Welcoming UNHCR's new senior Project Officer-Ms Cecile Fradot at DNFBack to News List

August 13, 2013

DNF took privilege to host a meeting with UNHCR Senior Protection Officer - Ms. Cecile Fradot on 1^st of August. DNF and UNHCR Nepal have been working as issue based partners on citizenship rights of Dalits, women and marginalized communities since 2011. The meeting provided an important opportunity firstly to get familiar with Ms. Cecile who has recently joined UNHCR operation in Nepal and secondly to exchange the experiences of our work, developments and protection issues of Dalit communities regarding citizenship rights and nationality. The meeting was attended by around 10 people including DNF Secretary General - Mr. JB Bishwakarma, Secretary - Mr. Amrit Bishwakarma and Mr. Luma Singh Bishwakarma from the UNHCR.

In a 2 hour long meeting, DNF's Secretary Mr. Amrit Bishwakarma briefed about DNF's history, its mission and how it has been persistently working to establish and foster Dalits rights in Nepal by collaborating with state, non-state and international development partners. DNF's major achievements as of current year were also shared in the meeting. DNF's National Project Coordinator Mr. Hast Bahadur Sunar gave a project specific presentation highlighting on major achievements, challenges, learning and recommendations for improvements as experienced whilst working on citizenship issues of Dalits in the grassroots level. The presentation was followed up by individual queries, discussions and idea sharing among the attendees.

Ms. Cecile well acclaimed DNF's work as campaign to reduce citizenship lessness that is likely to contribute reducing statelessness in the country. Coming up from the discussion, it was agreed to initiate joint civil society campaigns on citizenship rights of people, especially those of excluded communities and lobby with the concerned government agencies to persuade for conducting second round of mobile service delivery camps at districts. DNF was suggested to extend its outreach to additional districts and use its networks of Member Organizations for which she assured DNF to help find funding by coordinating with potential resource providers.