Baltimore, Maryland (USAA)- NASO Community President Dharam Biswsakarm and Secretary Rajendra Kumar Senchuri participated in a meeting of various Nepali minority organizations held on March 6 in New York. The program was hosted by the Federation of Indigenous Peoples of Nepal in America (FIPNA), an alliance of 15 Janajati organizations. As Nepal is approaching the days to write a new constitution, various stakeholders felt the need to form alliance and therefore decided to bring different Nepali ethnic and minority groups together forming a coalition for advancing the marginalized people of Nepal. The whole purpose of such collaboration is to share different ideas to address the need and meet the aspiration of several marginalized communities like Dalit, Women, Adhivasis, Janajatis and Madhesis. Given the current situation of Nepal which is in a transitional phase and has been experiencing many conflicts among different deprived groups formation of such collaboration in US is pivotal. Furthermore, the antagonizing nature of different political speeches raises the question if the New Constitution will properly address the need of marginalized communities. The program which was chaired by the Vice-President of FIPNA Mr. Shiva Rai and conducted by Arjun Gurung saw the presence of various notable persons like Mr. Madhu Raman Acharya, Ambassador to UN from Nepal, Dr. Ashok Gurung, Director India China Institute, Mr. Anil Shahi (ADHRN), Ms. Luna Ranjit (Adhikar), Amit Shah (ANTA) and Krishna Rai.

So far there are five different founding groups/organizations in the Coalition whose stakeholders are looking forward to add many more organizations in the near future to be a part of the joint organization. The following are the five active member organizaitons of the alliance:

1. Adhikaar for Human Rights and Social Justice
2. Alliance for Democracy & Human Rights in Nepal (ADHRN)
3. Association of Nepali Tertian In America (ANTA)
4. Federation of Indigenous Peoples of Nepal In America (FIPNA, an alliance of 15 Janajati organizations)
5. Nepali-American Society for Oppressed Community (NASO)

Objectives of the coalition are highlighted as follows:

a. Provide a platform to foster a culture of peaceful dialog and constructive debates among people of differing opinions on issues related to inclusive politics in Nepal,
b. Build strategic partnerships with like-minded individuals and institutions in and outside of Nepal
c. Inform and engage all Nepalese, with a particular focus on marginalized communities, in the drafting of the new constitution in Nepal,
d. Identify linkages and support from national and international organizations to enhance the capacity of Constitution Assembly members from marginalized communities,
e. Advocate for genuine consultations with Nepalese of all caste, creed, class, religion, and gender in the drafting of the new constitution to establish an inclusive democracy for all peoples.

The meeting also decided to hold an another interaction program some time very soon.

Report by:
Rajendra Senchuri