About Me

My name is Dev Kumar Sunuwar. I have been appointed by UN Secretary General António Guterres as a member of the advisory 'Board of Trustees' of the UN Voluntary Fund for Indigenous Peoples (UNVFIP)  for a three-year tenure, starting from 1 January 2021 to 31 December 2023. I am a journalist and law practitioner in Nepal. I have written and covered extensively on International Human Rights and Issues concerning Asian Indigenous Peoples in national, regional and international forums and equally in media. I have good network and hands-on experience in the field of Asian Indigenous Peoples’ rights and issues. I come from Koits-Sunuwar, one of the 59 indigenous communities, legally recognized in Nepal. I have worked in radio, television, newspaper, magazine and online, assuming different posts including as investigative journalist.

I co-founded Indigenous Media Foundation, Indigenous Television (Nepal's, in fact south Asia's first and only indigenous community television) and a satellite television-ITVNepal and a couple of community radios in Nepal. I also oversee Asia Program of Cultural Survival, one of the internationally pioneer organization exclusively working on indigenous peoples since 1972, and have brought various issues and challenges faced by Asian Indigenous Peoples at various UN bodies and other international forums. Being a coordinator of Indigenous Media Caucus, a thematic group at UNPFII, i have built the network among indigenous broadcasters and communicators globally. Apart from involving in media sector, I teach ‘public international law’ at Kathmandu School of Law. I hold Masters Degrees in Journalism and Mass Communication, Political Science, and Law, specializing in International Law and Human Rights from Tribhuvan University in Nepal.