Bhaktapur: With the aim of gathering indigenous peoples’ leaders in one place and exchanging information on climate change, national adaptation program, REDD+  and Green Climate Fund, a province-level training and workshop conference was held in Bhaktapur district from September 24 to 26, 2019 organized by the Nepal Federation of Indigenous Nationalities (NEFIN) Climate Change Partnership Program. A total of 38 (17 men and 21 women) including officials affiliated with the Nepal Federation of Indigenous Nationalities, District Coordination Councils, Women’s Organizations, Youth, Journalists, Provincial District Coordination Councils, Indigenous Women’s Federation, Nepal Indigenous Disables Association, Indigenous Peoples Organization and Federal Council Secretariat members participated in the workshop.

Mr. Jagat Baram, president of NEFIN inaugurated the program and he stated that “Climate Change has affected indigenous peoples the most and we should carefully engage in minimizing these effects”. “The indigenous peoples have been interdependent with water, land and forest since our ancestors, the first and direct impact of climate change falls on the indigenous peoples and the main way to minimize the effects of climate change affecting all communities of indigenous people is to reduce carbon emissions”, he said. In addition, he emphasized that the traditional knowledge, skills and practices of the indigenous people should be addressed by the national and international policies related to climate change. The three day training workshop seminar was facilitated by Mr. Dhan Man Gurung, the former secretary general of Tamu Hyula Chhoj Dhin (Gurung National Council), Mr. Tunga Bhadra Rai, the director of NEFIN Climate Change Partnership Program, Mr. Raju Pandit Chhetri of Green Climate Fund, Nepal, Mr. Megh Dhawaj Adhikari, the Conservation Officer of National Nature Conservation Fund including Mr. Resham Dangi and Mr. Shrawan Adhikari.

The indigenous people’s leaders and activists participating in the program emphasized that the indigenous peoples should participate actively, directly, meaningfully and respectfully in every policy, program and strategy adopted by the nation regarding climate change. They also poured their thought that the state should be very sensitive, attentive and responsible towards the social, cultural, religious, economic and other aspects of the indigenous peoples. In addition, the participants agreed that the indigenous campaign can move in the right direction only with a collective spirit, concrete programs and strategies to address and institutionalize the overall issues of the indigenous community.