President Bidya Devi Bhandari inaugurated the conference amid a special function at the Hotel Hyatt Regency, this morning.

The international conference is a joint initiative being held by the Government of Nepal, Non-resident Nepali Association (NRNA) and the Federation of the Nepalese Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI).

According to NRNA Vice-Chair Kumar Pant, the 9^th NRN Global Conference will focus on the NRNA’s role in Nepal’s development.

The 9^th conference of the NRNA International General Assembly will also mark the election of new leaders for the global body and will witness the participation of 2,500 delegates from 81 countries across the globe.

NRNA Provides 1.6 Million to Migrant Workers

The NRNA has decided to give NPR 1.6 million to the Nepali Migrant Workers’ Welfare Fund (MWWF).

The newly-elected NRNA President Kumar Panta presented the proposal for the same at the NRNA International Coordination Council held on October 20, 2019.

The aforementioned financial aid will also be used to support victims of foreign employment, stated NRNA’s press release. An estimated four million Nepali migrants workers are working in different job destinations across the world.

Besides, the NRNA council has decided to form various committees for the Visit Nepal 2020 promotion.

The post 9th NRNA Global Summit Kicks Off in Kathmandu Today! appeared first on Nepali Sansar.

The Himalayan nation featured in the World Bank’s top 20 remittance recipients in 2018, for inflows.

According to the World Bank data, Nepal received remittance inflows worth USD 8,064 million in 2018, standing at the top 19^th recipient among world nations.

The country registered a 16 percent year-on-year rise in remittance inflows in 2018 compared to USD 6,928 million in 2017.

Remittances in 2018 accounted for 28.0% of the country’s GDP share in 2018, placing the Himalayan nation in the list of the top-5 recipient smaller economies: Tonga, Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan and Haiti, in terms of remittance share in GDP.

Read: Nepal Tops 2016 Global Ranking For Remittances by GDP

“In 2018, the top remittance-receiving countries – in dollar terms – are projected to be India, China, the Philippines, Mexico, Egypt, and Nigeria (Figure 1.2). As a share of gross domestic product (GDP), the top recipients are smaller countries: Tonga, Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Nepal, and Haiti,” the World Bank said in its report.

Top Remittance Receivers in 2018

Nepal saw a gradual rise in remittance inflows in the last decade period from 2008-2018 as follows.

With Nepal in fourth sport, other South Asian nations in the list of remittance inflows include: India (USD 78.6 billion), Pakistan (USD 21 billion), Bangladesh (USD 15.4 billion) and Sri Lanka (USD 7.5 billion).

Remittance Inflows to South Asia Grrew in 2018

India stood as the top recipient followed by China, Mexico, The Philippines and Egypt.

Overall, the remittance flows to South Asia have seen a 12 percent growth in 2018 much ahead of 7 percent in 2017, totaling to around USD 138 billion.

The World Bank report also reported a decline in employment opportunities for South Asian nations in GCC countries in 2017 and 2018.

“Especially in Saudi Arabia, due to nationalization policies, as indicated by lower deployments from India (-12 percent in 2018 Q1–Q3 and -25 percent in 2017), Pakistan (-26 percent during January–August 2018 and 41 percent in 2017), Bangladesh (-25 percent in 2018 Q1–Q3), and Nepal (-5 percent in FY 2016/17),” the report noted.

Nepal also saw a decline in number of migrant labor permits from 0.40 million in FY 2015/16 to 0.38 million in FY 2016/17.

Also Read:

•  Nepal FY 2018-19: Remittance Inflow Rises by 29 Percent, External Sector Takes Dip!

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The issue is in opposition to Trump Government’s decision to terminate TPS designation for the two countries.

The protestors argue that the decision was against the constitutional provisions and is deeply hurting the immigrants’ sentiments.

Towards this end, some local organizations supporting the move have reportedly filed a lawsuit at the Northern District of California on February 11, 2019.

This suit was made on behalf of nine plaintiffs including 3 Nepalis, 3 Hondurans and 3 children (1 Nepali and 2 Honduran), born in the United States.

They argue that the new decision was against the US citizenship laws, which considers any children born in US as a ‘US citizenship’.

The suit names US Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen, Deputy Secretary Elaine C Duke, the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the United States of America as co-defendants.

