On this page, you will find:
To find organisations working for LGBTQI+ rights, visit our Nepal LGBTQI+ Resources page.
For Nepal country of origin information (COI) experts, reports, commentaries, and relevant documents visit our Nepal COI page.
Refugee protection
Click here to see the numbers and origins of refugees hosted by Nepal.
The following sections contain information on the most important international treaties and agreements of which Nepal is signatory, as well as national legislation relevant to the protection of refugees.
Nepal is not a party to either the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees or to its 1967 Protocol. Nepal has also not accepted the UN Statelessness Conventions. Still, the State allows for UNHCR to operate in the country. Recently, it has signed the Global Compact for Migration.
Nepal does not have a refugee legal framework and refugee status determination is conducted by UNHCR under its mandate for individual asylum-seekers. Nepal considers refugees and asylum-seekers as irregular migrants under the existing laws and imposes a five USD per day fine on all persons overstaying visas, irrespective of refugee status. The Government grants visa fine waivers on an occasional ad hoc basis for refugees departing on resettlement.
Legal aid organisations
Website
Address: Kopundol Kathmandu
Tel: +977 14 26 08 27
Email: npl.asf@gmail.com
The primary goal of Avocats Sans Frontiéres (ASF) is to contribute to the establishment of institutions and mechanisms that allow for access to independent and impartial justice, and which are capable of guaranteeing the protection of fundamental rights (civil and political, economic and social), including the right to a fair trial. ASF implements projects aimed at providing legal advice and assistance in collaboration with national lawyers and for the following categories of beneficiaries: minors, women, detainees, victims of human rights violations and fundamental freedoms. In the absence of other sources of such specialized legal aid, refugees are encouraged to contact the ASF office. In Nepal they work with the National Bar association and with the district bar associations in Pokhara, Birâtnagar, Rupendehi, Makawanpur and Kachampur.
Address: C/o Caritas Office, Thana Road, Damak 11, Jhapa, Nepal
Tel: +977 23 58 02 19, +977 23 58 07 94 or +977 98 52 67 04 25 (mobile).
The Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) seeks to accompany, assist and advocate for refugees, IDPs, returnees, detainees and stateless people. In Nepal, of the 107,000 Bhutanese refugees in the 7 camps of eastern Nepal, around 40,000 have been already resettled in third countries. JRS runs the formal education programme, offers vocational training, carries out programmes for disabled people and organises various activities for refugee youth.
Website
Tel: +977 14 22 88 72
Contact person: Shyam Babu Kafle, Advocate
Email: rspkafle@gmail.com
Tel: +977 97 51 09 91 99
Mobile: +977 97 51 09 91 99
Contact person: Hari Phuyal, Advocate
Tel: +977 98 51 01 42 71
A law firm of ten lawyers. Advocate Shyam Babu Kafle is involved in the National Human Rights Commission of Nepal and is known as a human rights lawyer with experience handling refugee cases. He participated in the Summer 2010 course on Forced Migration in Oxford. The Senior Advocate in the firm is a scholar of Essex College, UK and writes refugee law books. Clients must negotiate fees.
Website
Address: Dhara Marga-1, Anil Kuti, Maharajgunj, Kathmandu, Nepal
Tel.: 977 1 441 4989
Email: nepka@unhcr.org
Opening Hours: Monday to Friday from 9:00 to 17:30.
UNHCR supports the Government of Nepal in various programmes to protect and assist refugees in the country. This includes advocacy for legal identity documentation, livelihood programmes to achieve self-reliance, and the inclusion of refugees into policies, public services and the Government of Nepal’s Emergency, Development and SDG planning. UNHCR works in close partnership with the Ministry of Home Affairs, other key ministries, provincial and local authorities, community-based organizations, development partners, donors, the private sector, NGOs, civil societies, and most importantly, the refugees themselves.
Organisations providing other support to refugees
Website
Address: GPO Box 12684-Kathmandu, Ceasefire House, Jhamshkel, Lalitpur-2, Nepal
Tel: +977 15 52 00 54 or +977 15 52 00 42 (fax)
Human Rights Hotline: +977 15 53 18 96
Email: inhured@ntc.net.np or gopal.nepal@gmail.com
INHURED International, the first Nepali organisation to enjoy special consultative status with the Economic and Social Council of the UN, has been functioning as a front-runner human rights movement with a non-governmental, non-partisan and non-profit making independent approach. INHURED International shares its constituency with Population Watch, a leading organisation working in the field of safe, humane, and orderly population movement. INHURED is a member of the Asia Pacific Refugee Rights Network (APRRN).
INHURED International’s programmes include migration management (research, advocacy, training on safe and orderly migration that benefits all); refugee rights-research, IEC Materials production, lobbying, advocacy for refugees regime (including development of alternative refugee law); legislation, counselling and token physical support; transitional justice-research, training, publication, advocacy, litigation, ending impunity; and peace process monitoring, Human Rights benchmark setting, monitoring, house service, training, fact-finding, and constitution building.
Website
Tel: +977 14 42 39 73 or +977 14 10 91 16 (fax)
Email: forum2060@yahoo.com
Website
Facebook
Tel: +977 16 22 08 74
Email: pprnepal@pprnepal.org.np
Contact Person: Rajendra Ghimire, Executive Director
Email: ghimire06@gmail.com
The Forum for Protection of People’s Rights provides refugee legal aid and representation for refugees seeking asylum, those in detention or facing criminal charges. For refugees seeking protection with UNHCR (who carry out refugee status determination in Nepal), FPPR provide general information and assistance as well as assisting with document preparation, drafting testimonies and legal submissions, and providing referrals to other organisations when appropriate. FPPR also provide health and psycho-social services to refugees. The Forum for Protection of People’s Rights is a member of the Asia Pacific Refugee Rights Network.
Nepal LGBTQI+ Resources
Find organisations working for refugee LGBTQI+ rights in Nepal.
Nepal COI
Find Nepal Country of Origin information (COI) experts, reports, commentaries, and relevant documents.
We are always looking to expand the resources on our platform. If you know about relevant resources, or you are aware of organisations and/or individuals to include in our directories, please get in touch.
Last updated June 2023