{"id":47787,"date":"2023-11-22T21:17:21","date_gmt":"2023-11-22T15:32:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nepallivetoday.com\/?p=47787"},"modified":"2023-11-23T23:48:20","modified_gmt":"2023-11-23T18:03:20","slug":"nepals-who-debacle-the-inside-story","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nepallivetoday.com\/2023\/11\/22\/nepals-who-debacle-the-inside-story\/","title":{"rendered":"Nepal\u2019s WHO debacle: The inside story"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Kathmandu: <\/strong>Effective diplomacy is a prerequisite for any country’s vibrant presence in international fora. Sadly, the ability of Nepal to conduct diplomacy has been fragile and eroded over the years. Nepal’s weakened diplomatic structure has resulted in the inability of the country to leave a significant impression in international fora and institutions.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Apart from that Nepal, as a country, has failed to lead international organizations and fora. A major diplomatic debacle the country suffered only three weeks ago went largely unnoticed. Nepal Live Today <\/em>now brings the inside story of Nepal\u2019s WHO debacle for you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On November 1, at 8:30 in the morning, Prime Ministers of India and Bangladesh jointly launched three projects. \u201cIndia is proud to be the biggest development partner of Bangladesh,\u201d Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the same day, elections started at 9:00 am and daughter of Bangladeshi Prime Minister, Saima Wazed Hossein, was elected to the post of Regional Director of WHO South-East Asia Region (SEARO), in a secret ballot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Acharya vs Saima<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dr Shambhu Acharya, who is serving as Director, Country Strategy and Support Department at the WHO headquarters in Geneva, got a call from Kathmandu in April 2021. A senior official from the Ministry of Health and Population told him that the Government of Nepal wanted to nominate him for the post of Regional Director (RD), WHO SEARO. After thinking over the proposal for a few days, Acharya agreed. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

On 30 June 2023, Nepal\u2019s Permanent Mission to the UN in Geneva informed the WHO headquarters that they had nominated Dr Acharya for the coveted post.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, Bangladesh nominated Saima Wajed Hossain\u2013the daughter of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina\u2013for the post. While Prime Minister Hasina took her daughter to high-profile global and regional meetings including G20 in Delhi, Nepali officials remained silent throughout the campaign. When Dr Acharya arrived in Kathmandu in August 2023 to formally launch his campaign, senior Foreign Ministry officials even refused to publish a press release announcing his candidacy. When leading Nepali media broke the news, the Head of the Multilateral Division at the Ministry refused to take calls or make any formal comments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sources say Foreign Minister NP Saud\u2013who represents Nepali Congress party in the CPN (Maoist Center)-led coalition\u2013seemed committed to Nepal\u2019s candidacy when he visited London in the first week of May 2023 to attend the coronation of King Charles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Immediately after returning from London, he traveled to Dhaka to attend the 6th Indian Ocean Conference. When he returned to Kathmandu, he was a completely different man, officials say.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Foreign Ministry under his leadership practically did nothing to lobby for Nepal\u2019s candidacy. When the Prime Minister\u2019s Office wanted to send letters to chief executives of member states, Foreign Ministry officials told the PMO that it was their job and that the PMO should not be involved in it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Question of meritocracy<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Though Nepali MOFA officials were reluctant to lobby for their own candidate, former UN diplomats as well as the international public health community strongly supported Dr Acharya\u2019s candidacy and pointed towards what they called \u2018nepotism\u2019 exhibited by the Bangladeshi candidacy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf she were not the daughter of the PM, I don\u2019t think she would be a serious candidate,\u201d said Kul Chandra Gautam, a former Assistant UN Secretary General, who called Wazed\u2019s r\u00e9sum\u00e9 \u201cvery thin\u201d. \u201cIt does not give a good image of the UN system or of WHO,\u201d Gautam told Financial Times. \u201cThis is clearly nepotism.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Over two dozen public health academics and experts based in the UK issued a public statement calling upon the Government of Nepal to intensify its diplomatic endeavors to advocate for Dr Acharya’s exceptional candidacy. \u201cWe insist upon a transparent election process to ensure the selection of the better-qualified candidate for this pivotal position,\u201d they said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Ms Saima Wazed has a Master\u2019s degree in psychology<\/a> and specializes in autism. Her official title is chairperson of Bangladesh\u2019s National Advisory Committee on Autism and Neurodevelopmental Disorders. Acharya, who holds PhD in health policy and financing from the University of North Carolina, USA, is one of WHO\u2019s senior-most officials.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While Bangladesh government was vigorously lobbying for their PM\u2019s daughter using (or, mis-using) the government\u2019s resources, Dr Acharya traveled to New York, Bangkok, Maldives and Delhi (and Gujrat state of India to take part in the 1st<\/sup> WHO global summit on traditional medicine) on his own expenses. In October 2023, he traveled to New York as part of the Nepali delegation led by Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal \u2018Prachanda.\u2019 Thanks to the parleys in New York, Nepal had \u2018secured at least four votes\u2019 (out of 10), sources said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, when he returned to Kathmandu from New York, Dr Acharya found himself cut off from the Prime Minister\u2019s Office.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a press meet organized on October 8, 2023, professionals from health sectors and members of civil society in Kathmandu asked the government of Nepal as well as other stakeholders to stand firmly in favor of Dr Acharya\u2019s candidacy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Senior journalist Kanak Mani Dixit hinted that Dr Acharya could be asked to withdraw his candidacy. \u201cIn every international forum, Bangladesh PM has been taking her daughter Saima along and introducing her to top officials,\u201d he said. \u201cIn the name of keeping Nepal-Bangladesh relations smooth, an attempt could be made to withdraw the candidacy of Dr Acharya. This should not be allowed to happen,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Though Dr Acharya was away from Nepal when the civil society activists were supporting his candidacy, the Prime Minister\u2019s Office saw it as their blatant criticism through the media. \u201cDr Acharya was together with the PM in New York and our PM lobbied during his meeting with SEARO member states, such allegations are baseless and biased,\u201d an aide at the PMO said. The PM\u2019s aides were so unhappy that they did not pick up the phone from Dr Acharya and did not respond to his messages. Lack of communication between Nepal\u2019s official candidate and the PMO was perhaps one of the crucial factors leading to Nepal\u2019s poor performance in the vote, sources say.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With only 10-days to go for the crucial vote, Dr Acharya managed to see the Prime Minister at his official residence at Baluwatar\u2013just after he met a group of NRNs. He urged the PM to call his Indian and Thai counterparts in support of his candidacy. \u201cSure, I will,\u201d Prachanda reportedly told Acharya but PMO sources say PM Prachanda never made those calls as promised.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Did India betray Nepal ?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Observers believe that the government of India did not vote for Nepal in the WHO SEARO election. Officials say Nepal had voted twice in favor of Indian candidate, Poonam Khetrapal Singh, after Indian authorities assured that they would support the Nepali candidate in the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But Indian media reports said the Indian government led by Narendra Modi decided to go with Bangladesh \u2018due to geo-political reasons.\u2019 Sources say Bangladesh Foreign minister himself visited and made a deal with every country in favor of voting for their candidate.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNominating a candidate as the Regional Director by Member States just because she is daughter of the Prime Minister will without doubt damage WHO\u2019s image and WHO\u2019s technical excellence. If WHO\u2019s integrity and credibility is to be restored, members of the Executive Board and the Director General must reflect on this and develop strict criteria to prevent political interference and nepotism happening in the future,\u201d said a UK-based public health academic who was watching the elections closely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

