ILO STREAM Programme Consults Nepal to Boost Protection for Migrant Workers in GCC Countries

With around 4.5 million Nepalis working abroad, primarily in GCC states, migration remains one of Nepal’s most significant drivers of economic development.

The International Labour Organization’s (ILO) new STREAM Programme has begun an intensive round of consultations in Nepal aimed at strengthening social protection, promoting fair recruitment, and enhancing decent work conditions for the millions of Nepali migrant workers employed across Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries. The initiative seeks to close long-standing gaps in the migration cycle—from departure to employment abroad to reintegration at home.

With around 4.5 million Nepalis working abroad, primarily in GCC states, migration remains one of Nepal’s most significant drivers of economic development. Migrant workers contribute vital skills and generate billions in remittances each year. Yet many continue to face preventable risks, including exploitative recruitment practices, unsafe living and working conditions, exclusion from social protection systems, and limited access to justice.

Persistent Gaps in Social Protection

Despite recent policy reforms within Nepal and evolving social protection systems across GCC countries, the ILO’s Survey of access to social protection for Nepalese migrant workers in the GCC highlights major structural gaps. Access to protection is especially limited for women migrant workers and low-wage workers, many of whom are employed in domestic and care sectors where vulnerabilities are highest and labour rights protections remain weak.

The STREAM Programme—“Extending Social Protection to Migrant Workers and Their Families in the South Asia–Gulf Corridor”—aims to address these systemic challenges by strengthening cross-border cooperation, supporting national reforms, and creating a more coherent, connected approach to migrant protection.

National Stakeholder Consultations in Nepal

To shape its strategic entry points, STREAM held consultations with key institutions including:

• Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social Security

• Social Security Fund (SSF)

• Trade unions and civil society organizations

• Migrant support networks and rights groups

Stakeholders recognized Nepal’s substantial efforts to protect migrant workers abroad through its Social Security Fund and welfare initiatives. However, they emphasized the need for better coordination, streamlined measures, and expanded cooperation with GCC governments to ensure that benefits earned abroad translate into income security at home.

ILO Country Director for Nepal, Numan Özcan, highlighted the critical next step: “Nepal has built strong foundations to protect its workers abroad. The priority now is durable cooperation with GCC partners so that the rights Nepali migrant workers earn abroad lead to real social protection for them and their families.”

Focus on Women, Domestic Workers, and Vulnerable Groups

Consultations repeatedly underscored the urgent need to address the conditions of migrant workers in the domestic and care sectors, the majority of whom are women. These workers often remain excluded from formal social security coverage and face multiple, intersecting vulnerabilities, including isolation, unequal power dynamics, and limited access to grievance mechanisms.

Strengthening gender-responsive and inclusive social protection systems, ensuring fair recruitment, and improving awareness among workers and families were identified as top priorities.

Building Data Systems and Cross-Border Coordination

Participants also pointed to weak data-sharing mechanisms between Nepal and GCC countries, which hinder rights verification and access to benefits. Improved data collection, consolidation, and information-sharing were recognized as essential for evidence-based policy and effective implementation.

Karina Levina, Technical Officer of the STREAM Programme, emphasized the regional significance of the initiative: “STREAM’s work in Nepal is part of a broader regional effort to rethink social protection along the South Asia–Gulf migration corridor. By identifying shared priorities, we can better connect systems across borders and amplify the voice of countries of origin.”

Integrated Approach Through ILO Partnerships

In Nepal, STREAM works in close coordination with:

• Migrant Rights and Decent Work (MiRiDeW) Project

• Partnership on Protecting and Promoting the Rights of Nepali Migrant Workers (PPR-MW)

Together, these initiatives support fair recruitment, improved governance, and inclusive social protection, enabling Nepal to align policy with practice and envision a migration system grounded in dignity, fairness, and rights.

A Multi-Country, Multi-Partner Vision for Inclusive Protection

STREAM is funded by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, the European Union’s Foreign Policy Instrument, and the Ford Foundation. The programme aims to build a world where all migrant workers—regardless of gender, sector, or immigration status—can access the social protection necessary to live and work with dignity.