Centre for Sustainable Human Rights (CSHR) is a nonprofit sharing and nongovernmental organization that fights for sustainable human rights and equality by advancing human rights as guiding principles of social and economic justice. We use international human rights tools to challenge unjust and discriminatory social, economic, and political policies that systematically undermine rights. Our dedicated team from a diverse section of marginalized communities based in Kathmandu comes from the human rights, development, and social justice movements in different parts of the country.

We produce alternative knowledge of how institutions and economic and social systems affect people’s rights (SDG Goal 1, SDG Goal 2, and SDG Goal 16). We amplify that knowledge in advocacy with international, regional, and national institutions, to influence policy in rights-responsive ways.

We hope growing coalitions of civil society organizations, social movements, oversight bodies, and policy influencers will tackle the socioeconomic justice dimensions of human rights in their work - aligning around common messages and agendas and collaborating on shared approaches. We are proud of our unique partnership model, built on values that include collaboration for cause, mutual learning and sharing, and solidarity. 

The problem that we want to address:

CSHR understands that Nepal's governance problem has three dimensions: (i) the rules of the game are discriminatory and exclusionary in systematic, which resulted in the Human Rights Violence; ii) influential formal and informal organizations and institutions have exclusive access in setting the rules of the game; and (iii) knowledge production on human rights is backed by institutional inequalities and discrimination, and weak commitment to the disaggregation of data. All these three dimensions are at the core are determined by the lack of human rights-based approaches in the development discourse.

Vision

If the rules of the games are systematically biased we need redefined social norms and narratives to recognize human rights through the lenses of sustainable development. Likewise, dialogue, deliberation, and debate can fulfill the gap between common people and institutions. 

If an intervention is made in knowledge production establishing a human rights-based approach in development, then social norms and narratives will be reconstructed to recognize human rights.

Mission

If the human rights-based approach to development is institutionally mainstreamed along with research-based knowledge on human rights, a sustainable human rights perspective finds space in Nepal's human rights discourse and institutions.   

Approach

Establish a partnership with common people to address their needs, concerns, and aspirations in raising issues of social justice and sustainable human rights.

Goal

CSHR will be a source of systematic knowledge production related to human rights (with a focus on non-discrimination and equality) and labor, skills, art, and knowledge. This knowledge will come from the common people themselves (activists, leaders, academics, researchers, and writers, etc.). The knowledge will be shared through the web-based platforms and print media. The knowledge production will contribute to informed public debate, deliberation, and dialogue). The common thread linking all of these knowledge productions will be the constitutional commitment to social justice and sustainable human rights.

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