“DHS (under previous administrations) regularly considered all of the conditions in that country, including the impact of natural disasters and social or economic crises that occurred after the country’s original TPS designation. But after President Trump took office, DHS-without any formal announcement or other explanation and without acknowledging any departure from past practice -adopted a new interpretation,” reads the preliminary complaint.

Advocates supporting the cause argue that ‘by doing do, the Trump Government has literally ignored the present conditions of the respective countries.’

“There’s a lot of evidence that the conditions are still bad [in Nepal], but the US Government ignored a lot of these evidence that would have supported renewal of TPS for Nepal,” says Laboni Hoq, Litigations Director at Asian Americans Advancing Justice, one of the civil rights organizations in supporting the cause.

On-ground Assessment Lacks

The suit reportedly speaks about the Trump administration’s acts towards termination of Nepal’s status without prior on-ground assessment of the situation.

“It’s not that Nepal is not recovering, it is. But we still need time,” says Prathana Gurung from a NY-based advocacy organization called ‘Adhikaar’, which has been the active supporter of TPS extension for Nepal.

Gurung further says that “the terminations of TPS designation of nearly every single country that have come up for renewal is not a mere coincidence.”

“It’s part of a broader effort to remove immigrants and systematically eliminate the program,” he adds.

“Ultimately, we want to be able to win permanent residency for all TPS holders, not just Nepalis. And that can only be done through legislation which can take time,” says Gurung.

The row was based on the statements of the DHS Secretary Kirstjen M Nielsen, who in 2017, said, “…the disruption of living conditions in Nepal from the April 2015 earthquake and subsequent aftershocks that served as the basis for its TPS designation have decreased to a degree that they should no longer be regarded as substantial.”

Nepal was granted TPS firstly on June 24, 2015 post the earthquake event that shook the country’s landscape, majorly the hilly areas. As the reports say, this decision has benefited around 15,000 Nepalis giving them access to live and work in US as ‘immigrants’, regardless of prior status.

Will have to wait and watch to understand where the issue heads!

Related:

• Nepalese Immigrants Face Hardships in the US

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Now, it’s the Nepal Festival 2018 time for the community, the event scheduled to be held in Aotea Square on November 17, 2018 under the theme ‘One Country, Many Stories’.

The event is going to speak the highlights of Nepal’s rich culture, heritage, customs & traditions, music, dance and ethnic attires, food and many more.

As every year, the Nepali community is planning the festival on a grand scale making it the first big outdoor event and more charming than previous editions.

“In the last few years, we have seen a spike in the number of visitors to the event and not just the Nepalese community but the Kiwi, Maori, Chinese and extended Indian community which led us to think and plan for a bigger venue,” says Dinesh Khadka, President of New Zealand Nepal Society.

More than 10,000 people are going to be participate in the event.

The event will begin with a cultural parade from Aotea Square to Customs Street, wherein, the performers in traditional Nepali attire, playing the Nepali folk and other instruments with variety posters invite the locals to the event.

The parade is followed by a main event.

“Every country has its story- in the form of art, food and culture and those are the three aspects of our country that we are trying to portray to the New Zealanders and that is the main essence of the Nepal Festival,” says Prayash Chhetri, Joint Secretary of New Zealand Nepal Society.

As a highlight, the event is going to feature a special performance by Nepal’s renowned international troupe Kutumba.

Around 50 dignitaries including Mayor Phil Goff, Minister for Ethnic Communities Jenny Salesa, Members of Parliament and Auckland Police District Commander Karyn Malthus, among others are going to attend the event.

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In her address at a common forum of Nepalis in Qatar, Bhandari said the Nepal Government has created an investment-friendly environment and also developed supporting laws through political stability.

The forum included members of Qatar-Nepal Friendship Association and industrialists were among others present at the event organized by the Nepal Embassy in Qatar.

Meanwhile, Nepal Foreign Affairs Minister Pradeep Kumar Gyawali lauded Nepal’s relations with Qatar as a friendly nation and said the labor agreement has strengthened the relation between two countries.

Gyawali also called for change of format in the Nepal-Qatar labor relations. He said Nepal cannot become a developed nation just through remittances or by exporting its human resources and informed that the government is working to create local employment.

