Public Policy Dialogue on the Draft of the Labour Immigration Policy 2024

Public Policy Dialogue on the Draft of the Labour Immigration Policy 2024

September 5, 2024

Policy Research Institute, Narayanhiti

The Ministry of Labor, Employment and Social Security has released a draft of the Labour Migration Policy 2024 to replace the Foreign Employment Policy, 2011, for public debate and feedback. The policy has been drafted with the aim towards systematizing information on labour migration, ensuring services and good governance, ending forced migration and focusing on the management of foreign workers in Nepal. To facilitate the improvement of the draft policy, the Policy Research Institute played a crucial role by organizing a public policy dialogue program with the participation of stakeholders and experts, where suggestions, opinions, and comments were collected.

In the policy dialogue program, Mr Govind Prasad Rijal, Joint Secretary at the Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social Security, explained the draft policy’s need and purpose to enhance the competitiveness of Nepali workers in the international labour market and ensure their long-term interests. He also highlighted the possible areas and topics of policy reforms expected. In the policy dialogue, Mr Kewal Bhandari, a former Secretary to the Government of Nepal, drew attention to the need to empower local governments to implement the labour migration policy, to raise public awareness of social security, and to increase the attractiveness of available employment opportunities in the country, to include students working abroad in the policy as migrant workers, even if they are working on student visas.

The speakers who participated in the event pointed out that although Nepal had labour agreements with only 12 countries, it had made arrangements to allow people to go to work in 178 countries; there are a large number of Nepali workers in India, and students going out on student visas do work. They emphasized that the policy should cover all these issues. Participants also suggested that labour migration should be included as a part of a comprehensive policy on migration. Representatives of the Non-Resident Nepali Association suggested that the policy should also cover the role of the Non-Resident Nepali Association since the Non-Resident Nepali Association plays the role of an embassy in most countries where Nepal does not have an embassy. The event was attended by representatives of the Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social Security and other ministries, the National Planning Commission, the Department of Labor and Occupational Safety, the Labour Court, the Labour Employment Journalists Group, Non-Resident Nepali Association, Nepal Trade Union Congress, International Labour Organization, Pravasi Nepali Coordination Committee and various other stakeholders. 

At the beginning of the programme, the Executive Chairman of the Institute, Prof Dr Lekhnath Sharma, welcomed the participants, gave the Institute a brief introduction, and highlighted the purpose of the policy dialogue program. Similarly, the Head of the Research Department, Dr Hari Sharma Neupane, made a presentation on the proposed draft policy and the current situation regarding migration. The Senior Research Fellow and the Economic and Infrastructure Development Research Center Head, Dr Kalpana Khanal, moderated the discussion.

Attendance

Invited guests

  1. Achyut Nepal (President, FPTEN, Central Committee)
  2. Badri Prasad Dahal (Chairperson, FPTEN, Bagmati)
  3. Basanta Kumar Karki (Senior Project Officer, ILO, Nepal)
  4. Bhakta Kumar Rai (Governance Coordinator, Safer Migration/ Helvetas)
  5. Binda Acharya (Director, National Institute of Vocational Training)
  6. Bipin Rajbhandari (Vice Executive Director, Department of Labour and Occupational Safety)
  7. Danda Prasad Niraula (Joint Secretary, Ministry of Health and Population
  8. Diwash Raj Poudel (President, Young Leaders Academy, Nepal)
  9. Dr Lok Nath Bhusal (Program Director, National Planning Commission)
  10. Dr Meena Poudel (Researcher)
  11. Dr Sweta Koirala (Executive Director, Nepal Development Society)
  12. Er Mani Nath Gope (Technical Director, Department of Labour and Occupational Safety)
  13. Gobinda Prasad Rijal (Joint Secretary, Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social Security)
  14. Hari Poudel (Treasurer, Young Leaders Academy, Nepal)
  15. Indra Laxmi Ghimire (Communication and Foreign Employment Officer, Non-Resident Nepali Association)
  16. Kalanidhi Devkota (Executive Director, Municipal Association of Nepal)
  17. Kewal Prasad Bhandari (Former Secretary, Government of Nepal)
  18. Krishna Prasad Chapagai (Under-Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs)
  19. Kul Prasad Karki (Advisor, Prawasi Nepali Coordination Committee)
  20. Laxman Prasad Adhikari (Migrant Worker’s expert, Nepal Trade Union Congress)
  21. Lekh Nath Pokheral (Advisor, National Association of Rural Municipalities in Nepal)
  22. Mahendra Kumar Rai (Assistant Professor/Researcher, TU/NIDS)
  23. Maiya Kadel (Director, EPS-Korea Department)
  24. Narendra Bahadur Shahi (Nayab Subba, Labour Court, Bhaktapur)
  25. Prakash Bhattarai (Executive Director, Centre for Social Change)
  26. Rajendra Bhandari (President, Nepal Association of Foreign Employment Agencies)
  27. Rajendra Kumar Raut (CEO, Non-Resident Nepali Association)
  28. Raju Regmi (Raj), Vice President, Non-Resident Nepali Association)
  29. Ritu Panta (Under-Secretary, Ministry of Health and Population)
  30. Roni Pradhan Dhaubhadel (National Project Coordinator, ILO, Nepal)
  31. Sadikshya Bhatarai (Assistant Director, Social Science Baha)
  32. Sparsha Dawadi (Creative Associate, YUWA)
  33. Sunil Neupane (Chief Editor, Labour Employment Journalism Group)
  34. Surya Bahadur Khatri (Director General, Department of Foreign Employment)
  35. Sworna Kumar Jha (Coordinator, National Network for Safe Migration)

Policy Research Institute

  1. Prof Dr Lekhnath Sharma (Executive Chairperson)
  2. Dr Kalpana Khanal (Senior Research Fellow)
  3. Dr Deepak K. Khadka (Head, Information and Knowledge Management Department)
  4. Hari Sharma Neupane (Head, Research Department)
  5. Khaganath Adhikari (Senior Research Fellow)
  6. Laxman Bhattarai (Office Manager)
  7. Rija Manandhar (Analyst)
  8. Bimal Chand Sharma (Library Management Coordinator)
  9. Kanchan Gautam (Intern)
  10. Soniya Basyal (Intern)
  11. Jyoti Luitel (Intern)
  12. Jenish Maharjan (Intern)

Please click here for the photographs of this event