About Us

About us

CEADS was set up in 1997 by a group of indigenous professionals of Nepal. The group comprised of Sociologists, Demographers, Anthropologists, Lawyers and Management Specialists. Initially office was set up in Jawalakhel Lalitpur and moved to Nepal Indigenous Nationalities Federation (NEFIN) premises in Anamnagar Kathmandu due to a joint project signed between CEADS and World Bank to assist the newly born NEFIN. This joint project helped to set up basic amenities of the NEFIN in its initial years. Under this project, CEADS has actively supported to strenthen NEFIN with series of workshops, trainings, orientations and by developing and disseminating relevant materials on indigenous peoples' rights. Dr. Harka Gurung and Malla K. Sundar consented to be in the advisory committee. Dr. Krishna Bhattachan chaired the organisation and Mr. Dambar Chemjong managed secretarial works. When Mr. Chemjong won a scholarship for further study in Norway, he handed over the Secretarial position to Balkrishna Mabuhang, then General Secretary of NEFIN. CEADS remained inactive for some years as most of its members went for abroad studies and work.

Currently, we are a team of demographers, educationists, anthropologists, lawyers and development professionals with wide range of experiences and publications in the relevant fields. The office is led by seven executive members under the chair of Mr. Balkrishna Mabuhang and Secretary Mr. Uddhav Rai. Details of executive members are provided in the Executive Members section. CEADS office is located in Pulchowk, Lalitpur with one full time and two part time staff. It has furnished office with a meeting hall and official equipments. Details of contact point is provided in the section Contact.

Executive Committee

Objectives

The main objectives of the CEADS are:

To undertake research on indigenous and social exclusion issues cross-cutting to social development sectors

To organize seminars, workshops and talk programs on contemporary indigenous and alternative development issues

To document, publish and disseminate reports, articles books and journals on the relevant fields

To carry out advocacy and awareness campaigns and training on issues of national concern mainly indigenous ethnic people's rights, gender and alternative development

To set up research centre of excellence for indigenous and alternative development issues.

Introduction

Centre for Ethnic and Alternative Development Studies (CEADS) was established in 1998 by a group of indigenous scholars with a vision to make it as a pioneering institution devoted to lead advocacy and policy dialogues on the indigenous peoples’ rights issues and agenda, and to provide alternative development thinking and approaches that link ‘development’ as the rights of and dignity of the indigenous people of Nepal. In its initial years of establishment, CEADS has worked with the National Federation of Indigenous Nationalities of Nepal (NEFIN) in undertaking baseline surveys of the indigenous communities and in designing ‘capacity strengthening training modules’ for the indigenous peoples’ organizations. This was a pioneering ‘project’ that ultimately transformed into the ‘Janajati Empowerment Project’ (JEP) at the NEFIN. In order to influence the policy dialogue on the national census 2001 and the enumerate the indigenous communities accurately, CEADS has organized series of public debates, seminars and workshops in Kathmandu.