Welcome to Nepal
Nepalese RupeeCurrency in Nepal
Today’s Weather
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Basic Country Profile
Location: South Asia
Capital: Kathmandu
Population: 26,494,504 (Census 2011)
Major Languages: Nepali
Major Religions: Hinduism,Buddhism
Currency: Nepalese Rupee
Terrain: Low lying terrain (Southern Nepal) and rugged and hilly (Himalayas in the North)
Climate: Tropical
Dial Code: +977
Time Zone: UTC +05:45
Disability Population: 513,321(1.94% of total population – Census 2011)
Emergency National Numbers:
Police – 100
Ambulance – 102
Fire department – 101
Disability Legislations and Policies
Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) – Ratified on May 7, 2010. It has also ratified the Optional Protocol to the CRPD. Nepal’s CRPD State Party reports submitted to the Office of the High Commissioner on Human Rights (OHCHR).
Constitution of Nepal – The Constitution of Nepal 2015 replaces the previous Interim Constitution of 2007 and it mentions disability in a number of places.
Disability Rights Act 2074 (2017) – Adopted in October 2017, the Human Rights for Persons with Disabilities Act repeals the previous Protection and Welfare of the Disabled Persons Act, 2039 (1982). The rights based legislation talks contains provisions on access to services, health, education and employment.
Travel Related Information
Nepal’s rugged and physical terrain along with poor infrastructure makes it difficult for persons with disabilities to navigate the country independently. It is common to find buildings without lifts and often hotels do not have accessible toilets, excluding a few top-end hotels.
However, initiatives are being taken to improve the situation of accessible travel to Nepal. In early 2018, an international conference on accessible adventure was held in Pokhran which saw several stakeholders come together to start working on accessible tourism. This conference also saw the launch of the first accessible trekking trail, a 1.3 km section of the 14 km long hiking path in the ridge connecting Sarangkot to Naudanda. The trail will also include accessible toilets and signage.
Accessible Himalayas is a good resource for information on accessible hotels, transportation and destinations. Go to their website – www.accessiblehimalayas.org
Useful Links
Nepal Disability Report – Australian Himalayan Foundation (2016)
www.australianhimalayanfoundation.org.au