As part of her four-day official visit to Qatar, Bhandari held discussions with the Amir of Qatar on a wide range of issues such as bilateral interests, Nepali migrant workers in Qatar, among other matters pertaining to Nepal-Qatar bilateral relations.

In her discussions, the President expressed hope that the Nepal-Qatar relations would reach the next level in the future.

Gyawali also said that different agreements signed in this visit will help the two nations in their overall development.

The post President Calls on Nepalis in Qatar for Local Development appeared first on Nepali Sansar.

The three-day convention titled ‘Global Knowledge Convention’ will be held in Kathmandu during October 12-14, 2018.

“The three-day convention intends to bring together Nepali expertise scattered around the world and discuss possible measures for Nepal’s growth, development and prosperity,” NRNA President Bhaban Bhatta said in an official release.

Speaking about the convention, the Vice-President of NRNA Kumar Panta said the convention would bring together more than 350 Non-Resident Nepalis (NRNs) and various other international experts onto a single platform.

According to Panta, the convention will be divided into 19 sessions and will see experts presenting nearly 160 research papers, besides discussions and deliberations on policies concerning investment in Nepal and ways to address them.

Further speaking about NRNA, Panta said the organization was established and with a commitment to bring back home the capital that Nepalis earn in the foreign land.

“The convention will not only encourage NRNs to invest in Nepal but will also bring their expertise and knowledge to the country,” he added.

It is noteworthy that NRNA is also launching its long-awaited Strategic Plan (2019-22) under its own initiative, Nepali Policy Institute (NPI), which advocates for effective public policy in Nepal for overall development.

The post Global Knowledge Convention 2018: NRNA Calls on ‘Global Nepali Community’ appeared first on Nepali Sansar.

As a global initiative of the Non-Resident Nepali Association (NRNA), NPI has been actively focused on social and economic development of Nepal.

In a recent move, NPI has decided to unveil its Strategic Plan (2019-2021) for the country’s development at a plenary session of the first Global Knowledge Conference to be held in Kathmandu during October 12-14, 2018.

“After 10 months of internal preparation, NPI is all set to unveil its Strategic Plan for 2019-2021 and this will be NPI’s first public presence while the team was working internally for several months,” says NPI Chair Khagendra Dhakal.

As part of its plan, NPI will be presenting eminent speakers to discuss development policies of Nepal, Dhakal adds.

Why Nepal Policy Institute (NPI)?

To a question on what different NPI will make compared to the other existing think-tanks, Dhakal clarified saying, “NPI is not to take other’s space in Nepal but to strengthen think-tank and public policy research, analysis and advocacy ecosystem in Nepal through collaboration, partnership and exchanges.”

Dhakal was confident in saying that NPI makes difference with its swift, wide range and multi-angled strategy recommendations for effective implementation of the country’s public policy.

“What makes NPI unique is that it will bring the world resources to Nepal and bring Nepali experience to the world by promoting Nepal in the global arena,” adds Dhakal.

According to Dhakal, NPI will be a consortium of Nepali-origin public policy experts, practitioners, researchers and consultants globally working in collaboration and partnership with people and institutions working in the interest of Nepal and Nepali people, including Nepali diaspora.

NPI aims to work as a border-less organization working and connecting Nepalis, globally.

Focus & Priorities
As the first step in its strategy, Dhakal said they would work with the National Planning Commission (NPC) towards identifying national needs and priorities before deciding on the final action plan.

NPI’s current list of core activities includes labor migration, utilization of remittances, revenue & expenditure management across the provincial & local levels, international investment, trade, and tourism.

Besides, the organization has some long-term priority tasks including R&D for economic diversification, value addition in health, environment, agriculture and natural resources, and meeting Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) under UN 2030 Agenda.

NPI & First Global Knowledge Conference 2018

NPI’s plans as part of the Global Knowledge Conference 2018 include:

• NPI Proposal Presentation by NPI Executive Member Sharad Neupane
• Speech by the National Planning Commission’s Vice Chair Pushpa Kadel, NRNA Founder and International Coordinator Bhim Udash, Foreign Secretary Shanker Bairagi and Krishna Adhikari from Oxford University on the role of Nepali diaspora in developing effective policies for Nepal
• Panel discussion on NPI’s proposal involving NRNA President Bhaban Bhatta, Economist Madan Kumar Dahal and Nepali social leader and NPI Executive Committee Member Sharu Joshi Shrestha

 
Former Nepali Foreign & Finance Minister Bhekh Bahadur Thapa is going to chair the session that will be moderated by NPI Chair Dhakal.

