On July 25, 2022, the Dignity Initiative hosted a conference to commemorate the 30th Anniversary of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious, and Linguistic Minorities in Nepal. This event was jointly organized with the Indigenous Media Foundation to assess the progress made over the past three decades and to address the challenges faced by marginalized groups in Nepal. The conference emphasized the importance of collaborative efforts to combat structural discrimination, hate speech, and the disproportionate impact of the recent COVID-19 pandemic on these communities.
The conference featured two engaging sessions designed to address key issues affecting marginalized communities in Nepal. The opening remarks were delivered by Mr. Dev Kumar Sunuwar, UN Indigenous Fellow (2010), setting the stage for the discussions to follow.
Thr first session was moderated by Bhakta Bishwokarma, General Secretary of the Asia Dalit Rights Forum (ADRF), and the presenters included Tek Tamrakar, a human rights lawyer representing Dalit interests; Madhesh rights activist Tula Narayan Shah, and women rights activist Kailash Rai. This session concluded with a lively Q&A segment, allowing participants to engage directly with the speakers.
Second session also featured a diverse panel moderated by Kumar Yatru, a senior journalist and executive editor of the Indegeneous Television. The presentations were made by Shakti Kumar Bamshakar from Muslim community, Manisha Dhakal, Executive Director, Blue Diamond Society, Nepaln and Nanda Kandangwa, an indegeneous rights activist. They brought the issues of their respective communities to the attention of the broader public. This session further enriched the dialogue, fostering an inclusive conversation on the rights and challenges of various marginalized groups.
The organizers selected six social scientists, academics, activists, and emerging scholars to write papers on various themes. During two academic sessions, participants presented their research on contemporary issues affecting minority groups, including women, Dalits, Indigenous Peoples, Muslims, and Madhesis, as well as cross-sectional themes. At the conclusion of the conference, Rup Sunar, Executive Head of Dignity Initiative, delivered a closing speech summarizing the discussions.
Following the conference, the six papers were compiled and published. Each presentation, along with the open discussions, was visually documented and edited for broadcast on television channels. Further, the content was made available on YouTube and other social media platforms, ensuring a broader reach and engagement with the topics discussed.