NEPAL – National NGO workshop in sets plans for its first Universal Periodic Review submission
16 April 2010 1:18 am

A total of 36 participants from Nepali human rights NGOs, networks and academia participated in a workshop jointly organized by FORUM-ASIA and its member organisation INSEC from 11-13 April in Godavari, Nepal. The workshop comprised of a training and consultation on the Universal Periodic Review (UPR), which Nepal will undergo in February 2011.
A total of 36 participants from Nepali human rights NGOs, networks and academia participated in a workshop jointly organized by FORUM-ASIA and its member organisation INSEC from 11-13 April in Godavari, Nepal. The workshop comprised of a training and consultation on the Universal Periodic Review (UPR), which Nepal will undergo in February 2011.
 
The UPR is one of the newer mechanisms of the UN Human Rights Council, it was first implemented in 2008 and presents a unique opportunity every 4 years to conduct a broad evaluation of the general human rights situation of the country under review. The UPR considers three documentations presented to the Working Group, which is made up of member and observer states.
 
The reports include the national report which is compiled by the State, the UN report which is compiled by the Office of the High Commissioner of Human Rights (OHCHR) and the stakeholders report which is compiled by NGOs and civil society but can also include any groups which have a stake on the human rights situation of a given country, including private sector and academia.
 
The National NGO Workshop on the UPR of Nepal began with a 1-day training on the UPR process. Though many of the groups involved have had considerable experiences in drafting alternative reports to Treaty Bodies, primarily facilitated through their Human Rights Treaty Monitoring Coordination Committee (HRTMCC), the UPR mechanism presented a new opportunity for international advocacy.
 
The second day presented an opportunity for participants to engage in a consultation to decide on the priority human rights issues to be included in the 10-page joint submission of NGOs in Nepal. A number of issues were identified, including peace process and constitutional drafting; transitional justice; impunity and the rule of law; right to life, liberty and security of persons; freedom of expression; freedom of association; right to food; right to land; right to health; child rights; labour rights; rights of persons with disabilities; child rights; women's right; caste-based discrimination and the rights of refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs).
 
Participants were also able to decide on strategic timelines and areas for advocacy at their national level as well as in Geneva. The UPR of Nepal comes at a timely juncture as Nepal's Constitutional Assembly seems to face difficulty in completing the constitution-drafting process by the deadline of 20 May 2010. Though it remains questionable what the outcome will be, the UPR early next year will be the first public and international review of Nepal's human rights situation after this important landmark event.