NPI will finalize its strategy based on the inputs of the session, informed Dhakal.

The Background
NPI is a result of NRNA’s 15-year-long journey across the global network and emerged out of a dire need for policy institute in Nepal as part of NRNA Vision 2020 and Beyond.

The concept of NPI was first tabled at the NRNA Convention 2017 along with the vision document, which received a wide applaud from the global diaspora.

Further, NPI was integrated with the Constitution and the current President of Nepal Bidya Devi Bhandari appointed Hongkong-based Dhakal as its Chair for further development.

In the next 10 months’ time after the prior announcement, NPI spread its wings with a new steering and research committees and formed its medium-term Founding Strategic Plan.

Now, the organization is all set to present its Strategic Plan (2019-2021) for Nepal as part of the Global Knowledge Conference during October 12-14, 2018.

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The US-based Pew Research Center, in its analysis of World Bank report for 2016, concluded that Nepal is leading the way with an estimated USD 6.6 billion in remittances equivalent to 31.3 percent of the country’s GDP.

With regard to remittances by percentage of GDP, Nepal (31.3 percent) was followed by Kyrgyzstan (USD 2 billion, 30.4 percent of GDP), Tajikistan (USD 1.9 billion, 26.9 percent of GDP), among others.

Qatar, Saudi Arabia, India and the United Arab Emirates remained the biggest source of remittances for Nepal in 2016.

Nepal saw a GDP revenue of USD 21.1 billion in 2016, ranking 96^th in the global ranking in terms of purchasing power parity.

According to the Pew Research Center, more than 1.6 million Nepalese were living in other countries in 2015.

Nepal’s Remittance Trend over the Years

According to the World Bank’s Migration and Remittances Factbook 2016 report, Nepal has been featuring among the top remittance recipient countries over the last three years.

When it comes to remittances (as a percentage of GDP), Nepal (29 percent) stood third in the list of largest remittance recipients following Tajikistan (42 percent) and the Kyrgyz Republic (30 percent) in 2015.

When it comes to remittances (by revenues) in 2015, Nepal (USD 6.6 billion) followed India (USD 72.2 billion), Pakistan (USD 20.1 billion) and Bangladesh (USD 15.8 billion) and Sri Lanka (USD 7.2 billion).

Nepal, with 29.2 percent remittances as a share of GDP, was also among the top 10 recipients in 2014.

Immigration and Emigration

Nepal was among the top ten immigration and emigration nations in 2013.

When it comes to migration corridors, Nepal featured among the top 10 list for forming migration corridors with India and Saudi Arabia.

Here, it is noteworthy that remittances to Nepal have almost doubled over the 2007-16 period boosting the country’s status as the top remittance-dependent nation.

According to UN’s International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) report, ‘Sending Money Home: Contributing to the SDGs, One Family at a Time’, the contribution of remittances to Nepal’s GDP has grown from 17 percent in 2007 to 32 percent by 2016.

For More Investment

In a move boosting investment in Nepal, the Non-Resident Nepali Association (NRNA) has come forward to set up a Rs 10 billion worth investment fund to promote investment in the country.

NRNA President Bhawan Bhatta informed this at a meeting on January 30, 2018 while informing that the fund will be utilized for the infrastructure development required to promote investments.

On the occasion, NRNA highlighted key developments they are undertaking in Nepal, which includes the construction of Laprak Model Settlement in Laprak of Gorkha and a park on 32 ropanis land on the Bagmati River bank at Shankhamul at an investment of Rs 22.5 million.

The post Nepal Tops 2016 Global Ranking For Remittances by GDP appeared first on Nepali Sansar.

Through this special program in the New Year 2018, the organization (Sneha Travel Media) is focused on promoting Nepali culture and tourism in around 70 countries.

Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) and Non-Resident Nepali Association (NRNA) are supporting this tourism promotion program.

