I recently returned to the Rohingya refugee camps where an estimated 1.1 million people are still trapped on the Bangladesh/Myanmar border. It is the largest refugee camp complex in the world. The vast majority are women and children, survivors of the ethno-religious genocide to which their entire community was subjected in Myanmar.

The world watched in horror as hundreds of thousands of Rohingya fled their burning villages and murderous attacks and crossed into Bangladesh seeking safety.

I was last there in 2018 as part of a high-level interfaith delegation, described in EYEWITNESS ROHINGYA on this website.

On this trip I was deeply moved by visiting a number of the learning centres that the Rohingya people have been able to create for their young people. My heart was particularly touched by the sign in one of the makeshift classrooms that said, “Education is the Chief Defence of Nations”.

The need to provide a comprehensive program of education for the estimated 500,000 young people in the camps was the principal focus of this visit. It was organized by “Justice for All”, whose insightful Chair, Imam Malik Mujahid, led our six-person mission.

At the end of the visit, we released our report, Rohingya Education: Saving the Third Generation at a news conference in the capital Dhaka.

The report calls for a coherent framework for Rohingya education. This will be vital for raising the funds needed and resolving outstanding issues of educational methods and content – as identified in our research. We highlighted the following steps that need to be taken:

a. Strengthening the high school education of Rohingya students in the camps.
b. Allowing Rohingya students to pursue higher education in Bangladeshi universities.
c. Providing an exit pass to those who acquire a scholarship abroad for higher education.

This approach is very much in line with the findings of the United Nations Refugee Agency – the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). It is the world’s foremost organization protecting refugees. The agency’s 2025 Education Report states:

Education offers a stable and safe environment for displaced children, helps people to rebuild their communities, and pursue productive, meaningful lives.

Nations are investing more in war than in education, health and peace

Our findings come at a time when nations around the world are investing more in weapons and preparation for war that they are in education, health and peace.

The United Nations made this clear it its recent report, The Security We Need: Rebalancing Military Spending for a Sustainable and Peaceful Future.

With military spending soaring to a record $2.7 trillion following a decade-long military build-up, the UN Secretary General says this is reducing essential investments in health and education and does not guarantee peace.

One of the report’s many charts graphically shows the contrast between what the world spends on armaments in comparison to what is spent on vaccines, development assistance and the entire budget of the United Nations.

This is the reality at a time when there are more active armed conflicts in the world than at any time since the end of the Second World War. The Rohingya people are, sadly, not alone in being the victims of genocide, and the country that they were forced to flee is being torn apart by armed conflict.

What we are witnessing around the world – in countries north, south, east and west – is that people’s minds are being poisoned by a rising tide of hatred. We see this even in the world’s entertainment. Movies and social media are feeding an emotional tidal wave of conflict and violence.

Therefore, in these difficult times, it is all the more important that young minds should be well educated. That is essential if we are to turn back the rising tide of hatred and armed conflict, and create a good human society of peace and respect for all people. Families, teachers and spiritual leaders need to work together to change the course of history.

This means that, in addition to the traditional disciplines of academic education, young minds need to be trained to cultivate understanding where there is confusion and conflict, to support mutual respect where there is hatred and division, and bring peace where there is violence, terror and war.

Making it happen

One of the striking features of the “Justice for All” report was that many mothers who were interviewed expressed a strong preference for community-led schools. Many of these parents spoke about the confidence they had in their community’s own schools to educate their children effectively. One of the teachers interviewed said: “the Rohingya teacher always cares for the development of the young generation.”

We met a number of the Rohingya teachers in the camps, as well as non-governmental organizations (NGOs) such as the Illiteracy and Poverty Alleviation Assistance Organization (IPAO) and several major international bodies, including UNICEF (the United Nations Children’s Fund) and Save the Children who are also providing humanitarian aid.

I have continued to stay in touch with a number of the people we talked to. What they are accomplishing is a moving testament to the power of human resilience in the face of unimaginable hardship.

A month after we visited, one of the community education projects in the camps held a Prize Awarding Ceremony for the academic year 2024-2025. I gave personal support to the project and sent them a letter of congratulations. They sent me heart-warming videos and photos from the event.

