Event
National Consultation Seminar on assessing the economic contribution of labour migration in Nepal (ECLM project)
A National Consultation Seminar was held in Nepal on December 1, 2015, and brought together more than 40 policymakers, government officials and experts to discuss various aspects of the role of migrant workers in Nepal, in the context of the "Assessing the economic contribution of labour migration in developing countries as countries of destination" (ECLM) project. The agenda for this meeting can be downloaded below.
Held in Kathmandu on 1 December 2015, this National Consultation Seminar was the third in-country event in Asia for the EU-funded project “Assessing the Economic Contribution of Labour Migration in Developing Countries”, organized in collaboration with the Ministry of Labour and Employment. The seminar followed similar events in Thailand and Kyrgyzstan earlier this year.
The seminar brought together more than 40 policymakers, government officials and experts. Opening remarks were delivered by Mr. José Assalino, Director of the ILO Office in Kathmandu; Ms Rensje Tjeerink, Ambassador, Head of the Delegation of the European Union to Nepal; and Mr. Ram Kumar Acharya, Secretary of the Ministry of Labour and Employment.
Following the opening remarks, the research objectives and activities of the project were presented by the project team (Mr Jesse Mertens, ILO, and Mr Marcus Böhme, OECD-DEV). Subsequently, government institutions, tripartite social partners, civil society, and academia made presentations on migration policies, data and research on labour migration to Nepal. The morning and afternoon sessions were moderated by Ms Diana Garcia-Alcubilla of the EU Delegation and Ms Meena Poudel of the IOM.
Several issues were raised as particularly pertinent to the research in Nepal. These include the dynamics of (sub-) sectors employing migrants, such as construction, services and small shop owners, manufacturing, and hydropower, as well as questions regarding the demand and supply of skills and the role of migrant workers. Some participants considered segmentation of the labour market of particular relevance in the context of migrant work. The discussion often gravitated to the central questions of data availability and quality, and the definition of migrant work, and also touched upon the possibility of collecting primary data.
The seminar brought together more than 40 policymakers, government officials and experts. Opening remarks were delivered by Mr. José Assalino, Director of the ILO Office in Kathmandu; Ms Rensje Tjeerink, Ambassador, Head of the Delegation of the European Union to Nepal; and Mr. Ram Kumar Acharya, Secretary of the Ministry of Labour and Employment.
Following the opening remarks, the research objectives and activities of the project were presented by the project team (Mr Jesse Mertens, ILO, and Mr Marcus Böhme, OECD-DEV). Subsequently, government institutions, tripartite social partners, civil society, and academia made presentations on migration policies, data and research on labour migration to Nepal. The morning and afternoon sessions were moderated by Ms Diana Garcia-Alcubilla of the EU Delegation and Ms Meena Poudel of the IOM.
Several issues were raised as particularly pertinent to the research in Nepal. These include the dynamics of (sub-) sectors employing migrants, such as construction, services and small shop owners, manufacturing, and hydropower, as well as questions regarding the demand and supply of skills and the role of migrant workers. Some participants considered segmentation of the labour market of particular relevance in the context of migrant work. The discussion often gravitated to the central questions of data availability and quality, and the definition of migrant work, and also touched upon the possibility of collecting primary data.