Rice and flour grinding mill handed over for women’s empowerment at Saleni Taar of Raksirang, Makwanpur

May 24, 2024

On 23 May 2024, CEMSOJ handed over a 4 horsepower dual hopper rice and flour grinding mill to Saleni Taar Pico Hydropower Users Committee for installation at Saleni Taar of Raksirang Rural Municipality, Ward no. 9 in Makwanpur district in southern Nepal.

In response to the request of the Committee, the mill is specifically aimed for socio-economic empowerment of the Indigenous Tamang and Chepang women from among the beneficiary families of the 6 kW pico hydropower plant that CEMSOJ had supported the Committee to set up and operate since last year by using the electricity from the plant not used during the daytime. The Committee has gradually increased its users from 35 to 48 over the year.

more …

Case Study: Tourism and Indigenous Peoples’ Rights in Nepal

November 1, 2023

Tourism industry plays and can further play a significant role for Nepal’s economy and prosperity, including in terms of environmental conservation. However, the industry has often entrenched marginalization of Indigenous Peoples in the country and resulted in violations of their rights, including in the context of establishment of protected areas, tourism establishments and businesses as well as representation of Indigenous image.

On many occasions, Indigenous Peoples have suffered loss of traditional lands and other violations of their rights in favor of tourism projects, which directly affects their lives and livelihoods. Particularly relevant is the establishment of protected areas, which have been mostly created by displacing Indigenous communities from their lands and resources. Concerningly, Indigenous communities have even been subjected to wide range of abuses, including killings, torture, arbitrary detentions, mistreatment, harassment as well as sexual violence against women at the hands of army, forest rangers and others in the context protected areas set up for environmental conservation and tourism.

Tourism establishments and business have also encroached upon lands and sacred sites of Indigenous communities in various parts of Nepal. Indigenous defenders and activists have faced retaliations and reprisals for raising their voices against violations of their rights and those of their communities in the context of such tourism undertakings, including at the hands of businesses.

more …

Tamakoshi V Hydroelectric Project: Early Warning Case Study

October 10, 2023

This case study on the Tamakoshi V Hydroelectric Project aims to analyze the impacts of the Project during its early stages of implementation in order to identify potential gaps in the accountability framework for the Project in line with the policies of its financier Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) as well as wider impacts of the Project in the context of cumulative impacts of the cascade dams being built or planned in the Tamakoshi River. Further, the case study seeks to look into the Project to determine if it is in line with the environmental sustainability and fiscal stability of Nepal.

The case study calls for calls for serious reassessment of the Project on the grounds of outdated feasibility study and inadequate information disclosure, lack of participation and consent of the affected communities, and potential cumulative environmental harms, among other concerns. It is based on desk review of the official Project documents, relevant policies of the AIIB and laws and policies of Nepal as well as media, governmental and non-governmental reports on the Project and other associated projects. While CEMSOJ has made initial efforts to reach out to the affected communities of the Project to understand their perspectives of and aspirations with the Project at the ground level, lack of such information gathered so far poses a major limitation for this study . In order to address that, it is planned that this study will later be complemented by field visits to the affected communities.

more …

Nepal’s Supreme Court directs the government to make legal, policy and implementation arrangements in line with Paris Agreement on climate change

September 1, 2023

Nepal’s Supreme Court has issued a directive order to the Government to make legal, policy and implementation arrangements in line with the 2015 Paris Agreement on climate change (also referred to as the Paris Climate Accords).

In its decision made dated 27 April on the public interest litigation filed by CEMSOJ, the Supreme Court ruled issued a directive order in the name of the Government to make necessary legal, policy and implementation arrangements in compliance with the commitments of international treaties and conventions, including the Paris Agreement, to conserve the environment, to sell, trade or consume forest products, including carbon, to arrange a fair distribution system of benefits.

more …

सर्वोच्च अदालतद्वारा जलवायु परिवर्तन सम्बन्धि पेरिस सम्झौता लगायतका प्रतिबद्धता अनुकूल हुने गरी आवश्यक कानूनी, नीतिगत तथा कार्यान्वयन व्यवस्था मिलाउन सरकारलाई निर्देशनात्मक आदेश

