23 December 2025

GoodWeave Certification Nepal on 23rd Dec 2025 successfully held a roundtable discussion on the report findings: “From Risk to Resilience: How Climate Change is Deepening Child and Forced Labor in Nepal, and What to Do About It.” 

The discussion aimed to: 

• Share key findings and recommendations from the report with concerned ministries, industry representatives, child labor survivors, international development partners, and civil society organizations working on child/forced labor and climate change. 
• Explore roles and strategies to mitigate climate-induced risks of child and forced labor
• Discuss incorporating these recommendations into the Child Labor Status Report for the 6th Global Conference on the Elimination of Child Labor in Morocco, February 2026. 

During the event, Ms. Samjhana Pradhan, Executive Director of GoodWeave Certification Nepal, presented the report findings, followed by a panel discussion, moderated by Mr. Krishna B. Shah, Advisor of GoodWeave Certification Nepal and Executive Director of Global Compact Nepal. Panelists included: 

Mr. Jitendra Prasad Sharma, Under Secretary, Ministry of Labor, Employment and Social Security (MoLESS) 
Dr. Prakash Singh Thapa, Under Secretary, Ministry of Forest and Environment (MoFE) 
Mr. Ram Bahadur Chand, Information Officer, National Child Rights Council (NCRC) 
Mr. Balaram Gurung, President, Nepal Carpet Manufacturers and Exporters Association (NCMEA) 
Ms. Writtu Bhatta Rai, Chair, NACG 
Ms. Sumitra Basnet, Former GoodWeave Child Laborer 

The panelists shared insights on how climate change contributes to child and forced labor and the roles stakeholders can play in addressing these challenges. The discussion was actively attended by representatives from MoLESS, Ministry of Forest and Environment, NCRC, ILO/Nepal, Global March Against Child Labor, NCMEA, Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI), and several civil society organizations. 

After the panel discussion session, the south Asia coordinator for Global March against child labor, Mr. Milan Dharel, facilitated a discussion and gathered key take aways from the participants referring to the report findings for the CSO report on the Morocco conference. A key outcome was to include topics such as Climate Justice, Proportionate Compensation, Responsible Global North Behavior, Global Certification Systems, and Cross-Country Alert Mechanisms in the CSO report for the Morocco conference. The workshop also featured the launch of the book “Purpuro” (Fortune) by Ms. Parbati Tiwari Acharya, a former child laborer remediated by GoodWeave who now works as a Compliance Officer at Nepal SBI Bank. The book was launched by Ms. Sulochana Shah, President of GoodWeave Certification Nepal, and Mr. Bahadure Sherpa, Senior Monitoring Officer, who had rescued Parbati from a carpet factory and supported her education. The book reflects Parbati’s inspiring journey and GoodWeave’s transformative impact on children’s lives.

Through this roundtable, we strongly advocated for GoodWeave’s mission to transform the lives of child laborers in supply chains affiliated with GoodWeave. Attendees witnessed this impact firsthand, as several speakers and facilitators were former child laborers whose lives were changed through GoodWeave’s remediation efforts. 

©photo credit Nikki Thapa