The Constitution of Nepal has provisions for special, protected and autonomous regions for Indigenous Peoples. The Permanent Forum welcomes further progress towards realizing the provisions of the Constitution, including by considering the recommendations of the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination and of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women to Nepal in 2018 on respect for Indigenous Peoples’ rights to their traditional lands and resources and to self-determination.
The Permanent Forum recommends that the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and UNESCO reinforce quality education by building indigenous knowledge and culture into education programmes and curricula, including education for sustainable development and for natural disaster preparedness, and promoting the use of indigenous language as the medium of instruction. The important role of indigenous learning methodologies, including experiential learning with community members outside of the classroom, should also be included.
The Forum recognizes that: (a) Gender equality has a central role in development policy with a focus on poverty reduction, human rights and the Millennium Development Goals, in particular, economic, social, sexual and reproductive health and rights, including good governance and democratic institutions, and to the creation of a world where people live free from fear and want, in dignity and peace; (b) The elimination of gender disparity in primary and secondary education requires an improvement in access, continuity, quality, and management of women's education at all levels with cultural relevance