Upasana Rana
Kathmandu, Nov 18: Nepal is living through a moment of deep uncertainty. Across the country, people are expressing frustration with political leadership, fatigue with repeated promises, and anxiety about where our democracy is heading.
Youth are demanding accountability with new energy and clarity. Marginalized communities are raising their voices for dignity and justice. Public trust in institutions is eroding. And layered on top of all this is a growing discomfort: the civic space that once gave people a sense of agency is shrinking both formally through legal and administrative controls, and informally through mistrust, polarization, and fear.
Conversations across differences have become thinner, sharper, and more cautious. Many feel there is no safe, honest, or open space left to speak about the nation’s challenges. It is within this climate that the National Human Rights Magna Meet enters its seventeenth year.
The National Human Rights Magna Meet is a people-owned platform. It is one of Nepal’s longest-running citizen-led platforms, an annual gathering where civil society groups, community leaders, human rights defenders, survivors, academics, youth networks, and policymakers come together to reflect on the state of human rights, democracy, justice, and public accountability.
Started in 2009, the Magna Meet emerged from a shared belief that Nepal needed a national forum owned not by the state or donors, but by its citizens; a space that protects the public’s right to speak, discord, and imagine collectively.
As preparations for the 17th Magna Meet 2025 began, we confronted a difficult but necessary question: Does this platform still matter in today’s Nepal?
Answering “yes” without reflection would have been careless. Nepal today is not the Nepal of 2009 or even 2015. The optimism of the post-conflict years has faded, trust in political processes has weakened, civil society is increasingly viewed with suspicion, and civic freedoms are tightening both visibly and subtly. So we paused, questioned, listened. And the conclusion was clear: The National Human Rights Magna Meet matters now more than ever.
Why This Platform Matters
At a time when public conversation is shrinking, the Magna Meet remains one of the few national spaces where citizens can come together, speak openly, and be heard meaningfully. It is collectively owned by civil society, not a single institution, independent of political parties, and coordinated closely with human rights institutions.
It brings together people who rarely sit in the same room, values lived experiences alongside policy expertise, sustains intergenerational dialogue, and creates safe, structured discussion at a time when informal civic spaces are dissolving.
In a context of shrinking civic space, these qualities are not optional, they are essential for democratic survival. The Magna Meet stands as a reminder that civil society, even under scrutiny, remains a vital force: one that must hold itself accountable while continuing to defend the rights and dignity of the people.
At a time when the value of civic platforms is being questioned, WHR’s role as convener carries renewed responsibility. With Unification Nepal and Ageing Nepal as co-conveners, long-time practitioners, human rights institutions, and past conveners, we see this moment as a reminder that democracy cannot breathe without civic space and civic space cannot survive without citizen-led forums like the Magna Meet.
For WHR, rooted in the struggles of single women and marginalized communities, this platform is a commitment to ensuring that those closest to injustice help shape the national agenda.
This year’s theme, “Democracy and Human Rights: Upholding Rule of Law, Good Governance, and Intergenerational Justice,” demands that Nepal confront urgent questions: Are institutions accountable? Are marginalized voices genuinely heard? Are youth shaping the future or merely observing it? Are we protecting future generations or passing unresolved burdens forward? These questions require collective dialogue, precisely the kind of civic space the Magna Meet seeks to safeguard.
Real Inclusion for a New Civic Space
For the Magna Meet to remain credible, it must practice ‘real’ inclusion beyond tokenism, beyond panels that appear diverse but think alike. This year, our commitment is clear: women, indigenous leaders, defenders from marginalized communities, youth, persons with disabilities, senior citizens, widows, and human rights practitioners from all provinces will not only be present, they will shape the design, the discussions, and the outcomes. Diversity is not a symbolic gesture; it is the backbone of any legitimate national dialogue.
As WHR convenes the National Human Rights Magna Meet 2025, we do so with humility and purpose. The Magna Meet is not perfect, but it is unique. It must evolve with the times, but it must not disappear. It must challenge power and also challenge itself. When we safeguard this platform, we strengthen Nepal’s capacity to speak to itself honestly.
And when people gather with courage, integrity, and respect, we do more than discuss human rights we begin to imagine and build the new civic space Nepal urgently needs: one that is open, inclusive, people-led, and strong enough to hold the country through uncertainty. #nepal #civilsociety
