Yesterday, I attended a meeting in Baglung held by the UN arms monitors for the western region of Nepal. It was essentially a meet and greet, an opportunity for the UN to explain what exactly they will be doing in the area and make clear their limited mandate. The current Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) signed between the Maoists and the seven political parties in Nepal asked the UN to supervise the activities and arms of the two sides.

For the Maoists, this means that their forces are confined to certain cantonments and their weapons are under UN lock and key every night. Essentially, these cantonments serve as barracks from which observers can monitor the activities of the Maoist units. The Nepalese Army (changed from Royal Nepalese Army after the people’s revolution last year) have also been monitored in their bases. Both sides must register their troop movements and many times are accompanied by UN observers when on exercise (this applies more to the Nepalese Army).

There will be three different departments within the UN mission: a static team to oversee the cantonment sights; a mobile unit to check military deployments of both sides; and Joint Monitoring Units to investigate noncompliance to the arms monitoring agreement.

UN arms monitors leaving the meeting with community leaders in Baglung.

In my opinion the most interesting aspect of the mission is the JMUs. There are two three-man teams, comprising one Maoist, army, and UN military official. Beyond their investigative role, the JMUs will attempt to diffuse potential conflicts that arise in the region, be they military or otherwise. Furthermore, as they roam their areas they will assess the humanitarian needs of the various villages they visit and report back to UN headquarters in Kathmandu who will find potential donors from member countries.

When the meeting finished, I was chatting with one of the UN monitors, a Finish officer who was one of the first to arrive in Nepal and was second in command of the arms monitoring program. I asked if it was standard UN operating procedure for military personnel to engage in humanitarian assessments. He said it was not.

“We’re not talking about major aid projects. The Nepalese soldiers, on both sides, know the people and if they see a need, they will report it back. These will be small things: a school room or water pump, not a bridge or a road.”