Chief Secretary of Karnali Province Government, Birendra Kumar Yadav, has expressed commitment to moving forward with the bill on the protection and promotion of human rights and human rights defenders through further discussions.
During a meeting held on April 2 with representatives from INSEC Karnali Province, the National Human Rights Commission, and members of the Human Rights Defenders Network, he stated that the bill would be advanced after consultations with stakeholders, including INSEC, in the coming days.
The meeting was attended by Chief of the National Human Rights Commission Karnali Province Office Ramesh Kumar Thapa, INSEC Karnali Province Coordinator Narayan Subedi, Human Rights Defenders Network Karnali Province Coordinator Pitambar Dhakal, former Chief Attorney Matrika Khanal, Advocacy Forum Karnali Province Coordinator Rajendra Bharti, and network member Sharmila BC, among others. The team held discussions with Chief Secretary Yadav and Law Secretary Nidhiraj Neupane regarding the bill.
Chief Secretary Yadav also stated that the bill would be moved forward as the Chief Minister has already issued a directive to proceed. The Council of Ministers meeting of the Karnali Province Government held on February 25 had decided to approve the bill related to the safety and protection of human rights defenders.
INSEC has long been advocating for the formulation of necessary legislation to protect the rights of human rights defenders working in Karnali Province. Under INSEC’s leadership, a draft of the proposed bill on human rights defenders was prepared in 2021/22. INSEC has also been coordinating and holding interactions with provincial assembly members, various committees, and ministers regarding the bill, as stated by Provincial Coordinator Subedi.
As part of the bill drafting process, based on the ministerial decision of February 6, the then Ministry of Internal Affairs and Law had sought necessary consent from the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Planning. Similarly, on February 11, a detailed discussion on the bill was organized by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Law, with participation from representatives of all ministries, the Chief Attorney, the National Human Rights Commission, INSEC, and the Human Rights Defenders Network Karnali Province. The discussion concluded with an agreement to make necessary revisions and coordination to expedite the bill.