Tag: ILO

Enhancing research impact and the launch of our multi-lingual, multimedia resources on the safe, wise and secure use of digital tech by migrants in Nepal, January 2026

Prof G. ‘Hari’ Harindranath visited Nepal in January 2026 funded by an ODA grant from Royal Holloway, University of London to work with partners there to develop new collaborations and help sustain digital interventions undertaken through the UKRI GCRF MIDEQ (2019-2024) project and over the past two years through other funding streams.

Launch of our new collaborative resources

A key highlight was an event to launch our multi-lingual, multimedia resources on the safe, wise, and secure use of digital technology by migrants and other vulnerable groups, developed in partnership with the Association of Community Radio Broadcasters (ACORAB), a network of 300+ community radio stations reaching every corner of Nepal

The event included a multi-stakeholder dialogue on digital safety among vulnerable groups in Nepal which brought together nearly 60 participants representing migrant and civil society organisations (female migrants, undocumented labour migrants, LGBTQ+ communities and migrant families from marginalised backgrounds), media and tech organisations including BBC Nepali and international NGOs as well as other international organisations.

New partnership opportunities with Pourakhi

The visit led to new opportunities for partnership with organisations in Nepal that can help further the impact of our ongoing work in support of labour migrants’ use of digital technologies. Pourakhi Nepal, a migrant advocacy group that supports female migrants and returnee migrants, and a key partner for our MIDEQ work, has committed to taking guardianship of the migrant information portal, Pardesi.org.np, which was the result of our collaboration with several migrant organisations and a local tech NGO undertaken during our UKRI GCRF MIDEQ project. The portal will now become part of Pourakhi’s core activity ensuring that it remains updated and relevant to Nepali migrants and their family members.

Meetings with government officials and international organisations

Hari was also able to meet with Nepal’s Minister for Education as well as senior officials at the Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social Security, migrant organisations, local tech and media organisations, and international organisations including UNESCO, IOM, ILO and Helvetas, all with a view to embed our digital interventions within the activities undertaken by our partners, thereby ensuring their sustained impact.

Photos, from the top: two with Gov. of Nepal officials; with UNESCO Nepal; with the Minister for Education; with BBC Nepali Sewa; and with ILO Nepal

Hari Harindranath

23 January 2025

Prof. Harindranath participates in the ILO’s 10th anniversary celebrations of the Fair Recruitment Initiative

Prof G. ‘Hari’ Harindranath was honoured to be invited to contribute to the panel on ‘Leveraging digital innovations to enhance fair recruitment and combat abusive practices’ at the International Labour Organization‘s Global Conference on ‘Fair Recruitment Initiative: The Way Forward, from Policy to Practice’ held in Geneva between 19th and 20th May 2025. This event marked ten years of the ILO’s Fair Recruitment Initiative and brought together representatives from government, employers, trade unions and ILO’s UN partners including the IOM, WHO and UNHCR.

Digital technology is rapidly transforming the way migrant workers are recruited, bringing both new opportunities and serious risks. The interactive panel session examined emerging digital solutions that aim to promote fair recruitment – from tools used by workers to platforms leveraged by governments, inspectors and employers – and unpacked the associated risks and opportunities, and discussed actionable insights from participants on what works, what doesn’t, and how digital tech can be better harnessed to protect migrant workers.

Hari participated in a panel that also included representatives from the International Trade Union Confederation and The Adecco Group, one of the world’s largest human resources and temporary staffing firm.

Hari’s contribution questioned the uncritical application of digital tech in contexts of vulnerability that can cause harms, exacerbate existing inequalities and even create new ones. If digital technologies are to be used to advance fair recruitment of labour migrants, then it requires responsible digital practices that balance tech with supportive human interventions and a sustained focus on the safe, wise and secure use of digital tech by migrants.

Hari had previously been invited to contribute to the Global Forum on Migration and Development’s (GFMD) preparatory roundtables on ‘New Technologies and Digitalization: Improving Migration Management and Regular Migration Pathways’ in Geneva during February 2025 (and online in November 2024) in preparation for the 2025 GFMD Summit in Colombia.

Created in 2007, the Global Forum on Migration and Development (GFMD) is a state-led process connecting governments with civil society, the private sector, local and regional governments, youth, the UN system and other relevant stakeholders to helps shape the global debate on migration and development.

These significant policy engagement opportunities evidence the impact of our research-practice with vulnerable groups including migrants undertaken over the past six years, initially funded through a major UKRI GCRF grant and then through Royal Holloway’s Research England ODA and Social Purpose Research and Innovation Hub (SPRIH) grants (all in Nepal and South Africa) and through SSIA funding (in Brazil). Further details of this ongoing work can be found here (on the safe, wise and secure use of digital tech) and here (on our research-practice with migrants).

Prof. G. ‘Hari’ Harindranath, 29 May 2025