A/HRC/61/41/Add.1 situation of minorities and Dalits in Nepal. He sincerely extends his gratitude to the interim Government of Nepal for the support and the invaluable cooperation of the Permanent Mission of Nepal to the United Nations Office and other international organizations in Geneva and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He appreciates the full cooperation extended to him in fulfilment of his mandate prior to, during and after his visit. He expresses his gratitude to the United Nations Resident Coordinator in Nepal, Office of the Resident Coordinator and the United Nations country team, as well as the interpreters and drivers, for the helpful logistical support. He also expresses his gratitude to the interns from the University of Geneva who supported the preparation of the country visit.3 II. Objectives of the visit 6. The objectives of the visit were to identify, in a spirit of cooperation and constructive dialogue, good practices and to address existing gaps and challenges in the promotion and protection of the human rights of persons belonging to national or ethnic, religious and linguistic minority groups in Nepal, in conformity with the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on minority issues. 7. The mission’s overall purpose was to identify ways of improving the effective implementation of international obligations in relation to the human rights of minorities through a close review of existing legislation, policies and practices for the protection and promotion of the rights of minorities. III. General context 8. Nepal is a landlocked country in the Himalayas in South Asia, bordered by India and China. Nepal was never colonized by any power and was unified as the Kingdom of Nepal in 1768. During the Rana dynasty, from 1846 to 1951, Nepal was largely isolated from the rest of the world, which helped it to retain its sovereignty, but delayed its economic development.4 In the 1990s, following the 1990 People’s Movement, Nepal transitioned from being an absolute monarchy to a constitutional monarchy, as a violent conflict erupted between the Government and Maoist insurgents, leading to an armed struggle.5 The war was driven by grievances of poverty, inequality and discrimination against marginalized communities.6 Nepal abolished its monarchy in 2008 and was declared a federal democratic republic, with seven provinces: Bagmati, Gandaki, Karnali, Koshi, Lumbini, Madhesh and Sudurpashchim. Until Nepal was declared a secular State in 2006, the country was officially described as a Hindu kingdom. Its current constitution was adopted in 2015. 9. Most of the population of approximately 30 million people is engaged in agriculture. The agricultural sector remains vulnerable to the effects of climate change.7 There is a steady flow of migration from Nepal, largely driven by the lack of domestic job opportunities. The major destinations for Nepali migrations are India, Malaysia, Qatar and Saudi Arabia. 8 Remittances from migrant workers serve as an important part of Nepal’s economy, accounting for around a quarter of the gross domestic product of Nepal, according to the World Bank.9 10. On 8 September 2025, large-scale anti-corruption protests erupted in Kathmandu, mainly organized by Generation Z students, following a countrywide ban of several social 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 GE.26-01953 Special thanks to Nad D’Amico and Sinem Ertugrul. Dipesh Kumar Ghimire, “Economic and social development under Rana regimes in Nepal: a historical analysis”, Patan Pragya, vol. 13 No. 1. Available from www.nepjol.info/index.php/pragya/article/view/71178. See https://un.info.np/Net/NeoDocs/View/6204. See A/HRC/16/23. See www.fao.org/in-action/scala/countries/nepal/en. See www.ilo.org/sites/default/files/wcmsp5/groups/public/@asia/@ro-bangkok/@ilokathmandu/documents/genericdocument/wcms_837463.pdf. See https://documents1.worldbank.org/curated/en/099032125103030263/pdf/P179761-430153ad672c-4418-89c5-ef3740c65113.pdf. 3