March 2025, marked the fifth anniversary of the Covid-19 pandemic, when it was declared a global emergency by the World Health Organisation (WHO). The COVID-19 pandemic had the world at a standstill, revealing the deep cracks in the public health and governance systems across countries, with a particular impact felt on developing countries and among previously marginalized communities such as the migrant workers. 

On March 19, 2025, a group of scholars, practitioners and activists came together to reflect on the lessons learned from the Covid-19 pandemic. The panel entitled ‘Disaster, International Labour and Justice’ was organised by the South Asia Centre based at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) and focused on a collaborative research that examined the disproportionate socio-political impacts of the pandemic on Nepali international workers and how lthe pandemic, in turn, created the opportunity for activism, community care, and collaborative efforts to protect and promote the rights and well-being of international migrant workers. At the heart of the conversation was the notion of Just Recovery, an evidence-informed approach that was developed through two-year of in-depth research that keeps the migrant voices at the centre of disaster governance and advocates for the recovery efforts that are equitable, accountable, and rooted in the lived realities of those most affected. The panel involved collaborators of the ‘Just Recovery’ project including Dr Nimesh Dhungana Lecturer in Disasters & Global Health, Human Conflict Response Institute, University of Manchester, and Lead Investigator in the LSE-AFSEE Project ‘Demanding a “Just Recovery” from Below’, Narayan Adhikari Country Director, Accountability Lab Nepal, Kripa Basnyat National Project Officer, ‘Empowered Women, Prosperous Nepal’ (EWPN), International Labour Organisation, Nepal and Flora Cornish Professor in Research Methodology, LSE.

Neha Choudhary, Technical Officer on Migration at the International Labour Organisation in Ethiopia (previously at ILO Nepal) and Dr Banhishikha Ghosh lecturer in Health & Social Care, University of Sunderland (London) served as the panel discussants. The panel was chaired by Dr Nilanjan Sarkar, Deputy Director, LSE South Asia Centre.

The panel started with a brief introduction by the LSE South Asia Centre’s Deputy Director, Dr Nilanjan Sarkar, followed by the remarks from the project collaborators and discussants. Dr Nimesh Dhungana (University of Manchester) started the discussion by providing a general overview of the research and its key findings. He stressed how the pandemic highlighted what many already knew about the inequalities and vulnerabilities of the migrant workers, both at home and abroad. He also highlighted how disasters including COVID-19 can act as critical windows of opportunity to reimagine governance and accountability. While the pandemic presented some unique challenges, many of its impacts mirrored those seen in past crises. However, for migrant workers, COVID-19 added and highlighted a deeper layer of injustice ranging from wage theft to severe violations of dignity. 

The pandemic had unique impacts upon them from being forced to stay at the unsafe quarantine facilities to denying rights of getting back to home, wage theft and abrupt contract terminations; this crisis intensified the precarity they were already living with. The response on the other hand was often dehumanizing. Blanket policies, ad hoc efforts  and inadequate support created a sense of abandonment. But even amidst hardship, there emerged powerful acts of resistance, care, and solidarity led by migrants themselves and supported by activists, researchers, and civil society.

Highlights of the Discussion 

Defining Just Recovery

The study findings highlighted how the pandemic served as a moment of political possibility in Nepal, with youth and migrant workers spearheading newer forms of activism, demanding government accountability, transparency, and a more dignified, inclusive approach to pandemic governance. The pandemic also fostered the collaboration between the migrant activists, the network of migrants and even the government agencies to address the current crisis. 

The panel also highlighted the possibility of developing a collaborative research to both uncover and address the unjust impacts of a disaster. The research involved a long-standing collaboration between the Project’s Principal Investigator, Dr Nimesh Dhungana and the Accountability Lab, and supported by a group of academics and practitioners. The main contribution of the research was to develop an evidence-based understanding of the concept of “Just Recovery”, that drew on the lived experiences of labour migrants and migrant activists to, understand the potential of grassroots activism in challenging intersecting inequalities facing labour migrants in the wake of the Covid-19 crisis in Nepal. Through a mix of interviews and applied workshops/meetings the project defines ‘just recovery’ as a mix of practical interventions spanning “Care” that highlights the role of both formal systems and informal networks in supporting migrant well-being; “Collaboration” reflects the dynamics between government institutions and grassroots or loosely connected support systems including the migrant networks and “Confrontations” calls for challenging unjust narratives and demanding accountability. The project collaborators Mr Narayan Adhikari, Kripa Basnyat and Dr Flora Cornish further highlighted the need to pay particular attention to the rights-based approach to disaster and migration governance; one that is grounded in the lived realities of the migrant workers. 