This subtitled video shows some of the many students and their families who gathered together for this huge event. You can see some of the young women and girls in the front row, behind them the boys and, beyond the students, their families.

Much to my amazement, a letter I had written in support of their event was reproduced as a full-size poster and displayed as part of the backdrop on the main stage (you can view it being read out to everyone at the event by one of the teachers in the video above):

The opening words of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights are as true today – and as urgently needed – as they were when they were adopted by the General Assembly of the United Nations in 1948: “Recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world.”

The same can be said for Amnesty International, the global people’s movement for human rights. It now has more than ten million people in 150 countries. The challenge it faces today is as great as it has ever been.

These were the recurring themes of a Himalayan gathering (pictured above) that took place in early March 2023 at the headquarters of Amnesty International Nepal – a nationwide network of more than 7,000 activists right across the country’s provinces. The gathering was convened by and presided over by Amnesty International Nepal’s current dynamic director, Nirajan Thapaliya.

Amnesty International Nepal has made the recording of the full event, which includes a discussion of the challenges facing the country now, available here.

Universality and non-discrimination

Universality and non-discrimination were key themes in the meeting. The gathering was convened to examine some long-standing issues in the development of Amnesty International in countries like Nepal and to assess the challenges being faced by human rights activists around the world at the present time.

It is sometimes argued that the idea of “human rights” is a western concept. In fact, the drafting of the Universal Declaration was a deliberately international, cross-cultural project from the beginning. It involved people from all continents, different cultures and political systems. The extensive international consultation included eminent figures such as Mahatma Gandhi.

Two South Asian women played a key role. Hansa Mehta of India was widely credited with changing the phrase “all men are born free and equal” to “all human beings are born free and equal”. Lakshmi Menon, who later became the chair of Amnesty International in India, argued for the principle of non-discrimination. She succeeded in getting the phrase “the equal rights of men and women” into the preamble and the “universality” of rights respected in in the declaration as a whole.

Examining the past, assessing the future

A special feature of the gathering was the presence of the founder of Amnesty International Nepal, Nutan Thapaliya. He is seen here greeting Richard on his arrival at the Amnesty International headquarters in Kathmandu.

Now 94 years of age, Nutan was the lawyer who was instrumental in establishing the organization in Nepal in 1969. He worked closely with Richard who, in the early 1970s, was the organization’s Field Secretary in Asia. Also present at the welcoming, and seen in the photo, was Dhruba Kumar Karki, former Chairperson of Amnesty International Nepal (2006-2008).

It was an opportunity to look backward to an eventful past when Amnesty International Nepal was just getting underway and to look forward to new developments and threats in today’s world.

The entire event was a hybrid in-person and on-line gathering, with people joining not only from different regions in Nepal, but also from countries ranging from the UK and Denmark to Iran.

South Asian voices for human rights

Of particular interest was the opportunity to review the original report of the South Asia Regional Conference of Amnesty International, held in New Delhi, 20 -23 March 1975. The conference, which was jointly convened by Amnesty International leaders in South Asia, was attended by four delegates from Nepal, eight from India (including Lakshmi Menon), four from Bangladesh, three from Pakistan, and two from Sri Lanka, as well as the Chair of Amnesty’s International Executive Committee and the organization’s Secretary General.

“This was a historic conference,“ said Director Nirajan Thapaliya, “the first of its kind in South Asia. I was still not born then! But we will carry on in this spirit. We will carry the flame!”

The report pointed out that, in the countries of the region, “the common features of wide- spread poverty, hunger, disease, unemployment, illiteracy and inadequate communication facilities tend to result in political conditions where few or no fundamental freedoms are guaranteed and where organizations which are or appear to be politically active may be banned or at risk.”

“In this context,” it said, “Amnesty International must concern itself with the long-range need to cultivate respect for human rights and to awaken people to the possibilities and the need to protect and defend victims of human rights violations.”

The delegates called for a different organizational model: working through networks and cooperating with other effective organizations. Richard pointed out that this is exactly what Amnesty International Nepal is doing, such as with its recent Social Justice conference. “There is tremendous strength and outreach in this collaborative approach,’ he said.

The conference delegates stressed the importance of Human Rights Education at all levels of society. “In the face of repression and brutality people think that is the norm – because that is what they have been subjected to all their lives, for generations. Instead they need to understand that human rights are the birthright of every single human being.”

There was a recognition of the need to move beyond being an English-speaking elite. Much more material needed to be translated into local languages, said the delegates. An information hub was needed in the region itself. So the first outpost of Amnesty International outside Europe – the South Asia Publications Service – was established in Colombo, Sri Lanka.

Courage, determination and discernment

Working for human rights anywhere in the world takes courage, determination and discernment. “This is the spirit we have to have,” Richard told the participants. “We can have all kinds of troubles. It is not a question of whether we succeed today or fail today. What matters is that we have a serious vision of how society – our human family – takes the next step in its journey to begin expressing and implementing the vision of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.”

“This is not easy work,” he said. “It is the work of generations. Things go up and down, but we need to be very clear about the goal.”

The brave founders of Amnesty International Nepal faced many challenges more than 50 years ago. Richard spoke fondly of his work with Nutan Thapaliya and described how they would go together to Kathmandu Central Jail. “Thanks to his standing as a lawyer,” Richard said, “Nutan would be able to get the guards to bring the political prisoners to the barred gateway of the prison to meet me.” He said it was thanks to Nutan and all the courageous lawyers and other human rights defenders in the country that they were able to assemble, painstakingly, possibly the most comprehensive details on the hundreds of political prisoners held in the country at that time, and get it out of the country to Amnesty’s International Secretariat in London.

Shot dead by British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher

The meeting was surprised when the director of Amnesty International Nepal, Nirajan Thapaliya, called up on the screen this cartoon of Richard being personally assassinated by the Prime Minister at the time, Margaret Thatcher. She was often referred to as “The Iron Lady”.

Richard gave a vivid description of facing hostile questions when Amnesty challenged the British government over the fatal shooting of the three suspects claimed to be planning a bomb attack. The confrontation with the British Government showed that the work of Amnesty International applies to countries and governments in all parts of the world. He said the movement must be willing to stand up for human rights wherever they are violated and face the wrath of those in power.

Amnesty International made headlines in South Asia in March with the release of its annual review of human rights worldwide. “As South Asia sits on the brink of a volatile and unpredictable future, it is important now, more than ever, to keep rights squarely in the centre of all negotiations and conversations,” said Senior Director of Amnesty International, Deprose Muchena, at a launch of the report in Colombo, Sri Lanka – as reported by the independent Groundviews – journalism for citizens.

This perspective came up early on in our “Himalayan Gathering”. Nepal, like so many countries that have emerged from years of war, faces the two-fold challenge of establishing truth and justice for atrocities that happened in the past as well as getting their current governments to act in accordance with the law, the constitution and the promises they have made. These are two of the overarching aspects of the complex human rights dynamic that Nepal faces. This is also true for much of South Asia as a whole, and we also see this pattern in countries worldwide who are dealing with the issues of truth, transitional justice, reconciliation and peace.

The rising generation

A lively question and answer session followed with the many participants who had filled the meeting space in the Kathmandu Amnesty headquarters. They included many members of the rising generation who are thoughtful, inquiring and committed to addressing the many human rights issues in their society. You get a feel for the dynamism of the movement in Nepal and also its increasingly inclusive membership from its website.

A month after our gathering Amnesty International Nepal held its Youth Mela in Besisahar, Lamjung. The theme was ‘Building Bridges, Breaking Barriers: Youths in Action’. The three-day festival focused on facilitating interactive programs centered on significant human rights issues for AI Nepal’s youth members. For the discussion we had during our gathering in March on current issues in Nepal and other challenges being faced by the movement internationally, please view the recording by clicking here.

Richard was accompanied by his wife, Jane Ward, who had also been in Nepal with him in the 1970s. Jane worked for many years in the Office of the Secretary General of Amnesty International with particular responsibility for organizing the International Council Meeting, the movement’s supreme governing body. At the end of the session, both she and Richard were presented with gifts from Amnesty International Nepal – a beautiful silk shawl for Jane and a traditional Dhaka Topi, the distinctive Nepali cap, for Richard. Expressing his thanks and appreciation for everyone, he said, “I feel you have made me an honorary citizen of Nepal!”