Kathmandu, April 19:

A six-member team led by the Minister for Local Development Dev Gurung today left for the US to attend seventh United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues session. The session scheduled for April 21-May 1 will focus on climate change, bio-cultural diversity and livelihood, the stewardship role of indigenous people and new challenges.

“We will dwell on the implementation of Convention Concerning Indigenous and Tribal People in Independent Countries (ILO 169) that Nepal is already signatory to,” said Jit Pal Kirat, vice president of the National Foundation for Development of Indigenous Nationalities, who is also one of the participants.

The Convention has 32 operative articles and is based on the belief that indigenous and tribal people should have the right to be consulted when legislative and administrative measures that may affect them are being considered and they should have the right to participate at all levels of decision-making concerning them.

Other members of the team are National Planning Commission member Dr Chaitanya Subba, Prime Minister’s Office secretary Tana Gautam, MoLD secretary Ganga Dutta Awasti, MoLD under-secretary Babu Ram Gautam.

The participants will put forth issues like changed political context in the country and ratified UN conventions.