Considering that the escalating violent conflict has crippled the nation for the past eight years with profound effect on political, ecnomic, social and cultural spheres resulting in multifaceted consequences,

Realizing that the present internal armed conflict has contributed to constitutional crisis aggravating people's right to life along with
other non-derogable rights at a great risk,

Alarmed of the precarious circumstances in which citizens' freedom of
expression, right to information, basic education, and security have been abruptly infringed and the nation is progressively deteriorating towards a failed state,

Convinced with the fact that women and children are at grave risk due to unsafe migration as a result of internal armed conflict whereby their right to health has been grossly triggering unprecedented vulnerability,

Concerned with the implausible circumstances whereby youths in particular are caught into cross-fire resulting in massive drainage of human resources compelled to flee elsewhere in search of alternatives to growing threat to human security,

Aware of the fact that people's life is at risk against the backdrop of escalating internal displacement causing massive proliferation of anti-human rights incidences such as unsafe migration, human-trafficking, forced labor and slavery-like situation,

We, the delegates numbering in over 550 assembled in the industrial city of Biratnagar representing various walks of life including women, youth, children, community-based organizations, governmental, nongovernmental and intergovernmental organizations, media and survivors of the eastern region at the Regional People's Assembly on Conflict, Displacement and Migration: Challenges for Peace and Development held on November 11-12, 2003 with a prime dictum "safeguard of human rights, violence-free society, and protection of life" endeavoring to amplify citizens voice to attain just peace, equality, and sustainable development have unanimously promulgated the following Birat Declaration.

Dated: November 12, 2003
Biratnagar, Morang

1. We urge the state and the insurgents to immediately halt systematic and gross pattern of human rights violation that has accelerated during the internal conflict with a dire consequence of infringement of fundamental human rights including extra-judicial killings, rampant torture and involuntary disappearances.

2. We demand to cut back the increasing military expenses and implement
   programs that ensure basic human needs, economic, social and cultural foundation in order to restore the derailed constitutional regime and address growing frustration among general public emerged in the absence of the realization of fundamental rule of the law.

3. We appeal to initiate consensus-based political process to retain rule of the law against the backdrop of long-standing political vacuum resulting in unchecked anomalies in political, economic, social, legal, administrative, foreign, and diplomatic spectrum with a mission to restore the rapidly eroding pluralistic norms.

4. We urge the government to enforce a special legal-administrative mechanism in compliance with the United Nations "Guiding Principle" on internally displaced persons in the given severe difficulties encountered by survivors who are abruptly deprived of their basic livelihood, education and health services.

5. We appeal to make the security system legal, transparent and scientific to end the infringement of citizens freedom of movement and mobility by ensuring the observance of people's right to privacy, integrity and dignity.

6. We strongly demand to establish a truth and reconciliation commission to address the problem of impunity and bring the human rights perpetrators and war criminals, who are directly and indirectly responsible for the crime, to justice and provide compensation and rehabilitation to the victims and the survivors.

7. We demand the concerned parties to make a pubic pledge against child soldiering, exploitation of child labor, rape, sexual violence and forced recruitment, and deliver counseling services for trauma healing so that the imminent cycle of violence can be duly addressed.

8. We ask the concerned authorities to introduce administrative and diplomatic instruments in order to regulate foreign employment with rights-based approach in the light of non-protective labor rights standards prevalent in the countries of destination for a huge outflux of Nepali migrant laborers who are bound to enter into foreign labor market in search of basic human needs.

9. We strongly urge the state and the insurgents to immediately declare ceasefire in honor of the long-cherished popular thirst and refrain from protracted conflict keeping in view that dialoguing is the only alternative to enhance just peace, human rights and equitable society.