IPEC Action in Nepal
In February 1995, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between Government of
Nepal and the ILO to the effect that: "The aim of such cooperation will be to promote
conditions to enable the Government of Nepal 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 well-defined 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).
The IPEC support to the TBP was predicated on Nepal's Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP),
Tenth Plan, and the Nepal Master Plan on Child Labour, both of which incorporate
decentralization as a fundamental strategy. IPEC assisted in establishing District
Child Labour Coordination Committees (DCLCCs) in 18 districts. The DCLCCs were set up
under the District Development Committees. 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.
Overview of ongoing projects
Overview of recently concluded projects
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