PBI-Nepal supports NepalMonitor.org

Peace Brigades International supports NepalMonitor.org, a Collective Campaign for Peace(COCAP) protection and conflict prevention initiative. COCAP is a Kathmandu-based national network of 43 peace and human rights non-governmental organizations.

As readers will know, Nepal is a country in South Asia bordered by China to the north and India to the south.

The Peace Brigades International – PBI 2018 Annual Review notes that, “Two international and five Nepali staff members based in Kathmandu coordinated the Nepal Monitor, an initiative established to provide protection and to prevent conflict by mapping security incidents and human rights violations in the country.”

The Nepal Monitor has just posted on its Facebook page, “Last week our Training and Outreach team led by Ambika Paudell celebrated the end of our first Peer Learning Programme for WHRDs [women human rights defenders].”

The “WHRD Peer Learning Programme Session Six: Proposal and Report Writing” took place from June 19-21 at the Hotel Pacific in Lahan.

Lahan is a municipality located about 260 kilometres south-east of the capital city of Kathmandu in the Siraha District of Province 2.

The Nepal Monitor adds, “Our graduating group; all from from either Dhanusa District Siraha District or Saptari District of Nepal Province 2 had sessions on proposal writing and report writing. We are also highly excited for the future of our WHRD Network in Province 2.”

Province No. 2, Nepal’s second most populous province, is located in the southeastern region of the country. PBI has commented that it is a region that faces significant challenges in dealing with high rates of gender-based violence and discrimination.

In June 2017, ahead of an election in Province 2, Amnesty International also noted that it is a region where it “has documented serious human rights violations, particularly at the hands of the security forces, including the unlawful use of excessive and lethal force, torture and other ill-treatment, and arbitrary detention.”

Human Rights Watch adds, “Nepal’s new constitution was adopted in September 2015, but violent protests over the lack of greater inclusion for minority communities have stalled efforts to enforce rights protections. Successive governments have made little progress on accountability for abuses during the 1996-2006 civil war, which claimed more than 13,000 lives.”

The ten-year long Nepalese Civil War, also known as the Maoist Conflict, was an armed conflict between the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) and the government of Nepal. The insurgency overthrew the Nepalese monarchy and established a republic.

The current prime minister of Nepal is Khadga Prasad Sharma Oli of the Nepal Communist Party.

Peace Brigades International has previously noted, “Both the Maoist insurgents and government forces committed human rights and humanitarian law violations including extrajudicial execution, torture, displacement, arbitrary arrests and detention. None of those responsible have yet been held to account.”

PBI provided accompaniment to human rights defenders in Nepal from 2006 to 2013. During that time it developed NepalMonitor.org as a tool for the protection of human rights defenders. The website mapped human rights incidents and issued alerts.

As noted at the top of this post, the Nepal Monitor is now a COCAP initiative supported by Peace Brigades International.