“Nepal Labour Migration Report 2022” launched

KATHMANDU, DECEMBER 19: The Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social Security, International Organization for Migration(IOM), International Labour Organization(ILO), and Safer Migration Programme (SaMI) have jointly launched the ‘Nepal Labour Migration Report 2022’ to mark the International Migrants Day (18/12). It was launched yesterday holding a program in the capital

 The report encapsulates the major trends and activities in the country’s labor migration sector covering the period between 2019/2020 and 2021/2022.According to the report, the Ministry has adopted and implemented a range of policies and legal instruments to address labor migration-related issues in the country such as shifting labor migration-related services to the online system, adopting new directives and procedures for the reintegration of returnee migrant workers, as well as a significant modification on immigration policies especially aiming the migrants in major countries of destination. Despite this progress, Nepali migrant workers’ health and safety issues as well as cases of fraud, abuse, and exploitation continue to occur in unignorable numbers.

The report stresses the importance of ‘informed migration’, awareness, sensitization, and the need for implementing country-specific pre-departure orientation as well as post-arrival orientation for migrants. Similarly, the report appeals to support the government’s efforts to ensure fair and ethical recruitment, including the implementation of the ‘employer pays’ principle, which means the costs of recruitment should be borne by the employer, not by the worker.

Labour Migration has been a common livelihood strategy for Nepalese households over the recent decades. According to the World Bank, remittances contributed 24 percent of the country’s GDP in the year 2021.

Addressing the event in the capacity of Chief Guest, Minister for Labour, Employment and Social Security, Sher Bahadur Kunwar, extended his best wishes to all the migrants on the occasion of International Migrants Day and wished for an environment where all labor migrants can be proud of their work and be able to be united for their rights.

“The report will be a useful resource for everyone for it has covered every aspect of migration including its shifting dynamics,” said Minister Kunwar.

“I am glad that we have been able to continue to join hands with the government and other key stakeholders in presenting such a report covering every aspect of the labor migration sector in Nepal, which I believe will eventually contribute to strengthening labor migration governance and ensuring safe, orderly and dignified labor migration in Nepal, envisioned by the Sustainable Development Goals and the Global Compact for Migration (GCM),” said Lorena Lando, IOM Nepal Chief of Mission.

“Introducing the report on this day dedicated to all migrants across the world, we are contributing to our objectives of humanizing mobility to contribute to social cohesion and reduce negative perceptions about migrants”, she added.

Congratulating the Ministry on the launch, Officer-in-Charge for ILO Nepal, Fredy Guayacan, said, “The foundation of effective policy formulation and implementation is robust research and social dialogue.”

“We are honored to have continued our support for this extremely important work since 2014 which we believe is essential not only to enhance our understanding of the key trends and issues related to labor migration in Nepal but also to reflect on each of our roles in ensuring labor migration governance respects the rights of migrant workers and their families,” he added.

The IOM, the ILO, and Sami supported the government in developing the report.

Representatives from various other government agencies, civil society, development partners, academia, researchers, the United Nations, and other national and international organizations were among the attendees of the event.

Every year on 18 December, the world celebrates International Migrants Day to mark the anniversary of the adoption of the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of their Families by the United Nations General Assembly in 1990. In Nepal, under the leadership of the Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social Security, the country marked the Day under the theme of “skills, capital, and knowledge gained from foreign employment: entrepreneurship, employment, and national dignity”.