“Youth for Social Transformation”, Intensive Discussion Program on the Occasion of IYD 2020 Successful 13th August 2020 On the occasion of International Youth Day, an intensive discussion program on “Youth for Social Transformation” was held via zoom. The Minister of Youth and Sports, Honorable Jagat Bishwokarma, was the chief guest for the program with Mr. [ Read more ]

Situation of Human Rights within Three Months of Lockdown (From March 24 2020 to June 24 2020) The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has been gradually diminishing the status of human rights in Nepal. With the country seeing a gradually increasing rate of coronavirus infections – other facets of human rights have been overshadowed and under-represented. Human [ Read more ]

Nepal: Ensure safety of returning migrant workers (Bangkok/Kathmandu, 12 June 2020) – Inadequate quarantine facilities and mismanagement of Nepal’s migrant workers returning from India could lead to a human rights crisis, rights groups said. In a joint statement, the Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA) and seven of its member organisations urge the [ Read more ]

In response to the crackdown on peaceful demonstrations outside of the Prime Minister Oli’s official residence in Kathmandu on 9 June 2020 against Government’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, FORUM-ASIA Executive Director Shamini Darshni Kaliemuthu said: What was clearly a peaceful demonstration adhering to physical distancing protocols turned violent when police cracked down on protestors, [ Read more ]

Nepal: End impunity for caste-based discrimination and killings (Bangkok/Kathmandu, 09 June 2020) – The recent killings and attacks against the Dalits exemplify the deep-rooted caste-based discrimination and impunity in Nepal and it must end, the Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA) and seven of its member organisations in Nepal, said. The attack against [ Read more ]

FORUM-ASIA organised its second Global Advocacy Learning Programme (GALP) on Human Rights and Development in Thailand on 27 October – 2 November 2018. Below is a case study written by one of the participants of the GALP in 2018. More information on GALP can be found here. Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this [ Read more ]

Nepal: Amendment Bill of National Human Rights Commission Act will weaken the National Human Rights Commission of Nepal (Kathmandu/Bangkok, 24 May 2019) – The Asian NGO Network on National Human Rights Institutions (ANNI) expresses its deep concern over a proposed bill to amend the National Human Rights Commission Act 2012 (NHRC Act 2012). The Government of [ Read more ]

For this month’s e-newsletter, FORUM-ASIA talked with Lubha Raj Neupane, Executive Director of Women’s Rehabilitation Centre (WOREC), a movement-based organisation from Nepal and new member of FORUM-ASIA. Lubha has been an advocate for the rights of women and children for a long time, and believes that women’s rights and social justice are prerequisites for peace and sustainable development in [ Read more ]

For this month’s e-newsletter, FORUM-ASIA talked to Dr. Suresh Kumar Dhakal, one of the newly elected Executive Committee Members of FORUM-ASIA and the Chairperson of Community Self Reliance Centre (CSRC), a member of FORUM-ASIA in Nepal. As a human rights defender, Suresh shared with us his experiences with the land rights movement, difficulties faced by the landless and smallholder farmers, and the [ Read more ]

Discussion Session on Press Freedom and Freedom of Expression in Nepal: Looking at the Problems in Legislation and Practice   17 January 2019 Kathmandu, Nepal *** According to the World Press Freedom Index, Nepal ranks second in South Asia in 2018, which positioned them at 106 among 180 countries worldwide in regards to press freedom. [ Read more ]