The Monolith view of the ‘Migrant’ workers

The panel further highlighted the complex challenges facing Nepal’s migration governance. Neha Choudhary, based on her long-standing work in Nepal’s migration sector, emphasised on need to have a nuanced understanding of migrant workers. The pandemic starkly revealed how migrant workers are perceived and treated by the government, exposing deep-rooted disparities. Notably, there were two distinct groups; i) migrants migrating to India who are often undocumented and untracked and ii) migrants migrating to countries beyond India. Each of these groups face unique vulnerabilities and challenges throughout their migration journeys and in the course of rehabilitation. Yet, these differences are often overlooked in government policies and planning, leading to responses that fail to address the diverse realities and needs of migrant workers. Furthermore, the migrant population as a whole rarely falls as the priority of the  nation’s policy priorities. This is evident from the pandemic response, which was neither sensitive nor inclusive which has only fostered a deep sense of abandonment and even the committee formed for the COVID management did not include any representing migrants.

Another discussant Dr Banhishikha Ghosh, while appreciating the positive elements of grassroots organizing highlighted by the study, raised question about the risk of over-celebrating their potential to disrupt or change the systemic drivers of vulnerabilities facing migrant workers. She also suggested the need for a more comparative and longer-term study that looks at the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic on the relationship between migrant workers and the State. 

Learning, and gaps 

Looking back at the pandemic and the broader collaboration process, there has been a lot of learnings across about the understanding of context, the response, perspectives and more.

One of the biggest takeaways was the paradox in how migrant workers were viewed. One who was once praised as “remittance heroes,” were scrutinized during the pandemic and unfairly treated as the disease carriers. Our assumption that the migrants would stay in the country after COVID was challenged as we saw many of them had returned abroad under risky and difficult conditions. At the local level, some representatives especially those with migrant backgrounds showed empathy and allocated budgets for support of the migrant workers. However, these budgets were not always used effectively.

Another learning has been the importance and the role the social media played during this time in helping to share important information and amplify migrant voices. It had become a space where communities came together to seek support and campaign for the rights of migrant workers. These experiences have influenced recent migration policies, including Nepal’s 16th Development Plan, which focuses on creating jobs within the country and better mobilization of Employment Service Centers at the local level. However, gaps remain in turning policies and plans into real action.

The Co-Produced Model of Activism

ALN’s CivActs model has played a crucial role in ensuring bottom-up accountability through engagement of communities, local leaders, scholars, activists collaborate to generate real-time data and feedback to promote informed decision-making. The model creates a convening platform and facilitates shared ownership. It ensures that community voices shape both the process and outcomes even in times of crisis. This model was first piloted during the 2015 earthquake and has since evolved (More about CivActs journey ).

A key component of the model is its collaboration with scholars, which adds credibility to advocacy efforts and helps consolidate learning. This partnership provides  scholars with access to real-time narratives that enrich their research and archival work, while ALN benefits from the synthesis of knowledge and enhanced legitimacy. Most importantly the insights gathered from communities are meaningfully disseminated back, bridging knowledge gaps between communities and policy makers, between scholars and activists making research more accessible, relevant, and actionable.

This partnership-driven approach now has been applied across the broader sector of disaster governance, climate action, and more.

Looking forward and beyond COVID

The conversations culminated in a collective call to action: to ensure that people’s voices guide recovery and reform not only during pandemics, but in all crises. Just Recovery is not a one-time framework that fits only to counter the issue of the migrant workers but one that can be adapted or scaled based on the context and needs of affected communities.

This collaborative model of scholar-activist partnership offers a replicable blueprint for other sectors including climate action to natural resource management. At its heart is a belief that research must be participatory, people-centered, and power-shifting. While we reflect on the pandemic or any other crisis it is necessary to look into the  scars that it has created in the trust between governments and citizens, between policies and people’s realities and work to rebuild it. The path toward a future not only has to be fast, but also just.

Find the full webinar: https://www.youtube.com/live/_vWVXHYiAnc?si=_Elwul-H1NlD5p-a