Kathmandu: Nepal observed International Migrants Day 2025 on December 18 highlighting the vital contribution of migrant workers to national development and the global economy. The day was marked under the national theme “Good Governance across the Labour Migration Cycle: Safer, Decent and Skillful Migration.”
Speaking at a programme organized by the Foreign Employment Board under the Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social Security (MoLESS), speakers emphasized the need to protect the rights, dignity and safety of migrant workers at all stages of labour migration.
The occasion also saw the launch of the Labour Migration Status Report 2024 by Labour Minister Rajendra Singh Bhandari. According to the report, Nepal issued 5.7 million labour approvals between fiscal years 2008/09 and 2023/24, with 1.51 million approvals in the last two fiscal years alone. Women accounted for 12.9 per cent of total labour approvals in 2023/24. While GCC countries and Malaysia remain the main destinations, labour migration to Central and Eastern Europe has increased in recent years.
Despite its economic importance, labour migration continues to carry serious risks. More than 1,200 migrant worker deaths were reported in each of the last two fiscal years. Social protection coverage also remains limited, with over 1.65 million migrant workers enrolled in the Social Security Fund between March 2023 and June 2025.
Addressing the programme, ILO Nepal Country Director Numan Özcan stressed the importance of strengthening governance across the entire migration cycle to ensure safe, dignified and decent work for migrant workers. He reaffirmed ILO Nepal’s commitment to fair recruitment, better access to information and services, and expanded social protection for migrant workers and their families.
Representatives from government agencies, development partners, social partners, civil society and the media attended the event, calling for coordinated action to ensure labour migration delivers positive outcomes for migrant workers and their families.
