IOM Nepal

Nepal is highly vulnerable to climate change, experiencing frequent disasters triggered by floods, landslides, and storms. These disasters have led to 3.9 million internal displacements between 2008 and 2023, severely impacting public health and migration patterns. Climate migrants face significant health risks, including malnutrition, waterborne diseases, respiratory infections, and mental health disorders. Host communities also experience increased pressure on healthcare systems. With the surge in foreign labour migration of Nepali workers, particularly to Gulf Cooperation Council countries and Malaysia, Nepal has witnessed increase in health conditions and diseases such as heatstroke, hypertension, kidney disease, diabetes, and other non-communicable diseases among these labour migrants, many of which can be largely or partly attributed to climate-related exposures in these destination countries. Despite these challenges, Nepal's policy frameworks have yet to integrate climate change, migration, and health considerations, which may lead to fragmented responses. In response, this project aims to contribute to building a migrant-inclusive, gender-sensitive and climate-resilient health system in Nepal that is responsive to the needs of both internally displaced persons and Nepali foreign labour migrants. The project's outcome is that the Government of Nepal mainstreams the migrant-inclusive, gender-sensitive and climate-resilient health system agenda into its national policies, strategies and priorities.

The objectives of the project are to improve early TB case detection by improving the capacity of private HACs, improve access to rapid TB diagnostics, and engage and empower women in decision making for screening and testing for definitive TB detection. In addition, migrants with other health issues such as positive HIV results, diabetes and female migrants with gynecological problems will further linked with public health system.

This project will support the government of Nepal to introduce a comprehensive database which will serve as a primary reference point for migration health related information collected from all different information management system of the government and non-government institutions.

IOM is focusing on filling the identified gaps in the current response and enabling the UN to scale up its support to the Government of Nepal through: 1) Technical assistance to the government to manage the quarantine and holding centres; 2) Distribution of essential non-food items mainly mosquito nets, masks and sanitizers at points of entry; 3) Screening and selection of the vulnerable migrants to support with one time cash grant for ground transportation and other immediate needs; 4) Provide support to vulnerable migrant workers and returnees with cash assistance to meet their transportation, food, and other immediate needs.

The objective of the project component to be implemented by IOM Nepal is to contribute to the efforts of the Government of Nepal and the UN in Nepal to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic to better protect vulnerable migrants by providing immediate economic reintegration support and linking them with the opportunities available in country.

The overall objective of this project is to promote and support evidence-based policy making and to call attention to the benefits of mainstreaming migration profile. In order to enhance coordination among relevant stakeholders and ensure the ownership, the project will establish an inter-ministerial working group, and the migration profile will be prepared in full consultation with the working group members. Additionally, the project will widely disseminate the findings of the migration profile and train policy makers and practitioners on how to collect, analyze and utilize migration data for policy making development.