NHRC officials had also drawn attention of Chief of Army Staff Chhatra Man Singh Gurung on the issue at a meeting with the latter a week ago.
Talking to myrepublica, NHRC Chief Kedar Nath Updhaya said the commission has urged the government to nullify the agreement with OHCHR-N and instead give NHRC the authority to conduct such training.
“We have asked the government to review its agreement with OHCHR on providing trainings for security agencies,” Upadhaya said, adding, “NHCR should be given full responsibility of conducting such trainings and other necessary programs to the country´s security bodies.” He also claimed that the government had turned a deaf ear to similar request NHRC made in the past.
Currently OHCHR-N has been providing human rights related trainings to security personnel. It has been providing such trainings since its establishment six years ago.
“OHCHR should be given the responsibility of assisting our activities. It shouldn´t be given full authority to organize trainings and other programs,” Updhaya said.
He added that Army Chief Gurung was positive toward NHRC´s proposal. “General Gurung gave a positive response,” Updhaya said.
During the meeting, Updhaya argued that OHCHR-N could only contribute experts for trainings. “I strongly oppose the practice of providing trainings under direct initiation of OHCHR,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Nepal Army has said that no course under the direct initiation of the OHCHR is run in the institution. “The only institution that runs a course on the Law of Armed Conflict is the ICRC,” said Brigadier General Ramindra Chettri.
He informed that the ICRC has been running a course (attended by officers of all levels) on Human Rights and Humanitarian Law since 2002. The course is designed as a two-week advance course.
“We have only requested human rights experts from OHCHR to deliver a few guest lectures so far on related subject matter,” Chettri said adding, “OHCHR does not run a separate course in NA.” In January, the Directorate of Human Rights of NA was given full authority to run independent advance course.
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