Indigenous Community Radio Network (ICRN), founded in 2017 in Kathmandu district, is an umbrella organization of nearly 30 indigenous led-community radio stations spread across Nepal. Network works to advance the cause of indigenous-led community radios which were established to best realize indigenous peoples’ freedom of expression and right to media’ as set forth in the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), Article 16. Community radio stations no doubt are one of the preferred media for Indigenous Peoples in Nepal for defending their rights to freedom of expressions and providing information on the issues affecting them in the language they speak and understand. Network as an umbrella organization facilitates the knowledge, resource and share skills. Similarly, it aims to promote, protect, and strengthen the capacity of the indigenous community radios so that each radio can contribute to positive transformation of community they are serving and help access information in the language they understand and enjoy freedom of speech.
Activities
Indigenous Community Radio Network (ICRN) carries our various activities, some of the activities are as follows:
- Advocacy and lobby for ensuring Indigenous Peoples ‘Right to Media, as per UNDRIP, Article 16
- Capacity building of Indigenous-led Community Radio Stations and their human resources.
- Technical and equipment support to indigenous community radio stations.
- Institutional strengthening of indigenous community radio stations.
- Production and distribution of PSAs, programs concerning indigenous peoples in different indigenous languages.