Lawyers' Association for Human Rights of Nepalese Indigenous Peoples (LAHURNIP)August 19, 2021
The local government has declared a cultural protected area that covers the ancient settlements of Newa Indigenous Peoples of Kirtipur Municipality - a part of the ancestral land of Newa Indigenous Peoples that is located in the Kathmandu valley, 5 KM south-west of Kathmandu city.
Kirtipur is one of the municipalities of Kathmandu valley, and was listed as a UNESCO’s cultural heritage site in 2008. It is an outstanding example of the medieval art and architecture of the Newa civilization of the Kathmandu Valley.
On 7 July 2021, the local government brought a new law to establish a cultural protected area considering ILO Convention 169. UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, Article 18 of the constitution and section 102 and 9 (3) of the Local Government Operation Act, 2017. The law has provisioned a protection committee to govern the protected area that involves the leaders of different customary institutions of Newa IPs, Indigenous leaders and activists and cultural experts.
The Newa Indigenous Peoples were making demands for the past 2 years to declare Kritpur as a cultural protected area to exercise the right to self-determination. LAHURNIP has provided technical support to the Newa IPs to advance their community advocacy.