Mercy Corps heading to Kathmandu for 2006 Leadership Conference

Mercy Corps, the global humanitarian agency, is going to hold its biannual 2006 Global Leadership Conference in Kathmandu from November 2-8.

More than 100 of Mercy Corps' senior staff and supporters will gather for the conference to be held at Hotel Hyatt Regency. As its theme – "Reaching New Heights" – suggests, the goal of the conference is to "assess Mercy Corps' growth and set strategy for its expanding mission."

"Our decision to convene in Kathmandu is a vote of confidence in Nepal – both its present and its future," said Mervyn Lee, executive director of Mercy Corps' European Headquarters, who has long ties to Nepal. "The issues at hand – poverty, conflict, a growing civil society – are at the center of Mercy Corps' mission, and we want to see firsthand how we can help the Nepalese work toward peace and prosperity."

According to a press release by the organizers, the Mercy Corps chose Nepal in order to support the tourism industry and highlight its emerging commitment to the country, where the agency plans a deeper, longer-term commitment to expanding economic opportunity through access to financial services and promoting peace and reconciliation through youth. Various Nepalese government and civil society leaders will be involved in the conference.

"Mercy Corps is already implementing a two-year program to bring together 15,000 young people from different communities to create a dialogue with one another and with decision makers about the specific challenges facing Nepalese youth. Building on that dialogue, Mercy Corps will work with local partners to implement youth-driven activities that promote tolerance, peace and reconciliation," states the press release.

The program focuses on five districts in mid- and far-western Nepal, including Dang, Banke, Bardiya, Kailali, and Kanchanpur. Mercy Corps is working with the local organization Backward Society Education (BASE), which has extensive experience in community mobilization and a strong network of village, area, district and regional youth committees, to implement these projects.

The press release further adds that the Mercy Corps works amid disasters, conflicts, chronic poverty and instability to unleash the potential of people who can win against nearly impossible odds. Since 1979, Mercy Corps has provided $1 billion in assistance to people in 82 nations. Supported by headquarters offices in North America, Europe, and Asia, the agency's unified global programs employ 3,200 staff worldwide and reach nearly 10 million people in more than 40 countries. nepalnews.com sd Oct 29 06