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 Today, Nepal’s human rights situation is going to be reviewed for the first time under the United Nations Universal Periodic Review (UPR) mechanism. In a submission issued by FIAN International to the UPR working group, several cases of violations of the right to food are denounced. FIAN calls for increased efforts of the Nepali state towards the realization of the right to food and eradication of hunger in the country. The UPR is a mechanism of the UN Human Rights Council created in 2006 and aims at reviewing compliance with human rights obligations of all UN member states. In a submission to the UPR working group, FIAN International acknowledges that the state of Nepal has taken many steps towards better recognition of the right to food – the country has incorporated certain right to food relevant articles as well as a provision for food sovereignty in its interim constitution, and has ratified all major international instruments recognizing the right to food. “However”, says Sabine Pabst, country officer for South Asia at FIAN International, “hunger and malnutrition in Nepal is still widespread and affects at least 4 million of its population. Major causes are lack of proper distribution of resources, and missing assertion of rights of marginalized and vulnerable groups. So far the structures have not been implemented in order to get impact in the effective realization of the right to adequate food of Nepal citizens.” In its report FIAN highlights a number of cases of right to food violations, which are not adequately addressed by the state of Nepal, like forced evictions of peasant families from their land, denied access to natural resources of indigenous people, inadequate agricultural policy and support for farmers, and lack of safety nets for the most vulnerable. Inadequate rehabilitation programs in cases of emergencies are reported frequently, for example the case of Laxmanpur Dam: This dam, built across the Rapti River very near to the Indo-Nepal Border in mid-west Nepal causes severe inundation during each monsoon season affecting more than 3000 families, who are facing the danger of losing their lives, their agricultural lands and their food grains. Most of the families are peasants and their land is their major source of livelihood. Although in the meantime a drainage is being constructed to allow the natural flow of the river and prevent further severe flooding, a comprehensive rehabilitation program including consultation of the affected people is not in place. Among the suggestions towards the Nepal government, FIAN asks the state to create procedures for reporting and facilitating access to judicial or administrative remedies. Nepal being mainly an agrarian country is also asked to implement genuine land reform particularly to guarantee access to land for the rural population as well as to adopt a comprehensive national policy and legislative framework for the eradication of hunger and realization of the human right to food in Nepal. FIAN was also part of another submission prepared by the German Dialogue-Forum for the Promotion of Peace and Human Rights in Nepal, in which besides the right to food violations also other human rights violations in Nepal are highlighted.
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| Last Updated on Tuesday, 25 January 2011 14:27 http://indigenouspeoplesissues.com/index.php/components/images/stories/attachments/article/5734/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=8600:nepal-nepal-under-scrutiny-at-human-rights-council&catid=63:central-asia-indigenous-peoples&Itemid=85 |
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