The Nepalese government should ensure that its future law regulating non-governmental organizations (NGO) in the country does not violate the right to freedom of association or place excessive constraints on their activities, a prominent international watchdog said on Thursday
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 14th November, 2019) The Nepalese government should ensure that its future law regulating non-governmental organizations (NGO) in the country does not violate the right to freedom of association or place excessive constraints on their activities, a prominent international watchdog said on Thursday.The current government of Nepal has authorized the Home Ministry to draft a new legislation on regulating and supervising non-governmental organizations, while under the previous government, the Social Welfare Council was responsible for all issues concerning such organizations. Activists are expressing concerns that the move threatens NGOs' independence and could entail excessive control and further restrictions.
"Non-governmental organizations need to be independent so that they can hold the government accountable, criticize policies, propose alternative ideas, and represent different points of view. The Nepal government's recent attempts to place constraints on groups rings alarm bells for democracy and human rights," Meenakshi Ganguly, the South Asia director at the Human Rights Watch (HRW), said.
Jitbir Lama, the president of NGO Federation Nepal, warned that the future legislation by the Home Ministry could substantially complicate the work of NGOs in the country.
"We are concerned if the ministry is focusing on controlling non-government organizations, instead of regulating and facilitating them," Lama pointed out, as quoted by the HRW.
While Nepalese NGOs agree that certain regulations are indeed needed, for example, in the financial sphere, to prevent corruption, they also stress that it is crucially important to not hinder "the fundamental right of citizens to organize and campaign on issues of their choosing," the HRW concluded.
