On 6th July 2025, National Indigenous Women Forum (NIWF), in collaboration with the Nepal Federation of Indigenous Nationalities (NEFIN), Indigenous Women Legal Awareness Group (INWOLAG), National Indigenous Disabled Women Association Nepal (NIDWAN), and National Indigenous Women Federation, successfully convened a Validation Workshop on the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) Draft Report, prepared through an Indigenous lens. The workshop aimed to validate the UPR draft report by incorporating critical inputs, feedback, and recommendations from Indigenous Nations and persons with disabilities. This collective effort seeks to ensure that the voices, rights, and lived experiences of Indigenous Peoples are effectively reflected in Nepal’s UPR submission.

The program was facilitated by Ms. Pratima Gurung, Chairperson of NIDWAN and a prominent Indigenous disability rights activist. Hon. Kiran Kumar Sah, Chairman of the Committee on Women and Social Affairs served as the Chief guest for the program. Mr. Hom Yamphu, Professor at TU and an expert on Indigenous rights and policy advocacy, delivered a comprehensive presentation on the UPR mechanism, its relevance to Nepal, and the process of preparing the draft report. He provided an in-depth walkthrough of the key thematic areas covered in the report, highlighting the gaps in the existing human rights frameworks and policies from Indigenous perspectives. The participants of the workshop included representatives from Indigenous Organizations, Indigenous Disabled persons organizations and Indigenous activist. The attendees actively engaged in reviewing the draft and offered insightful feedback and recommendations based on lived realities, structural barriers, and policy shortcomings. Key areas discussed included land rights, political participation, access to justice, education, climate justice, and accessibility for Indigenous Women, Girls and persons with disabilities.