September 1, 2023

१ सेप्टेम्बर २०२३, काठमाडौँ

नेपालको सर्वोच्च अदालतले जलवायु परिवर्तन सम्बन्धि पेरिस सम्झौता लगायतका अन्तर्राष्ट्रिय सन्धि सम्झौताका प्रतिबद्धता अनुकूल हुने गरी आवश्यक कानूनी, नीतिगत तथा कार्यान्वयन व्यवस्था मिलाउन सरकारलाई निर्देशनात्मक आदेश जारी हुने ठहर गरेको छ । सामुदायिक सशक्तिकरण तथा सामाजिक न्याय फाउन्डेशन (सेम्सोज)द्वारा दर्ता गरिएको सार्वजनिक सरोकारको रिटमाथि यही बैशाख १४ गते (सन् २०२३ अप्रिल २७) फैसला गर्दै पर्यावरण संरक्षण गर्न, कार्वन लगायत वन पैदावारको माध्यमबाट उत्पादन हुने बस्तु/पदार्थको बिक्री व्यापार, कारोवार गर्न वा उपभोगमा ल्याउन, लाभको न्यायोचि वितरण व्यवस्था मिलाउन तत् सम्बन्धमा जलवायु परिवर्तन सम्बन्धि पेरिस सम्झौता लगायतका अन्तर्राष्ट्रिय सन्धि सम्झौताका प्रतिबद्धता अनुकूल हुने गरी आवश्यक कानूनी, नीतिगत तथा कार्यान्वयन व्यवस्था मिलाउन सरकारको नाउँमा निर्देशनात्मक आदेश जारी हुने ठहर गरेको हो ।

more …

AIPNEE and CEMSOJ’s joint submission to the UN Working Group on Business and Human Rights for its forthcoming country visit to Japan

July 17, 2023

Asia Indigenous Peoples Network on Extractive Industries and Energy (AIPNEE) and Community Empowerment and Social Justice Network (CEMSOJ) made a joint submission to the UN Working Group on Business and Human Rights on Monday for its forthcoming official country visit to Japan. The submission particularly focuses on the roles of Japanese institutions in providing assistance or financing projects that harm Indigenous Peoples in countries across Asia and the lack of accountability of those institutions to remedy such harms. It is based on our experiences of working with Indigenous communities that have faced or are facing human rights impacts due to energy and other projects reportedly or being (co-)financed by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA)[1] and the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC)[2].

The submission details the challenges that are faced in seeking accountability of these mechanisms and accordingly provides recommendations.

more …

6 kW Saleni Taar Pico Hydropower Project inaugurated in southern Nepal

June 9, 2023

On 8 June 2023, CEMSOJ inaugurated a 6 kW Saleni Taar Pico Hydropower Project at Khairang village of Raksirang rural municipality in remote hills of Makawanpur district in southern Nepal. The Project implemented under the second phase of CEMSOJ’s Community-based Renewable Energy Project (CbREP) initiative will bring stable hydroelectricity for the first time to between 40 to 60 indigenous Tamang and Chepang families in the area.

Thanks to the indigenous Tamang and Chepang communities’ members for putting their trust on us and contribution through labour for the Project, the Pawanka Fund for continued financial support to the CbREP initiative, the Right Energy Partnership with Indigenous Peoples (REP) for facilitating the support and the Asia Indigenous Peoples Network on Extractive Industries and Energy (AIPNEE) for fiscal sponsorship.

more …

AIPNEE and CEMSOJ’s joint submission on Development Finance Institutions and Human Rights to the UN

March 6, 2023

Below is the joint submission made by Asia Indigenous Peoples Network on Extractive Industries and Energy (AIPNEE) and Community Empowerment and Social Justice Network (CEMSOJ) to the UN Working Group on Business and Human Rights for their forthcoming report on “Development Finance Institutions (DFIs) and Human Rights”. The submission particularly focuses on the rights of indigenous peoples based on the experiences of AIPNEE and CEMSOJ of working with indigenous and other local communities that have faced or are facing human rights impacts due to energy and trade facilitation projects financed by various DFIs.

Click here for the PDF of the submission.

more …

Nepal: Stop State brutality against the Indigenous Tamangs and other Locals for the construction of Tamakoshi-Kathmandu 220/400 kV Transmission Line Project in Shankharapur, Kathmandu

January 25, 2023

CEMSOJ joins organizations and individuals worldwide in the following public statement issued to the concerned authorities of Nepal and the Asian Development Bank (ADB).

Nepal: Stop State brutality against the Tamang Indigenous Peoples and Locals

Stop the construction of Tamakoshi-Kathmandu 220/400 kV Transmission Line Project in Shankharapur-3, Kathmandu

We, the undersigned organizations and individuals, strongly condemn the ongoing repression by Nepal’s police and armed police forces on the indigenous Tamang and other locals in Bojheni village, Shankharapur municipality Ward no. 3 in the northeast of Kathmandu for the construction of Tamakoshi-Kathmandu 200/400 kV Transmission Line and its substation.

more …

Chepang settlement joyful as electricity reaches their village

April 4, 2022

Hetauda: For the first time, electricity has reached Runchebung Parsibang, a remote village of Raksirang Rural Municipality, Ward no. 9 in Makwanpur district of central Nepal. The extremely marginalized indigenous Chepangs of the village used to burn pine lamps for light in their houses as they did not have electricity although it was only at a distance of about 35 kilometers from the East-West Highway.

With the inauguration of a peltric set-based pico-hydropower plant to provide electricity to the village on Sunday, the Chepang community has got rid of darkness. The plant was set up with the financial assistance from Community Empowerment and Social Justice Network (CEMSOJ) and Raksirang Rural Municipality as well as labor contribution of the locals, who were overjoyed as the 4kW plant came into operation.

more …