Kavre District, Nepal. Photo: LWF/Albin Hillert
International partners call for “tangible improvements”
(LWI) – In a statement to the UN Human Rights Council last week, The Lutheran World Federation (LWF), and its international partners and local civil society partners in Nepal have called on the government of Nepal to continue working to implement human rights improvements for ethnic and religious minorities.
The recommendations as outlined in the UN Working Group Report were adopted by the UN Universal Periodic Review (UPR) on 8 July.
“We, The LWF, Finn Church Aid, the Finnish Evangelical Lutheran Mission, and local stakeholders in Nepal, hope the government of Nepal will prioritize these accepted recommendations to ensure tangible improvements in the situation of vulnerable groups in Nepal,” LWF’s Advocacy Officer for Human Rights, Dr Emmanuel Gore said.
Statement on Nepal Rights for Ethnic and Religious Minorities
The Lutheran World Federation, LWF and its international partners Finn Church Aid (FCA) and The Finnish Evangelical Lutheran Mission (FELM), and our local stakeholders in Nepal would like to commend the Government of Nepal for its constructive engagement with the Universal Periodical Review (UPR), mechanism during this third cycle review.
We call upon the government of Nepal to continue working closely with all national and local stakeholders in the implementation of the 195 accepted recommendations in the working group report that will be adopted by the council at the end of the session to ensure tangible improvements in the human rights situation through the UPR mechanism.
We ask the government to prioritize the implementation of accepted recommendations pertaining to the rights of ethnic and religious minorities in the areas of:
- Access to education;
- Timely and just rehabilitation packages;
- Rights to equality and non-discrimination for women and persons with disabilities in particular;
- Right to birth registration and citizenship;
- Access to land.
We also call on the international community to avail necessary technical and material support to Nepal to realize these rights.
Finally, LWF, FCA, FELM and our civil society partners in Nepal look forward to continued collaboration with the Government of Nepal and all relevant stakeholders.
Ms. Sanjay Nepali, a freed Haliya (laborer) and activist from Kanchanpur, Nepal read the statement in a video message to the council.
By LWF/A.Gray
Statement on UPR Nepal | Human Rights Council Session 47 from The Lutheran World Federation on Vimeo.
The 47th Regular Session of the UN Human Rights Council takes place from 21 June to 13 July 2021.
LWF participates in its sessions through statements, side events, and other activities. This is an integral part of LWF’s advocacy work.
