Nepal’s earthquakes, monsoon floods, landslides and glacial-lake hazards are not occasional shocks; they are structural features of a young mountain landscape now under mounting pressure from a changing climate and unplanned development. The country’s disaster losses since the 1930s – most severely in the 2015 Gorkha earthquake, which killed nearly 8,700 people and destroyed close to half a million homes – show that Nepal keeps rebuilding the same vulnerabilities it lost the last time. This paper argues for a shift from a relief-and-reconstruction model to a permanent national resilience model, built on ten interlocking pillars: hazard mapping, risk-sensitive land use, landslide prevention, watershed restoration, river management, glacier and glacial-lake monitoring, earthquake-safe construction, biodiversity protection, community preparedness and long-term resilience financing. The recommendations are addressed both to the Government of Nepal and to the international development community.
FROM FIDELITY TO FLUIDITY? Reassessing Sexual Ethics, Commercial Sex and Family Values in the Twenty-First Century: Policy Reflections for Future Generations
Across much of human civilisation, marriage was regarded not merely as a private contract but as the cornerstone of social order. The ideals of lifelong fidelity, stable parenthood and mutual responsibility were upheld by virtually every major civilisation and religion. During the past six decades, however, unprecedented social, technological and economic transformations have altered both attitudes and behaviour concerning sexuality, marriage and family life.
The commercialisation of sex, the digital revolution, changing gender roles, declining religious participation, delayed marriage and growing individualism have collectively reshaped intimate relationships across many societies. While these changes have expanded personal freedoms and challenged long-standing inequalities, they have also generated important questions concerning family stability, demographic sustainability, mental well-being and social cohesion.
Using Japan as an illustrative case study—together with evidence from Britain and other developed societies—this paper examines whether traditional concepts of fidelity remain socially significant or whether they are gradually being replaced by more fluid relationship patterns. Rather than advancing a moralistic argument, the paper analyses empirical evidence, demographic trends and public policy implications.
The central question is neither whether society should return to the past nor whether changing sexual norms are inherently harmful. Rather, it asks whether future generations can preserve the enduring values of commitment, responsibility and mutual respect while adapting to rapidly changing social realities.
