The ILO’s new STREAM Programme has begun consultations in Nepal to strengthen social protection, promote fair recruitment, and improve decent work conditions for Nepali migrant workers in GCC countries. Nepal has around 4.5 million migrants employed abroad, many of whom continue to face preventable risks such as unfair recruitment practices, unsafe working environments, and limited access to social protection. Despite legislative progress, an ILO survey shows that major gaps remain in actual access to social protection, especially for low-wage and women migrant workers in domestic and care sectors.
With ongoing reforms in GCC countries and Nepal’s efforts to expand its own social security systems, there is growing momentum to address these structural challenges. The STREAM Programme aims to build a stronger, more coordinated framework to ensure migrant workers and their families receive adequate protection throughout the migration cycle. It introduces a broader vision for improving social protection across the South Asia–Gulf corridor, one of the world’s major migration routes.
During consultations with ministries, the Social Security Fund, trade unions, and civil society, stakeholders acknowledged progress already made but emphasized the need for a more unified and coordinated approach. They highlighted the importance of cross-border cooperation with GCC countries to ensure that benefits earned abroad can be transferred and used to support income security upon return to Nepal.
Discussions also focused on the heightened vulnerabilities faced by women migrant workers in domestic and care roles, many of whom remain excluded from formal social protection systems. Participants stressed the need for gender-responsive measures, better outreach, and improved awareness among workers about their rights and entitlements in destination countries.
Stakeholders further identified the need for stronger data collection and information-sharing between institutions to improve monitoring of migrants’ access to social protection abroad. This would help translate policy commitments into effective, evidence-based action.
The ILO noted that STREAM’s work in Nepal is part of a wider regional effort to strengthen social protection across the South Asia–Gulf corridor. This regional approach aims to amplify the voices of origin countries and help connect systems across borders, ensuring migrant workers’ rights are safeguarded both abroad and at home.
In Nepal, STREAM operates alongside the ILO’s MiRiDeW project and the PPR-MW initiative, which collectively support fair recruitment, improved labour migration governance, and inclusive social protection systems. Together, these programmes contribute to safer, more equitable, and more dignified migration experiences for Nepali workers.
STREAM is a multi-country initiative supported by several international partners. Its goal is to ensure that every migrant worker, regardless of gender, status, or sector, can access the social protection necessary to work and live with dignity.
