Impacts national policies on indigenous people livelihood in Nepal: A case study of the Raute community

Even though international laws recognize the indigenous peoples rights to nature, evidence from many regions of the world points to their exclusion in land management policies, programs and actions. Evidence from different regions of the world including Africa, Latin American and Asia indicates that national policies have often placed little emphasis on the protection of indigenous peoples and their knowledge. According to National Report Nepal (2011), the indigenous peoples, categorized as Adivasi Janajati. Makes up approximately 37.2 percent of the total Nepalese population. Despite constituting a significant proportion of the population, the dominant groups have marginalized them. The Indigenous people have been marginalized by the dominant groups in terms of land, territories, resources, language, culture, customary laws, and political and economic opportunities. Despite the fact that Nepal has ratified ILO Convention No. 169 on Indigenous and Tribal Peoples, the newly promulgated Constitution of 2015 has not enshrined the rights of the indigenous people. It is yet to be seen how this new constitution and national laws respond to the provisions of this ILO Convention. The main objective of this study was to critically review the relevant policies that are implemented among Indigenous peoples of Nepal and how these policies impact their lives. The study focuses on the Raute community, found in Mid Far-Western development regions of Nepal, who appear to have been most affected by changing social and political structures to highlight the implications of international law and domestic policies. In particular, this paper examines how policies have affected the livelihoods of the Raute community.