UN Human Rights Expert To Visit Nepal To Assess Poverty

GENEVA (24 November 2021) – The UN Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights, Olivier De Schutter, will visit Nepal from 29 November to 9 December 2021 to examine the Government’s efforts to alleviate poverty.

"Nepal has taken impressive steps to reduce multidimensional poverty in recent years,” said De Schutter, an independent expert appointed by the Human Rights Council to monitor, report, and advise on poverty and human rights.

“I welcome the Government’s commitment to further reduce it by more than half and to cover 60 percent of the population with some form of social protection by 2024. My visit will be an opportunity to assess progress towards these goals and recommend how the government can best support those in poverty.”

As Nepal recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic, floods and landslides, and begins to implement constitutional provisions to protect the most vulnerable, De Schutter plans to look at the adequacy of the social protection system, including protections for the estimated 77 percent of informal workers in the country. Other issues include how Nepal guarantees access to land without discrimination, and the situation of groups disproportionately impacted by poverty.

De Schutter will hold policy roundtables and meetings in Kathmandu and in Karnali and Lumbini provinces, as well as Province 2. He will meet with national and local government officials, individuals and communities affected by poverty, as well as international and civil society organizations. A preliminary schedule of the visit is available here.

The visit of the Special Rapporteur is grounded in extensive input and research in advance of the mission, including a review of publicly available information, more than 30 advance consultations with Nepali organizations and experts, and a dozen written submissions from researchers, civil society, international organizations, and others.

At the end of his visit, the Special Rapporteur will share his preliminary conclusions and recommendations at a news conference – in person and live-streamed – on 9 December 2021 at 12:00 noon local time. Physical access will be strictly limited to journalists, who will be sent details in advance. Details will also be available on the Special Rapporteur's website.

The final report of the Special Rapporteur will be presented to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva in June 2022.

Mr. Olivier De Schutter was appointed UN Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights by the UN Human Rights Council on 1 May 2020. The Special Rapporteurs are part of what is known as the Special Procedures of the Human Rights Council. Special Procedures, the largest body of independent experts in the UN Human Rights system, is the general name of the Council's independent fact-finding and monitoring mechanisms that address either specific country situations or thematic issues in all parts of the world. Special Procedures experts work on a voluntary basis; they are not UN staff and do not receive a salary for their work. They are independent from any government or organisation and serve in their individual capacity.

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