Lawyers' Association for Human Rights of Nepalese Indigenous Peoples (LAHURNIP)
Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA), a state owned corporation, is implementing the project called '220 kV Marshyadi corridor transmission line project' in Lamjung district, Gandaki province. The project is to transport the electricity towards Kathmandu and India. This project is a part of Nepal Power System Expansion Project (PSEP) in which the European Investment Bank (EIB) is funding nearly 100 million euro. The PSEP is a component of the South Asia Sub regional Economic Cooperation Power System Expansion Project largely funded by the Asian Development Bank.
Gurung, Tamang , Ghale indigenous communities – together with other non-indigenous communities –are affected by the project. The project has been initiated violating National and international laws including social and environmental standards and principles of the European Investment Bank (EIB). LAHURNIP and Accountability Counsel (AC), a US based organization, have been providing legal support to the affected communities.
In October 2018, the FPIC & Rights Forum, a collective of affected communities, filed a complaint with the EIB’s Complaints Mechanism requesting mediation to help resolve their issues with project financiers, promoters and government authorities. The EIB’s CM conducted an initial assessment in March 2019 and issued an assessment report in July 2019 offering to facilitate a dialogue between the community and the NEA. Unfortunately, the NEA refused mediation now CM is undertaking an investigation into whether the EIB complied with its social and environmental rules. FPIC & Rights Forum has developed FPIC Protocol with the technical support of LAHURNIP and launched it on 8 October 2020.
The EIB CM has issued Conclusion Report on April 22, 2021 that suggested the EIB must take urgent steps to respect IPs rights to FPIC. The report stated that the NEA has not fulfilled the conditions for the disbursement and recommended the EIB to provide the further financing for the project if the project company meets certain social and environmental benchmarks. The FPIC & Rights Forum, LAHURNIP and Accountability Counsel issued a joint press release.
Media Coverage
8 September 2021 : Communities in Nepal resist forcible land acquisition by harmful EU funded infrastructure project : https://www.accountabilitycounsel.org/2021/09/communities-in-nepal-resist-forcible-land-acquisition-by-harmful-eu-funded-infrastructure-project/?fbclid=IwAR3ZMqekoyvqiHqUoXPkKzFPg1YxgP1dBr2TCWBkhAENF1KA6ZkHmRWHb8U
18 June 2021 : लमजुङका २२० केभी पीडितको गुनासोपछि यूरोपेली लगानी बैंकद्वारा प्राधिकरणको भुक्तानी रोक्ने चेतावनी : http://mulkhabar.com/2021/06/18/%e0%a5%a8%e0%a5%a8%e0%a5%a6-%e0%a4%95%e0%a5%87%e0%a4%ad%e0%a5%80-%e0%a4%aa%e0%a5%80%e0%a4%a1%e0%a4%bf%e0%a4%a4%e0%a4%95%e0%a5%8b-%e0%a4%97%e0%a5%81%e0%a4%a8%e0%a4%be%e0%a4%b8%e0%a5%8b%e0%a4%aa/?fbclid=IwAR3Lqo7Vp92_wckbWk9qaMqLnbzg73gCcKVws1JEnZ34q9zu0m_7j6MgV7M#
17 June 2021 : मापदण्ड पूरा नगरे प्राधिकरणको बाँकी भुक्तानी रोक्ने यूरोपेली लगानी बैंकको चेतावनी : https://imagekhabar.com/news/233972/?fbclid=IwAR39J-fDFwPASxA_RTUd4pVTRJUO7-nUN_RUVFknzf0qzk1eXC9iqUgT_tQ
17 June 2021 : अन्ततः जनताको जीत भयो, प्राधिकरणलाई ८५ करोड नोक्सान हुन सक्ने : हाईटेन्सनलाइन पीडितलाई राहत :https://www.antaranganews.com/2021/06/blog-post_45.html
4 May 2021 : Report criticizes EIB over Nepal energy project : https://www.devex.com/news/report-criticizes-eib-over-nepal-energy-project-99780
30 April 2021 : Rare win for Nepal indigenous groups as EIB admits 'gaps' in hydropower project : https://thehimalayantimes.com/nepal/rare-win-for-nepal-indigenous-groups-as-eib-admits-gaps-in-hydropower-project?fbclid=IwAR06ZGKFwA_1wwOCzeYPwIJXyAsXh3rwrrwFihRWolV59RVHBan3P_Zkhyw
30 April 2021 : Rare win for Nepal indigenous groups as EIB admits 'gaps' in hydropower projec : https://news.trust.org/item/20210430085449-xzhlg/
9 November 2020 : EU bank supports projects linked to human rights violations, NGOs claim : https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2020/nov/09/eu-bank-supports-projects-linked-to-human-rights-violations-ngos-claim
28 October 2020 : Community voices: interview with a Nepalese indigenous community affected by a transmission line project : https://rightsindevelopment.
9 August 2018 --ELAW Bulletin : Protecting the Rights of Indigenous Peoples in Nepal : https://elaw.org/protecting-rights-indigenous-peoples-nepal
- 9 January 2020 Von Luxemburg nach Lamjung By Shankar Limbu, LAHURNIP in Südasien
- 11 October 2019 European Commission criticises the EIB’s role as a development bank By Counter Balance
- 15 August 2019 European donor to audit power utility’s compliance with rules By Prahlad Rijal, The Kathmandu Post
- 10 August 2019 Utility refuses to join resolution process proposed by Complaints Mechanism By Prahlad Rijal, The Kathmandu Post
- 15 October 2018 Nepal and the China-EU Lending Race By Peter Gill, The Diplomat
- 9 October 2018 २२० केभी राष्ट्रिय प्रसारण लाइन प्रभावितद्वारा उजुरी By the Naya Patrika Daily
- 10 August 2018 Indigenous people demand their say in power project By Bibek Subedi, Kathmandu Post
- 9 August 2018 Protecting the Rights of Indigenous Peoples in Nepal By ELAW
- 4 March 2018 जलविद्युत् आयोजनाविरुद्ध लमजुङवासी आन्दोलित By the Naya Patrika Daily
- 11 September 2017 Bharatpur-Manang power line to be built By Aash Gurung, Kathmandu Post
ARTICLES
- 1 May 2020 The Missing Piece of Nepal’s MCC Debate By Anirudha Nagar, Accountability Counsel, in The Diplomat
- 7 May 2019 Communities Call for the Construction of the 220 kV Marsyangdi Corridor to Be Paused By Shankar Limbu, LAHURNIP, and Siddharth Akali, Accountability Counsel; in The Record
- 29 November 2018 Web of Concerns Over Transmission Lines in Nepal By Siddharth Akali, Accountability Counsel, & Shankar Limbu, LAHURNIP, in The Third Pole
- 8 August 2018 Why Lamjung communities are demanding EU funded energy project respect rights By Siddharth Akali, Accountability Counsel, & Shankar Limbu, LAHURNIP, in The Record