Adivasi/Janajati Vrihat Morcha (Indigenous Peoples' Mega Front), Nepal

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Adivasi/Janajati Vrihat Morcha
(Indigenous Peoples' Mega Front), Nepal
 
Press Communiqué
Respected Journalists/Media persons friends,
Adivasi/Janajati Vrihat Morcha, (Indigenous Peoples' Mega Front) Nepal has been formed on
2066 Mangsir 6 (21 November 2009, N.S. 1130 Thinlathwa 5) with an objective to launch a
powerful struggle in order to ensure the immediate implementation of the agreements signed
between the State and Adivasi/Janajati parties and organizations regarding the rights of the
Adivasi/Janajatis in the new Constitution being drafted by the Constituent Assembly, such as
federalism, democratic republic, right to self-determination, ethnic autonomy and selfgovernance, secularism, polynational state, linguistic equality, distinct identity of the
Adivasi/Janajatis along with their land, political preferential rights and gender equality on the
basis of the future restructuring of the State, based on historic and ethnic, linguistic and
regional grounds and as has been ensured by such documents as United Nations Declaration
on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and the  International Labour Organization Convention
No. 169 to which Nepal is a State party.
The powerful struggle also aims at ensuring ethnic autonomy and self-governance along with
self-determination on the basis of ethnic historical backgrounds and languages as we have
wished, as well as the natural rights and interests of the Adivasi/Janajatis while assembling
and organizing the movement of the Adivasi/Janajatis on a national level.
The Adivasi/Janajati Vrihat Assembly, organized at Chumlung Him, Kirat Yakthung
Chumlung, Tikhedewal, Lalitpur on 21 November 2009 (2066 Mangsir 6, Saturday, N.S.
1130 Thinlathwa 5) prepared a Letter of Basic Agreement (attached herewith). The Letter of
Basic Agreement has endorsed such issues as identifying 22-point common issues of the
Adivasi/Janajatis, ensuring 13-points in the new Constitution and ensuring the rights of the
Adivasi/Janajatis in the process of constitution building.
In the process of constitution building, a  thematic committee and other appropriate
mechanisms should be established in the  Constituent Assembly by 2066 Mangsir 19 in
accordance with the provisions of international law, the early warning letter sent to the
Government of Nepal on 13 March 2009 and the follow-up letter sent on 28 September 2009
by the Committee of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of  Racial
Discrimination, and the recommendations forwarded on 20 July 2009 by the Special
Rapporteur on the situation of human rights and fundamental freedoms of indigenous people,
in order to seek prior and informed consent of the Adivasi/Janajatis and to ensure meaningful
and effective representation of the Adivasi/Janajatis. Moreover, the constitutional principles,
Preamble, Articles, Clauses, Appendices and other provisions related with, and instrumental
to the issues of, the Adivasi/Janajatis should be endorsed as well  as separate provisions
should be made regarding the identity and collective rights of the Adivasi/Janajatis only after
obtaining free, prior and informed consent through the said mechanism. In addition, as
recommended by the Committee of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial
Discrimination, the mechanism and process of obtaining free, prior and informed consent
through the representatives selected in accordance with the traditions of the Adivasi/Janajatis
should be established and ensured within the given deadline. Besides, the Government should
endorse the Plan of Action (POA) submitted by the Task Force of the Government in order to
implement the International Labour Organization Convention No. 169 by 2066 Mangsir 19.
A letter of memorandum regarding the common  issues of the Adivasi/Janajatis mentioned
above, rights to be ensured in the process of constitution building and issues to be
compulsorily incorporated in the new constitution has already been submitted to the
Chairperson of the Constituent Assembly on 2066 Mangsir 11 and to the Prime Minister of
the Government of Nepal on 2066 Mangsir 12 (both the letters of memorandum are attached
herewith). We are compelled to declare the programmes of the first phase of struggle of the
Adiwasi/Janajati Vrihat Morcha, Nepal (Indigenous People's Forum, Nepal) from Mangsir
21, 2066 [6 December 2009] to Paush 14, 2066 [29 December 2009] if the Government of
Nepal, which has always been illiberal and indifferent towards the issues of the
Adivasi/Janajatis, fails to address our genuine,  just and legal demands as mentioned in the
letters of memorandum, by Mangsir 19 [4 December 2009]. (Attached herewith are the
programmes of the first phase of struggle.)
Struggle Committee:
1. Secretary  - Dr. Krishna Bhattachan, Adivasi/Janajati Intellectual
Sd
2. Member Struggle Committee - Pasang Sherpa, Nepal  Federation of Indigenous
Nationalities
3. Member Struggle Committee - Soma Rai, National Federation of Adiwasi/Janajati
Women  Sd
4. Member Struggle Committee - Naresh Tamrakar, Newa: Deya Dabu (Representative,
Jatiya Samstha (Hills))
5. Member Struggle Committee - Basant Sherchan, Thakali Sewa Samiti
(Representative, Jatiya Samstha (Himalayas))
6. Member Struggle Committee - Dhan Bahadur Majhi, Nepal Majhi Utthan Sangh
(Representative, Jatiya Samstha (Terai)) for Sd
7. Member Struggle Committee - Virsu Lal Uranw, Nepal Jhangad (Uranw) Kodem
Sudhara (Representative, Jatiya Samstha (Terai))
8. Member Struggle Committee - Laxman Tharu, Tharuhat Autonomy State Council
(Federal Democratic Republic Forum)  Sd
9. Member Struggle Committee - Kumar Lingden, Federal Limbuwan State Council
(Federal Democratic Republic Forum)  Sd
10. Member Struggle Committee - Kumar Rai, Adivasi/Janajati Sabhasad Sabha  Sd
11. Member Struggle Committee - Suresh Ale Magar, Adivasi-Jatiya-Chhetriya
Mahasangh, Nepal (Representative, Political Parties
Sister Organizations)
12. Member Struggle Committee - Vijay Sainju, Nepa: National Party
13. Member Struggle Committee - Sanjuhang Palungwa, Federal Limbuwan State
Council  Sd
14. Member Struggle Committee - Minraj Chaudhari, Nepal Adivasi/Janajati Students
Federation
15. Member Struggle Committee - Sopa Magar, Adivasi Students Society  Sd
16. Member Struggle Committee - Anjana Tamli, National Federation of Adivasi/Janajati
Women, District Coordination Council  Sd
17. Member Struggle Committee - Shukra Bahadur Majhi, Nepal Adivasi/Janajati
Federation, District Coordination Council  Sd
18. Member Struggle Committee - Nagendra Kumal, Adivasi/Janajati Highly
Marginalised Community   Sd
19. Member Struggle Committee - Lokendra Jero Kirati, Adivasi/Janajati Community
Due to be Registered
20. Member Struggle Committee - Dinesh Ghale, Adivasi/Janajati Professional and
Vocational Organization (Lahurnip)  Sd
21. Member Struggle Committee - Bharat Shrestha, Nepal Adivasi/Janajati Youth
Federation  Sd
22. Member Struggle Committee - Yam Bahadur Kulung, Federation of Adivasi/Janajati
Nongovernmental Organizations  Sd
Date: Sunday, Magsir 14, 2066 (29 November 2009) (N.S. 1130 Thinlathwa 12).
Venue: Centre for Constitutional Dialogue, Hall, New Baneshwore, Kathmandu.
Sd Sd Sd Sd Sd Sd

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