Nepal President Bidhya Devi Bhandari yesterday said the constitution had given top priority to human rights in the country.
Inaugurating the International Human Rights Conference in Kathmandu, the Nepali president said the constitution has incorporated provisions of inclusion and proportional representation as fundamental rights along with human rights as guaranteed by the United
Nations.
Stating that the new constitution was undoubtedly extremely progressive, the head of Nepal state said it is now the responsibility of the government to draft required laws necessary for implementation of the guaranteed fundamental rights.
President Bhandari said the comprehensive Peace Accord had provided a framework for transitional justice. “We should leave no stone unturned to internalise and embrace the mechanisms established to provide justice to conflict victims,” the president said, adding the government is duty-bound to resolve problems that have emerged in
attainment of transitional
justice.
She hoped that strong attempts would be made to end impunity.
National Human Rights Commission chairman Anup Raj Sharma said that overall challenges encountered by human rights institutions would be discussed in the conferences. “Almost all the countries of South Asia region faced common challenges of impunity, endemic violence and institutional discrimination, which would be discussed in the three-day
conference.”
More than 50 international representatives from over 20 countries of South Asia and Asia Pacific region, including chairpersons and commissioners of the national human rights institutions of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Maldives, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Myanmar, and Jordan, are taking part in the conference.
Likewise, chair of Asia Pacific Forum, Geneva Representative of Global Alliance for National Human Rights Institutions along with international experts on human rights were also present, according to the NHRC.
The NHRC said that Kathmandu declaration would be
issued after the conference.
President Bidhya Devi Bhandari