“We are launching this campaign in Itahari, Sauraha, Janakpur, Pokhara, and Nepalgunj within the country and in 70 different countries of the world including Turkey, Australia, United States and United Kingdom,” says Suresh Chandra Basnet, Program Coordinator.

Basnet further informed that this special program will promote Nepali food and culture, covering various communities ranging from mountainous regions to Tarai and east to west, on a global scale.

This tourism and culture promotional program is expected to boost inflow of tourists to Nepal and is coming at a time when the country has registered a record tourist arrivals of 9 lakh in 2017.

It’s definitely an exciting update for the global Nepali community!

The post Special Program to Promote Nepali Culture and Tourism Globally appeared first on Nepali Sansar.

The survey carried out on Nepali migrant labor in Malaysia and Nepal concluded that almost two-thirds of survey respondents had to pay high and illegal recruitment fees to the recruitment agencies for foreign employment.

88% of the respondents in mobile phone survey of 414 Nepali migrant workers reported payment of fees to agents for overseas jobs. “Because these fees are so high, the majority had to borrow more than half the sum from village moneylenders, placing them in debt,” the report noted.

To meet such high demands of the middlemen, many workers are finding no way other than limiting themselves to low-paid jobs or remain exploited to clear their debts.

“Workers’ calculations about how they will repay these loans are often derailed by unpaid wages or other forms of labor exploitation,” concluded the report.

More than 53 percent of the surveyed reported lower monthly salaries than what was promised by the recruitment agents.

A Special Case

Such situation was reportedly found in case of Nepali migrant labor in Qatar working for the construction of stadiums for the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

Nepali migrant workers to Qatar working in the project are reportedly facing vicious cycle of debt and exploitation, the report noted.

Nepali labor working in Qatar are facing exploitation

This report comes as an additional pressure to FIFA that has been facing internal pressure from its advisory board with regard to Kafala System, a mechanism used in Gulf countries to monitor migrant labor and is often termed as ‘modern-day slavery’.

“Companies who employ migrant workers in the Gulf and Malaysia directly or through their suppliers or subcontractors also have a responsibility. They need to take steps to prevent exploitative labor recruitment,” said AI in its release.

AI further urged the concerned companies to ensure migrants, who have paid recruitment fees, are reimbursed. “Until they take action, they are reinforcing the debt trap that is destroying so many lives in Nepal,” the release added.

Weak Enforcement Laws

Stating that “Nepali migrant workers are being systematically and mercilessly set up,” the Deputy Director of AI’s Global Issues Program James Lynch noted that weak enforcement of relevant laws by the Nepali Government is resulting in this situation.

“Migrant workers all too often end up trapped in the soul-destroying situation of working abroad for years simply to pay off the huge, often illegal fees they were charged to take the job,” James added.

“Nepali Government’s failure to crack down on recruitment agencies, which charge illegal fees for jobs abroad, is leaving migrant workers trapped in a vicious cycle of debt and exploitation,” the report concluded.

This situation is seen despite the presence of governmental policies like ‘Free Visa, Free Ticket’ introduced in July 2015, and only 20% of the surveyed reported proper implementation of the same.

Deep Exploitation

After an analysis and review of 100 Nepali recruitment websites, AI found that that Nepali labor are being advertised as ‘loyal and completely dedicated to work even in adverse situations’.

“Disturbingly, some of these recruiters – who trap workers into bonded labor by saddling them with huge debts – market Nepali workers to prospective foreign clients by highlighting how unlikely they are to leave their jobs,” highlighted the report.

Matter of Urgency

Nepal is working with other labor-sending nations to address migrant workers concerns

Terming this as a matter of urgency, James Lynch urged the Nepali government and businesses to take necessary measures and control corruption in the Nepali recruitment industry to protect migrant workers.

“A good start would be to penalize recruitment agencies that are not complying with the law. Until companies take action, they are reinforcing the debt trap that is destroying so many lives in Nepal,” he added.

In line with the report, Bhuban K.C., a senior official in Nepali Labor Ministry, has reportedly informed that Nepal is working with other labor-sending nations like India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka towards necessary measures to protect migrant workers’ interests.

“We are raising our voice internationally to ensure that migrants are not cheated,” said Bhuban while also informing that the concerned authorities are offering compensations to the victims.

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