Baram Indigenous Peoples, a highly marginalized Indigenous community, filed a case in the Supreme Court demanding autonomy. The court issued a directive order to the government of Nepal in December 2018 to devise necessary laws to ensure autonomy of Baram Indigenous Peoples for their socio-economic and cultural development.
Article 56(5) of the constitution and section 99 of the Local Government Operation Act 2017 has provisioned special, protected and autonomous regions for the socio-cultural and economic development of Indigenous Peoples. The 15th five year plan (2019-2024) of the government of Nepal is committed to implement those provisions. However, those legal provisions and court order have not been translated into action.
Therefore, an interaction with leaders of Baram Indigenous Peoples was held on 20 August 2022 to advance adocacy to Baram Autonomy.
Advocates Shakar Limbu, Dinesh Kumar Ghale and Durga Mani Rai (Yamphu) of LAHURNIP, who supported the community in the litigation process, have facilitated the interaction. In the interaction, philosophical aspects of indigenous autonomy, national and international laws linked autonomy, esssence of the court order and other jurisprudences including international practices of Indigenous autonomy were shared.
The interaction has formed a working group of 9 members to prepare the framework of Baram Autonomy and advocacy plan to influence the concerned stakeholders and duty bearers.
