arms and ammunition;(f) Industrial raw materials: raw hides and skins(including dry salted), raw wool, allimported raw materials, parts and capitalgoods;(g) Other products: turmeric has been banned;and(h) Export to India: all goods imported fromcountries other than India.(ii) Nepal has banned the following products frombeing imported (FNCCI 2004):(a) Products injurious to health: narcotic drugs;liquor containing more than 60% alcohol;(b) Arms and ammunition and explosives(except under license): materials used inproduction of arms and ammunition, gunsand cartridges, caper without paper, arms,and other explosives;(c) Communications equipment (except underlicense);(d) Valuable metals (except under license);(e) Beef and beef products;(f) Plastic rags and recycled plastic goods;(g) 118 azo dyes harmful to the environment;and(h) Any other product designated by theGovernment.Chapter 12: Environment and Trade181
Page 2 and 3:
About the OrganisationsAsian Develo
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© 2006 International Centre for In
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AcknowledgementsWe would like to ex
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PM2.5PAHRSSAARCSACEPSEASO 2TSPUKUND
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Chapter 6: Energy Resources 65Intro
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List of FiguresFigure 2.1: People a
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Table 6.1: Energy Consumption and P
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forests are also used for infrastru
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as data gathered by different agenc
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Table 2.1: Population Growth Rates
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mortality rates for rural and urban
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Agglomeration village in the centra
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soil erosion, and depletion of wate
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provision remains inadequate becaus
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Malnutrition remains a serious obst
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Table 2.24: Existing and Projected
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Table 2.28: Income Poverty Indicato
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Table 2.31: Change in Employment St
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In 2004, the average annual househo
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Mountain areas have the most food i
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Schaffner, U. 1987. “Road Constru
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Table 3.1: Agricultural Economic De
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Table 3.4: Estimated Soil Erosion R
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B. PradhanImpacts of land degradati
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Carson, B. 1985. “Erosion and Sed
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The trend of forest coverage in the
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BiodiversityState of BiodiversityNe
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The Government has given legal prot
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Different ways of maintaining biodi
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———.2004. State of the Enviro
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Appendix 4.1: Table continuedMajor
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Appendix 4.2: Protected Plant and W
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Table A4.2.3: Nepal's Share in Plan
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to intense weathering, and percolat
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Table 5.5: Water Supply and Water T
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Table 5.9: Water Quality of Shallow
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species are reported to be endanger
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Ministry of Water Resources (MOWR).
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Definition, Forms, and UnitsEnergy
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Table 6.5: Hydropower PotentialRive
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Chilime Hydroelectric Project: An E
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load occurs from 6 pm to 9 pm with
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assessment of wind energy and lack
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Review of Dams and Development by t
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IUCNElizabeth Khaka, UNEP-NairobiRu
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therefore reflect the three guiding
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is a seasonal dust storm. Anthropog
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Figure 7.3: Average Air Quality, Ja
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matter, hydrocarbons, and NO x (Nae
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Figure: 7.9: Vehicle Registered in
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Brick Kilnchlorofluorocarbons (HCFC
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Climate ChangeA region’s climate
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Figure 7.14: Mean Annual Precipitat
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Table 7.3: National Ambient Air Qua
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India. Available: http://www.cleana
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———.1999. “Ambient Air Qual
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Appendix 7.1: World Health Organiza
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Table 8.1: Criteria for Urban Statu
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accommodate the rapidly increasing
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managing solid waste. They are part
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In most municipalities, hazardous w
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in worsening public health conditio
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objects of archaeological, historic
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Min BajracharyaB. PradhanVehicles a
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Department of Health Services (DOHS
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Table 9.1 describes the major highl
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the period to up 2017. The document
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earthquakes; and awareness raising
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Sub-regional LinkagesOther developi
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Figure 9.1: The Key Environmental I
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Page 148 and 149: can vary considerably. Both sides h
Page 150 and 151: Dhungel, D.N., and A.B. Rajbhandari
Page 152 and 153: Table A9.1.2: Industry-Specific Tol
Page 154 and 155: . Cultural Heritage8. Convention fo
Page 156 and 157: Appendix 9.3: Some Prominent Enviro
Page 158 and 159: Some funding arrangements made by t
Page 160 and 161: (NARDF 2004) for a period of 1 to 3
Page 162 and 163: Table 10.2: Annual Income and Expen
Page 164 and 165: Table 10.4: Users’ Share in Benef
Page 166 and 167: From Hands Around Everest bookFrom
Page 168 and 169: Table 10.8: Subsidy Rate for Biogas
Page 170 and 171: microorganism communities and the n
Page 172 and 173: subsidies (Mason 1996). All these a
Page 174 and 175: addressed only part of the problem.
Page 176 and 177: historical practice of community-ma
Page 178 and 179: moved or relocated. The fact that s
Page 180 and 181: Kathmandu Valley and receives a lar
Page 182 and 183: cooperative ventures provided neith
Page 184 and 185: further poaching has not been repor
Page 186 and 187: http://www.pugwash.org/reports/pac/
Page 188 and 189: United Nations. 2003. World Populat
Page 190 and 191: how other countries with substantia
Page 192 and 193: (i) Broad-based and sustainable eco
Page 196 and 197: Nepal’s Changing Pattern of Trade
Page 198 and 199: Table 12.2: Trade/ GDP RatiosFY1981
Page 200 and 201: Table 12.5: Percentage Share of Maj
Page 202 and 203: well as other provisions in specifi
Page 204 and 205: Future Implications for NepalIncrea
Page 206 and 207: International Trade Forum (ITN). 20
Page 208 and 209: - Gross domestic product per unit e
Page 210 and 211: Time Series InformationGenerally tw
Page 212 and 213: Table 13.1a: Different Datasets Col
Page 214 and 215: elevant due to its multidisciplinar
Page 216 and 217: Figure 13.6: Examples of Applicatio
Page 218 and 219: Judith DobmannThere are many source
Page 220 and 221: ———.2003. Mapping Nepal Censu
Page 222 and 223: sustainable livelihoods requires an
Page 224 and 225: and haphazard. Population pressures
Page 226 and 227: issue. These deficiencies stem from
Page 228 and 229: population must be assessed. MOEST
Page 230 and 231: Appendix 14.1: List of Key Environm
Page 232 and 233: (vii) The EIA report approving agen
Page 234 and 235: Goal 1: Eradicate extreme poverty a
Page 236 and 237: Nepal’s Progress Towards the MDGs
Page 238 and 239: Goal 4: Reduce child mortalityReduc
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