62nd regular session of the UN Human Rights Council
Item 6: Adoption of Universal Periodic Review outcomes of Nepal
Oral statement delivered by Ahmed Adam
On behalf of Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA), International Commission of Jurists, Peace Brigades International and Good Shepherd International Justice and Peace
30 June 2026
Mr. President,
We welcome Nepal’s engagement with the Universal Periodic Review and its support for 224 recommendations, including commitments to protect freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and association, and strengthen transitional justice. However, many of the recommendations Nepal only noted concern the legal and institutional reforms necessary to make these commitments meaningful. These include recommendations to establish independent accountability mechanisms for state violence, adopt comprehensive anti-discrimination legislation, and remove statutes of limitation for sexual violence offences.
Recent developments underscore the importance of meaningful implementation of these commitments. During the September 2025 protests, seventy-seven people were killed, many reportedly after security forces used lethal force. Although the Government committed to an inquiry, investigation reports remain unpublished, and no one has been held accountable. At the same time, the draft bill to dissolve the Social Welfare Council and shift regulatory authority over NGOs and INGOs from the Ministry of Women, Children and Senior Citizens to the Ministry of Home Affairs — despite opposition from more than thirty civil society federations — risk further restricting the enabling environment for civil society and contradicts with Nepal’s commitment to protect freedom of association and ensure meaningful civic participation.
Similarly, while Nepal accepted recommendations to strengthen transitional justice and prohibit amnesties for gross human rights violations, it did not support recommendations to amend the transitional justice law that includes the arbitrary classification of human rights violations, creating a situation where even international crimes such as war crimes and crimes against humanity may enjoy amnesty. Nepal further declined key reforms sought by victims and survivors, including removing the three-month limitation period for complaints before transitional justice bodies and abolishing statutes of limitation for reporting rape and other sexual violence. Following the dismissal of the commissioners of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and the Commission of Investigation on Enforced Disappeared Persons in May 2026, Nepal should ensure that new appointments are made through an independent, impartial and transparent process and that the transitional justice process is genuinely victim- and survivor-centred, guaranteeing truth, reparations and justice.
Many of the recommendations Nepal noted reflect the demands raised during the September 2025 protests for accountability, institutional reform and equal rights, and are consistent with the Government’s stated commitment to democratic governance. We therefore urge Nepal to fully implement its UPR commitments in full consultation with and participation of civil society and affected communities.
Thank you.
