Kathmandu — On the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples, Ram Bahadur Thapamagar, chair of the Indigenous Nationalities Commission, spoke frankly about the slow progress in protecting indigenous rights. He said that even though the constitution and laws guarantee these rights, they haven’t really been put into action yet.
Thapamagar shared that his commission has given the government more than 60 recommendations across four reports. But sadly, less than 10 percent of these have been acted on. He urged the government to take these recommendations seriously and make sure they happen.
He also pointed out that indigenous people have long been asking to be fairly included in government decisions, but real inclusion is still missing. “Inclusion is our right, and it has to happen,” he said.
The commission keeps monitoring and advising the government, but real progress has been slow. Thapamagar said the government needs to do more and show that it genuinely cares about indigenous communities.
His message was simple: the government can’t wait any longer. It’s time to act and make sure indigenous rights are respected and put into practice—once and for all.
