Human rights organisations have used the 61st UN Human Rights Commission in Geneva to make stinging criticism of the country's human rights record. The International Crisis Group (ICG) has called on the government to establish a UN human rights monitoring mission that could help in peace building. "ICG's report on Nepal's human rights crisis is meant to complement the more detailed reporting of specialist human rights organisations such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch," analyst Rhoderick Chalmers told us.

Addressing the commission this week in Geneva, Amnesty International's Secretary General Irene Khan challenged member states to rise above national and regional interests and restore the credibility and legitimacy of the UN to protect victims of human rights abuse. On Nepal, she said: "Nepal is a test case to measure the Commission's willingness and ability to tackle human rights crises. Failure to act decisively will prove that not only do power politics prevent the consideration of serious human rights violations in large countries but that the members of the Commission are incapable of acting to prevent a human rights disaster in any country." Government officials have said there was no need for international rights monitoring in Nepal.