IPEC Action in Nepal
In February 1995, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between His Majesty's
Government of Nepal (HMG/N) and the ILO to the effect that: "The aim of such cooperation (between
the HMG/N and the ILO) will be to promote conditions to enable the HMG/N to progressively prohibit,
restrict and regulate child labour with a view to its ultimate elimination; and increase awareness in the
national and international community of the consequences and solutions to the child labour problem."
In May 1995, the Ministry of Labour constituted a National Steering Committee, which has worked jointly
with the ILO on the nature and scope of IPEC activities.
Since its inception in 1995, IPEC has been able to place the issue of child labour prominently on the
national development agenda. A legislative framework has been formulated and strategic alliances and
forum for coordination created in collaboration with IPEC's partners. The experience of IPEC in Nepal has indeed shown that it is only possible to create an impact in the battle against child labour if the
specific interventions for working children and their parents are part of an overall framework for action.
In line with the experience of IPEC at the global level, IPEC Nepal has successfully moved from targeted
action in one specific sector (a sector based approach) to targeting all forms of child labour in a welldefined
geographical area (an area based approach). As the area based approach has proven to be
very successful in eliminating child labour, it has been incorporated as one of the basic strategies of
the Time-Bound Programme (TBP), which is currently in Phase I.
The IPEC Core TBP is predicated on Nepal's Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP), Tenth Plan,
and His Majesty's Government of Nepal Master Plan on Child Labour, both of which incorporate
decentralization as a fundamental strategy. Decentralization is equated with good governance. IPEC has
assisted in establishing District Child Labour Coordination Committees (DCLCCs) in 18 districts. The
DCLCCs are set up under the District Development Committees, which are the main local level
administrative bodies. The DCLCCs represent a broad range of community interests, including policy
makers, employers, trade unions, service clubs, local NGOs, women's groups, and youth groups. The
main objective of the DCLCCs is to provide inspired and informed leadership at the community level
on the issue of child labour. Approximately 10 of the DCLCCs have drafted plans of action against the
worst forms of child labour.
Overview of ongoing projects
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