IOM has organized Nepal's first training of Ministry of Labour
officials in labour migration management.

The three-day training for 52 officials was designed to build
the ministry's migration management capacity and provide an
overview of international best practices to optimize the benefits
of labour migration and protect Nepalese migrant workers.

Labour migration is critically important to Nepal, which is a
major country of origin for migrant workers and where remittances
account for some 18 per cent of GDP.

Some 1.2 million documented and an estimated 1.3 million
undocumented Nepalese live and work abroad, mainly in Malaysia and
the Gulf states.

Trainers at the workshop included experts from IOM, the
Ministries of Labour, Immigration and Foreign Affairs, the Nepali
Association of Recruiters (NAFEA), the Swiss Development
Cooperation and UNIFEM.

Nepal is a member of the Colombo Process, an IOM-supported
regional consultative process that brings together labour migrant
countries of origin and destination to discuss issues of common
interest.

It has also recently undertaken a number of important
initiatives to manage migration flows, including the creation of a
Foreign Employment Promotion Board and a Department specializing in
Foreign Employment. A Foreign Employment Act was enacted in
2007.

For more information please contact:

Pravina Gurung

IOM Nepal

Tel: +977.1.44 26 250

E-mail: "mailto:pgurung@iom.int">pgurung@iom.int