KATHMANDU: In a significant step toward Dalit emancipation and social equity in Nepal, more than 130 Dalit rights advocates from across the country will gather in Kathmandu from June 13 to 15, 2025, for the first-ever National Dalit Round Table Conference.
The conference aims to bring together voices from Nepal’s seven provinces—including activists, scholars, and civil society leaders—to build a shared vision for Dalit dignity, equality, inclusion, and emancipation.
This gathering marks the beginning of a collective journey toward justice for a community that has long endured systemic discrimination and multilayered exclusion.
“This is not just a meeting. It’s a movement—rooted in history and full of hope for the future,” said Dr. Nirmal Kumar Bishwokarma, former Ambassador to South Africa and chief convener of the conference.
“We’re drawing lessons from global struggles for justice—from India’s round table dialogues in the 1930s, to the Catholic Worker movement in the U.S., the Dutch–Indonesian Round Table Conference of 1949, and Nepal’s own Seti-Mahakali Rastriya Mukti Morcha in 2007.
This round table will help create a common understanding of Dalit issues and outline an actionable agenda. The goal is to unite diverse voices under one umbrella for social justice.”
Agni Sikha, a member of the organizing committee, emphasized that the event will be a genuinely inclusive platform. “From Bishwokarma to Pariyar, Mijar to Badi, Chamar to Mushar and beyond—this space belongs to every voice that’s often left out. In both large and small roundtable sessions, we will listen, reflect, and strategize together.”
The urgency for such a forum is clear. Hom Raj Acharya, a social justice campaigner and writer, explained, “Dalits make up about 14% of Nepal’s population but hold less than 2% of leadership roles in government. In terms of access to land, finance, and national resources, the disparity is even starker—just 1.6%. These numbers don’t just show underrepresentation—they expose deep-rooted injustice. The time for silence is over. We must raise our voices and demand rightful action.”
Round table committee members Rajesh Nepali and Indira Ghale Pariyar echoed these concerns, underscoring the transformative potential of the conference. “This is about charting a new course—where no one is left behind and every Dalit voice is heard, respected, and empowered,” said Ghale Pariyar.
The three-day event is expected to conclude with the release of a National Dalit Declaration and an actionable Roadmap for Dalit Communities.
This roadmap will aim to shape national discourse and build a forward-looking strategy for Dalit and non-Dalit unity to end caste-based discrimination and establish pathways for a rightful and dignified Dalit presence within state power structures, national resources, and both micro- and macro-level political, economic, and cultural institutions.
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