Lucky SherpaMember of Constituent Assembly, Nepal

Asia-Pacific Regional Seminar on “Indigenous Peoples, Climate Change and Rural Poverty:

Promoting Innovative Approaches and Solutions"25-26 March 2010, Manila, Philippines

Climate Change and Indigenous Peoples of Nepal

Nepal's Specialties……

Country of Mount Everest ‘Sagarmatha Chyomolongma’, the highest peak in the world

Diversity Diverse geography and climate Language Religion Culture Peoples

storehouse of biodiversity and constitutes an important component of the global ecosystem

Himalayan region has more than 2,300 glacial lakes and more than 3,200 glacial rivers originate in the Himalayas

20% of the world’s population depend directly on the use of Himalayan resources for their livelihood and well-being

the mountain range is called the ‘water tower of Asia’, often with regionally and locally-specific variations

INDIGENOUS PEOPLES OF NEPAL

DefinitionIn Nepal Indigenous peoples are known as

“Adivasi Janajati” and “Indigenous Nationalities”National Foundation for Development of

Indigenous Nationalities Act 2001 defines Adivasi Janajati as those:

“tribes or communities as mentioned in the schedule who have their own mother

tongue and traditional customs, distinct cultural identity, distinct social structure and written or oral history of their own”.

Indigenous Peoples of Nepal

According to CBS 2001, Indigenous Nationalities in Nepal Consists 37.2 Percent of the Total Nepal Population That is 8.46 nationalities recognized by Gov’t but there are still some groups to be enlisted.

There are 59 indigenous Nationalities and more are yet to be recognized.

Indigenous Nationalities are found in 70 out of 75 Districts in Nepal.

Indigenous Nationalities make up more than 50 percent in nearly all the hill districts of eastern and Central Nepal.

Nepal’s Share in Climate Change

Share of Nepal in the global emission of greenhouse gases is negligible

Per Capita CO 2 emissions in the country is estimated at 0.13

Average temperature in Nepal is rising by 0.5 degrees Celsius per decade

Impacts of Climate Change in the Himalayas

Serious Impacts on the Livelihoods of poor People of Nepal

Risk of Catastrophic Glacial Lake Outburst Floods Events.

Loss of Lives , property and displacement of local people.Less snow fall in the winterIncreased rain and snow fall after the winterIncreased Frequency of avalanches, Flash floods and

hailstorms.

Effects on Lives and Livelihoods of the Indigenous Communities

Adverse Impact on FarmingLow Productivity and crop failures affecting

many Himalayan Indigenous farming communities, who are increasingly facing food insecurity

Adverse Impacts on the Himalayan EcosystemsForcing Mountain Peoples to Seek GrazingDanger of Disappearing cultural, religious and

ancestral memories along with the Glaciers.

Occasional Bursting of Glacial Lakes- Seriously Damaged the lives and livelihoods of Mountain Communities.

It was reported that if it burst, the Tsho Rolpa could affect life and property as far away as 100 kilometers downstream

According to Appa Sherpa A Veteran Nepali Climber who holds the world record for climbing mount Everest for 19th times said

Snow trail along the route to the peak was now just a stretch of bare rocks, as climate change pushed up snowlines and shrank glaciers subsequently making it even harder to scale the world’s tallest peak.

This makes climbing the mountain difficult because walking on the naked rocks wearing crampons is hard. Sherpa said after his expedition.

Melting Glaciers and its Effects on the Himalayan Communities

Biodiversity and Climate Change

Himalayan Plant and animal species are being seriously affected

Species are already disappearing and at risk of extinction

IPs deprived of traditional resources and biodiversity

Risk of Infectious diseases at rise

Nepal’s International Commitments

Nepal is a signatory of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development in Rio De Janeiro in 1992

ILO C. 169

UNDRIP

Parliamentarian and Gov’t Engagenment with Indigenous Peoples in Relation to

Climate changeREDD has been declared as a Ministerial

priority by the Ministry of Forests and Soil Conservation in Nepal

National Adaptation Programme of Action -NAPA

National Level Interaction with Indigenous MPs with the Ministry of environment

Way Forward

Set up Indigenous Parliamentarians Network to dealt with issues related with Climate Change.

Recognize the specific vulnerability of indigenous peoples to the effects of climate change and to the impacts of actions to address climate change

State parties ensure that the free, prior and informed consent of indigenous peoples is required and gained prior to any climate change adaptation or mitigation action impacting on the traditional lands and resources of indigenous peoples, including impacts on the carbon stores on their lands.

The World Bank Operational Policy 4.10 on indigenous peoples should be used from the inception to the implementation of FCPF- supported projects.

The United Nations declaration on the rights of indigenous peoples should serve as a key framework in the formulation of plans for development and should be considered in all processes related to climate change at national, regional and global levels

The safeguard policies of the multilateral banks and the existing and future policies on indigenous peoples of United Nations bodies and other multilateral bodies should be implemented in all climate change related projects and programs.

Continued……………………………….

The Social Dimension of climate change needs to be considered so that the social and cultural impacts on indigenous peoples including indigenous women are more visible.

State parties and UN policies and programmes provide indigenous peoples with access to funds, technical advice and support for the self-development of adaptation actions for climate change.

Effective participation of Indigenous Peoples should be ensured in the formulation and implementation of national policies on climate change.

Last but not the Least…………………..

”I am convinced that climate change, and what we do about it, will define us, our era, and ultimately the global legacy we leave for future generations. Today, the time for doubt has passed.”UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, 24 September 2007

Thank You