7. GCENR4 mobilises international action for the removal of gender-discriminatory provisions
from all nationality laws, through its coalition of over twenty national, regional and
international organisations and activists, including steering committee members Equality Now,
Equal Rights Trust, the Institute on Statelessness and Inclusion, Women’s Learning Partnership,
and Women’s Refugee Commission.
8. ISI5 is an independent non-profit organisation committed to an integrated, human rights-based
response to the injustice of statelessness and exclusion through a combination of research,
education, partnerships and advocacy. Established in August 2014, it is the first and only global
centre committed to promoting the human rights of stateless persons and ending
statelessness. The Institute has made almost 70 country specific UPR submissions on the
human rights of stateless persons, and also compiled summaries of the key human rights
challenges related to statelessness in all countries under review under the 23 rd to the 36th UPR
Sessions.
9. This submission focusses on:
a. Gender discrimination in the nationality law and resulting human rights violations;
b. Discriminatory access to documentation;
c. Denial of citizenship due to caste-based discrimination; and
d. The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on stateless persons in Nepal.
Previous UPR of Nepal under the First and Second Cycle
10. Nepal was previously reviewed under the 10th session in 2011 (First Cycle) and the 23rd session
in 2015 (Second Cycle).
The First Cycle
11. During the First Cycle, 17 countries made recommendations regarding advancing gender
equality and the promotion and protection of women’s rights.6 These recommendations are
relevant to addressing women’s unequal nationality rights, a primary root cause of
statelessness in Nepal.
12. Slovakia recommended that Nepal address cases of statelessness in the drafting process of the
new Constitution, which was not supported by Nepal.7 Slovakia also more generally
recommended Nepal to review its legal framework to provide for better promotion and
protection of women’s rights. Cuba, Egypt, Palestine, the Philippines, and Singapore called for
measures to protect the rights of women and other groups. These recommendations were
accepted by Nepal.8
13. The Netherlands recommended that Nepal take necessary legal and policy measures to end
4
For more information, see: https://equalnationalityrights.org/
For more information, see: https://www.institutesi.org/
6
United Nations Human Rights Council, Report of the Working Group on the Universal Periodic Review Nepal, 10th sess, UN Doc
A/HRC/17/5 (8 March 2011).
7 United Nations Human Rights Council, Report of the Working Group on the Universal Periodic Review Nepal, 10th sess, UN Doc
A/HRC/17/5 (8 March 2011), p 23.
8 Ibid. p 14-17.
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