Kathmandu: The Ministry of Youth, Labour, and Employment and IOM Nepal, with support from the IOM Development Fund, jointly organized the Media and Stakeholder Consultation on the Present and Future of Labour Mobility. The Consultation was attended by over 70 journalists, editors, government officials, migration experts, financial sector representatives, researchers, civil society organizations, trade unions, and development partners.
The consultation explored Nepal’s evolving labour migration landscape, emerging destination countries, migration governance, remittance utilization, reintegration, and the role of responsible, evidence-based journalism in shaping informed public discourse.
In his opening remarks, Baburam Adhikari, Joint Secretary of MoYLE, reaffirmed the Government of Nepal’s commitment to safe, orderly, and regular migration, emphasizing the protection, dignity, and rights of migrant workers throughout the migration cycle.
During the panel discussion, Kiran Nepal, Chairperson of the Centre for Investigative Journalism ,stressed the importance of quality journalism in addressing emerging migration challenges, stating, “Many reported cases are only the tip of the iceberg. Evidence-based journalism is essential to understand the larger migration reality.”
Similarly, Nirmala Sharma, President of the Federation of Nepali Journalists, called for more balanced migration reporting, reminding participants that “We have become crisis-focused in migration reporting. Human stories of return, resilience, and rebuilding deserve equal attention.”
The consultation concluded with a shared commitment to stronger collaboration among government, media, financial institutions, civil society, and development partners to advance safe, orderly, and regular migration while keeping the dignity, rights, and wellbeing of migrant workers at the centre of Nepal’s labour mobility agenda.
