For the first time in Asia, the International Labour Organisation (ILO) is launching a national campaign on social security and coverage in Nepal. The campaign aims at raising awareness on social protection among stakeholders including the government, employers, workers organisations, the civil society and donor agencies.

The ILO is holding a technical round table discussion and a national conference this week in Kathmandu. The ILO office in Kathmandu says the campaign is in line with the government's Poverty Reduction Strategy and is also aimed at contributing towards building consensus among different quarters to extend social security coverage among working people particularly in the informal economy. Of the country's 11 million workers, less than 0.4 percent are employed in the formal economy which is covered by some form of social security. Agriculture, which is Nepal's largest contributor to the economy, is almost entirely informal.