On 19 July 2026, the Lawyers' Association for Human Rights of Nepalese Indigenous Peoples (LAHURNIP) and Indigenous Peoples Rights International (IPRI) submitted a joint communication to UN Special Procedures concerning alleged human rights violations arising from the Upper Tamor Hydropower Project (285 MW) and Tamor Khola 5 Hydropower Project (46.9 MW) in Taplejung District, Nepal.
The communication alleges that both projects have proceeded without the Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) of the affected Yakthung (Limbu) Indigenous Peoples, resulting in violations of their rights to self-determination, ancestral lands, culture, and livelihoods. It documents environmental degradation, destruction of sacred sites, depletion of water sources, biodiversity impacts within the Kanchenjunga Conservation Area, and intimidation and criminalization of Indigenous human rights defenders.
The submission calls on the Government of Nepal, project developers, and financiers to suspend project activities until FPIC is obtained, protect Indigenous rights defenders, provide effective remedies for affected communities, and comply with Nepal's constitutional obligations and international human rights standards, including UNDRIP, ILO Convention No. 169, and the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights
