Calls for repeal of AFSPA, end to border fencing, recognition of indigenous status, implementation of the 2015 Framework Agreement, demilitarization of Naga territories, and urgent UN intervention
The Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization (UNPO) participated in the 18th session of the United Nations Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (EMRIP), held in Geneva, where it represented the Naga people. The Nagas have been members of UNPO since 1993. During the session, held under the agenda item focused on the implementation of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) with special emphasis on traditional economies, UNPO delivered a joint statement on behalf of the Global Naga Forum.
According to an update received here, on July 16, UNPO, in collaboration with the Global Naga Forum, addressed EMRIP to raise alarm over the “ongoing systematic human rights violations faced by the Naga people across Myanmar and India-occupied regions of Nagaland, Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh and Assam.”
The intervention built upon a previous statement made at the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues earlier this year and was delivered under Item 5 of the agenda.
Speaking on behalf of the Naga people, UNPO highlighted the broader efforts to suppress Naga voices, pointing to travel restrictions as a key example of this systemic silencing. The statement also drew attention to the “unresolved Indo-Naga conflict and the Indian government’s failure to implement the 2015 Framework Agreement, which was meant to recognize the Nagas’ unique history, identity, and governance systems.”
UNPO also condemned the continued imposition of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) in Naga-inhabited areas, describing it as a law that perpetuates impunity for human rights violations. The Oting massacre of 2021 was cited as a stark example of the consequences of militarization, which it said received more media coverage than many similar incidents that occurred before it.
The statement highlighted that Nagas, “who inhabit both Myanmar-occupied regions and all four Indian-occupied states of Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, and Assam, face attacks on the very foundations of their way of life.” It added that this includes assaults on their traditional economies, which are deeply rooted in ancestral lands, kinship networks, cultural heritage, and systems of self-governance.
It drew attention to how militarization, the construction of the Indo-Myanmar border fence, and the dismantling of the Freedom of Movement Regime have eroded livelihoods, community cohesion, and the transmission of cultural knowledge across generations.
“The fencing and restriction of cross-border movement has severed kinship ties, blocked access to farmlands, and dismantled local trade, directly contravening Articles 20, 26 and 23 of the UNDRIP,” it said.
In its statement, UNPO and the Global Naga Forum (GNF) called on the Government of India to fully implement the 2015 Framework Agreement, repeal AFSPA, reinstate the Freedom of Movement Regime along the Indo-Myanmar border, and adopt community-based, rights-respecting alternatives to border fencing in consultation with affected Naga communities. They further urged the Government of India to formally recognize the distinct legal status of indigenous peoples in India, consistent with international human rights standards.
UNPO concluded by affirming that the Naga people remain committed to dialogue and to working constructively toward a just and peaceful resolution; one that respects their dignity, heritage, and self-determination.
Through this intervention, UNPO called upon the Expert Mechanism and UN Member States to “support the Naga people in their ongoing struggle for peace, justice, and the protection of their fundamental rights.”