International Labour Organization
Nepal joined International Labour Organization in 1966. ILO brings together governments, employers and workers to set labor standards and promote decent work for all women and men. Enabling decent work for all ensuring fundamental principles and rights at work are the ILO priorities for 2018-2022 in Nepal.
Organization
ILO was founded in 1919 and became the first specialized agency of the UN in 1946. The ILO is the only tripartite UN agency based in Geneva, Switzerland. It has 187 Member States — 186 of the 193 UN Member States and the Cook Islands. The ILO was founded as a part of the Treaty of Versailles that ended World War I, to reflect the belief that universal and lasting peace can be accomplished only if it is based on social justice.
The Governing Body is the executive body of the ILO. The ILO secretariat (staff) is referred to as the International Labour Office. The Governing Body meets three times a year, in March, June and November. It takes decisions on ILO policy, decides the agenda of the International Labour Conference, adopts the draft program and budget for submission to the Conference, and elects the Director-General.
The ILO aims to ensure that it serves the needs of working women and men by bringing together governments, employers and workers to set labor standards, develop policies and devise programs. The ILO encourages this tripartism within its constituents- employers, workers and Member States- by promoting social dialogue between trade unions and employers in formulating, and where appropriate, implementing national policy on social, economic, and many other issues.
The Organization is devoted to promoting social justice and internationally recognized human and labor rights, pursuing its founding mission that social justice is essential to universal and lasting peace. To address the issues such as forced labor, minimum wage laws, HIV/AIDS, migrant workers, domestic workers and globalization, the ILO has been investing millions of dollars every year. In FY 2018/19, it had allocated US$ 784.1 million for global aid and had proposed US$ 790.6 million worth of support for fiscal year 2020/21.
Development Cooperation
Nepal joined the ILO in 1966. Later, in January 1994, the Office of the Senior ILO Adviser was established in Nepal in view of the increasing need for support in the country and scope for expansion of ILO programs. The Kathmandu office transitioned to a full-fledged Country Office in 2000. The ILO program in Nepal is aligned with the ILO work worldwide, the Government’s Development Plan and the United Nations Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF).
From Protocol to Practice: A BRIDGE to Global Action on Forced Labour (2015-2019) aimed at effectively eliminating traditional and modern slavery/forced labor systems often linked to human trafficking. Apart from Government other project partners were Rastriya Mukta Haliya Samaj Federation (RMHSF), as well as workers’ and employers’ organizations.
The ILO-DFID Partnership Programme on Fair Recruitment and Decent Work for Women Migrant Workers in South Asia and the Middle East “Work in Freedom” was implemented to reduce the incidence of trafficking of women and girls from India, Bangladesh and Nepal through economic, social and legal empowerment. The ILO provided technical assistance to the Nepal Labor Force Survey-III Project (2017-2018), in partnership with CBS.
Disbursement during FYs 2016/17 to 2020/21 (in US$)
Over the last five-year period beginning from FY 2016/17 to FY 2020/21, the ILO has disbursed US$ 4.48 million of ODA to Nepal. The disbursement was US$ 1.4 million in FY 2020/21, highest in terms of volume during the 5-year period. There was no disbursement at all in fiscal year 2019/20, while the annual average disbursement during this 5 year period was 0.89 million.
The ILO has agreed to provide a total support of US $ 5.2 million in the last five year period. However there was no any commitment at all in three different fiscal years- 2016/16, 2018/19 and 2020/21.
|
Fiscal Year |
Agreement Amount |
Disbursement |
|
2016/17 |
|
800,000 |
|
2017/18 |
2,200,000 |
1,200,000 |
|
2018/19 |
|
1,000,000 |
|
2019/20 |
3,000,000 |
|
|
2020/21 |
|
1,485,000 |
Source: Aid Management Information System
Note: The Agreement Amount is not comparable with disbursement because disbursement here accounts for disbursement of each fiscal year only, whereas Agreement Amount refers to the project cost over the period (not only for single fiscal year but also beyond).
Country Partnership Strategy
The ILO Nepal Decent Work Country Programme (DWCP) 2013-2017 focused on three fundamental areas: (i) Promotion of employment-centric and inclusive growth; (ii) Improved labor market governance and industrial relations; and (iii) Promotion of fundamental principles and rights at work.
The ILO Office in Nepal has formulated its next phase of Decent Work Country Programme, 2018 to 2022. There are two priorities: (1) Enabling decent work for all through sustainable and inclusive growth; and (2) Ensuring fundamental principles and rights at work.
Updated
Social Sector/ IECCD
January 2022
References
- ILO: http://www.ilo.org/global/lang--en/index.htm
- ILO Country Office, Nepal: http://www.ilo.org/kathmandu/lang--en/index.htm
