The focuses of environment programs are to develop concern and awareness about the major environmental problems in Nepal, and work collectively towards its solutions. Leaders Nepal is working in three thematic areas under the environment program.
- Environmental Advocacy, Research and Development
- Environmental Law and Policy
- Environment, Trade and Economics
Environmental Advocacy, Research and Development
- LEADERS Nepal is working towards making air cleaner in both indoor and outdoor environment in rural and urban areas of Nepal.
- LEADERS Nepal has established specialized as well as common tools to measure environmental quality.
- LEADERS Nepal is developing resources, programs, and policies to prevent occupational and childhood lead poisoning. It is also offering trainings to different stakeholders about possible ways to manage and minimize lead hazards from lead-based paint and lead-based paint related activities.
Environmental Law and Policy
- Environmental law and policy are the core programs of Leaders Nepal. It works on cross-cutting legal and policy issues.
- LEADERS Nepal was largely responsible for advocating to incorporate the environmental clause ‘every person shall have the right to life in clean environment’ in Nepal’s 1992 Constitution. The same provision has been continued in the Interim Constitution of 2007.
- LEADERS Nepal is and has assisted government of Nepal to enact legislation to protect environment, wildlife and forest in line with the constitutional provisions.
- LEADERS Nepal was the first organization to file the public interest litigation under the right to life in pollution free environment [Surya Prasad Dhungel vs. Godavari Marble, Decision of 1995.10.31 (2052.7.14)]. In this case, the Supreme Court established the link between environment and life, and recognized a right against polluted environment. Godavari Marble case also resulted in the enactment of an Environmental Protection Act in Nepal.
- Currently LEADERS Nepal is reviewing laws and policies relating to lead in general and lead-based paints in particular to recommend comprehensive regulations and policies on lead standards in paint in Nepal.
Environment, Trade and Economics
- Nepal is the second least developed country to join the world trade organization (WTO). After joining WTO, Nepal has also made commitments to make its legal regime compatible with WTO. In order to assist Nepal government’s effort to achieve rapid economic growth, and to help sustain the economic growth in long run, LEADERS Nepal is playing pivotal role in bringing forward the views and concerns of the marginalized and poor segments of Nepal by convening people from local communities, academics and practitioners to discuss and debate major legal and policy issues related to WTO. Mainly it works on policy issues related of Trade and Environment, Trade and Development, Trade Related Intellectual Property Rights and Agreement on Agriculture.
- LEADERS Nepal is also one of the founding institutions of South Asia Watch on Trade Economics and Environment [http://www.sawtee.org/].