“Local bodies will have to own SDGs,” noted NPC in its report titled ‘National Report on the Implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development’ released on August 02, 2017. It said a strong partnership between three tiers of government — federal, provincial and local — is extremely necessary to integrate SDGs into local-level structures.”

NPC also urged the Central government to provide sufficient funds at grass-root levels, thus enabling them to come up with various developmental programmes that meet UN-backed goals.

The Commission also pitched on the need for workshop and training sessions stating, “Consultation, workshops and trainings will be required to ensure that SDGs are incorporated in provincial and local plans. It is also equally important to ensure effective participation of women, youth and other marginalized groups in planning and implementation of SDGs at local level.”

SDGs, a follow-up on Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) that expired at the end of 2015, include 17 goals and 169 targets that cover a broad range of issues regarding sustainable development in Nepal. These UN-formed goals will have to be met by 2030.

Ending poverty & hunger, sustainable industrialization, inclusive & sustainable economic growth, employment and overall welfare of the public form major elements of SDGs.

Fund Crunch, a Major Challenge

According to the World Bank Council, implementation of SDGs will require at least USD 1.5 trillion a year at the global level.

It is still uncertain on how much the Nepali Government will have to invest on SDGs of Nepal, however, the government’s own financial resources were found insufficient.

“Therefore, Nepal is trying to manage financial resources from a triangular partnership, which includes the public and private sectors as well as development partners, as meeting SDGs is a shared responsibility of the national and international communities,” says the NPC report.

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The report titled, ‘A Study on Causes of Women’s Migration to Foreign Employment and Ways to Reintegrating them into the National Labor Market’, was prepared by the researchers of Social Science Baha, with support from the UN Women.

According to the report, 55 percent of women migrated to improve their household economic conditions, while 24 percent moved to ensure better future for their children and 22 percent to overcome debt issues.

Family conflicts, stigma of being single, and easy availability of brokers who promised foreign job opportunities are among other reasons that forced Nepali women to leave the country, says the report.

Migrants Face Tough Time

The research says that there is no significant difference between returnees and non-migrants, in terms of working situation.

Migrant women workers witnessed long working hours, denial of leaves, and confiscation of passports. 32 percent of the surveyed women suffered verbal abuse, followed by physical abuse (8.9 percent), and sexual abuse (less than 2 percent).

While 34 percent of the returnees are working in the labor market, including casual work, self-employed or commercial jobs, 31 percent are willing to re-migrate.

Women, More Than Men, Desired to Migrate

According to the Ministry of Labor and Employment, the number of women who sought labor permits for working in foreign locations rose by 106 percent during 2010-15, while the men proportion increased only 39 percent.

“Those who returned had brought back caretaking skills than professional skills. We have to offer them additional skills and entrepreneurship trainings to bring them back to labor market in the country,” said the Ministry of Industry spokesperson, Purushottam.

This report is an outcome of the survey conducted among 1,210 women in 22 field sites of Jhapa, Sindhupalchok, Nawalparasi, Kaski and Kailali districts, including non-migrants and those returned from foreign employment.

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