WHO\u2019s inherent weaknesses<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

WHO was founded in 1948 with the noble goal of promoting the highest level of health and well-being of all human beings. The organization was in the forefront of the global fight to contain the Covid pandemic. If one part of WHO gets into trouble the entire WHO\u2019s reputation will be at risk. But the way Bangladesh nominated their PM\u2019s daughter despite not being \u2018qualified for the post\u2019 as many believe, it exposed inherent weaknesses in the WHO\u2019s nomination system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cEveryone can see the interview of the two candidates and judge whether member states made the right decision,\u201d said a South Asian public health expert <\/a>based in London.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nepal\u2019s Loss<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A soft-spoken, compassionate technocrat, Dr Acharya was able to garner widespread support from public health experts, academics, media and a large member of Nepali intelligentsia since his candidacy became public in August this year. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He gave a number of interviews to Nepali and international media and shared his vision for the Southeast Asia region. \u201cI am honored to have been nominated for the post of RD, WHO SEARO. I remain grateful to my country and the government of Nepal for this honor,\u201d he wrote on social media.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Nepal has, however, lost face with its poor diplomacy (or, to be more precise no diplomacy at all) in the region and beyond. \u201cThe WHO SEARO election is an example of the incompetency of Nepal\u2019s diplomatic mechanism and loss of faith of the international community,\u201d said Dr Shambhu Ram Simkhada, Nepal\u2019s former envoy to the UN. \u201cThis is but an example that nobody trusts Nepal anymore in the international community.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Former Foreign Minister Ramesh Nath Pandey said that it was a matter of great shame that Nepal\u2013despite being the SAARC chair\u2013failed to garner a single vote from five SAARC members who were eligible to vote in the November 1 election. \u201cThis diplomatic debacle is a matter of shame for the entire nation,\u201d he tweeted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Though Dr Acharya was a candidate representing Nepal, WHO members usually vote for a nation rather than a particular individual. Voting within the UN system is usually \u201cgive and take\u201d. You support our candidate this time and we will support your candidate next time, UN Member States usually say. Nepali officials will find it hard to answer the obvious question: Why didn\u2019t they lobby for their \u2018qualified and competent\u2019 candidate – at the first place?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perhaps, the WHO debacle is yet another example of corruption and apathy that\u2019s widespread at the top level of Nepal\u2019s government and weak WHO system for the election of its regional directors.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Kathmandu: Effective diplomacy is a prerequisite for any country’s vibrant presence in international fora. Sadly, the ability of Nepal to conduct diplomacy has been fragile and eroded over the years. Nepal’s weakened diplomatic structure has resulted in the inability of the country to leave a significant impression in international fora and institutions.   Apart from that […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":47431,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[12,4,15],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-47787","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-feature","category-politics","category-top-stories"],"acf":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.nepallivetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/F9qt4OoXsAAidRM.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pcWLTd-cqL","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nepallivetoday.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47787","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nepallivetoday.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nepallivetoday.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nepallivetoday.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nepallivetoday.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=47787"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.nepallivetoday.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47787\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":47817,"href":"https:\/\/www.nepallivetoday.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47787\/revisions\/47817"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nepallivetoday.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/47431"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nepallivetoday.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=47787"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nepallivetoday.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=47787"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nepallivetoday.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=47787"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}