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KATHMANDU, Nepal (ILO NEWS) - Kathmandu, Nepal - The International Labour Organization (ILO) and the UN Women, in collaboration with the National Planning Commission (NPC) and with guidance from the Film Development Board of Nepal and Nepal Film and Cultural Academy, organized a policy dialogue focused on the current state of the Nepali Film Industry, its contribution to country’s economy and the potential to create decent employment opportunities for women in the sector.

“Let’s work together to create a film industry that is not just a source of entertainment, but also a source for decent employment for women.”

The NPC and the ILO have collaborated to develop policy recommendations for the media and cultural Industry, with the goal to promote gender-inclusive growth and recovery after the COVID-19 pandemic in Nepal. As part of this process, the Joint Programme supported a pilot study that deep dives into the Nepali film industry, particularly centering on the economic and employment potentials of the sector.

Assessments from the study evidence the strong potential of the film industry as a cross-cutting sector that can, directly and indirectly, generate jobs and revenues for Nepal’s economy.  However, the nature of employment in the film industry is flexible and project-based which also translates to unstable job and income security, lack of mechanisms for social security and glaring gaps in the implementation of labour laws.

Women are particularly more vulnerable in such informal settings. Many women industry participants interviewed for the study expressed fear of violence, harassment, occupational safety and health hazards. Additionally, other reported gendered barriers such as the industry’s male-dominated work environment, the often physically strenuous demands of the job, women’s added burden of unpaid care work and the limited access to resources and opportunities further de-incentivize women from participating and/or successfully retaining long term employment in the film industry.  

Part of a series of events organized through an ILO-UN Women's Joint Program “Promoting Decent Employment for Women through Inclusive Growth Policies and Investments in the Care Economy”, the policy dialogue featured Hon. Member Dr Ram Kumar Phuyal, member and Mr Prakash Dahal, Joint Secretary from National Planning Commission, Mr Bhuwan KC, Chairperson, Film Development Board, Mr Tanka Bahadur Mahat, Under Secretary, Ministry of Communication and Information Technology, Ms Basundhara Bhusal, Senior Movie and government, UN agencies, and associations from the film industry.

“The lack of formal procedures, systems, and ways of work in the Nepali film industry is the identifiable root cause of many of the industry’s most pressing issues. It is imperative to take international labour standards into account. Let’s work together to create a film industry that is not just a source of entertainment, but also a source for decent employment for women,” said ILO Nepal Country Director, Numan  Özcan.

“The film industry is an important sector not just for the economy. It plays a critical role in cultural transformation. The impact of the COVID 19 pandemic increased our curiosity of the film industry and explore its potential to be a vibrant sector that could create decent employment for women and the youth,” said Dr. Ram Kumar Phuyal, Honourable Member of the NPC which played a guiding role in conducting the study.

Some of the key factors that define decent employment include the accessibility of fair income, stability of work and security in the workplace, social protection, the space for dialogue, work and personal life balance and equality of opportunity and treatment for all women and men. The informal and inconsistent employment practices of the Nepali film industry demonstrate there are major steps needed to ensure decent employment opportunities for women.

Promoting decent employment is the core of the UN Women-ILO Joint Programme’s agenda which is founded on the premise that inclusive growth and decent work for all cannot be achieved without tackling explicit factors that undermine women’s access to productive and full employment.

For further information please contact:

Kripa Basnyat
National Project Coordinator
ILO Country Office for Nepal
Email:
Tel.: +977 9818128656