Labour Diplomacy Of Nepal: A Study Of Qatar, Saudi Arabia And United Arab Emirates

Abstract

Diplomacy is the means by which States throughout the world conduct their affairs in ways to ensure peaceful relations. The main task of individual diplomatic services is to safeguard the interests of their respective countries abroad. Labour diplomacy refers to "the endorsement of migrant labour issue in a state's foreign policy". Labor diplomacy has a particularly important role to play in providing the information, insights and analyses required to maximize the advantages and minimize the weaknesses in job markets. It is an important means to promote national interest and economic diplomacy. Labor diplomacy helps to provide an assessment of the economic conditions faced by migrant labour and to identify factors that can contribute to resolve the problem. Labor diplomacy also provides a framework for developing tools to combat these problems. Nepal has a long history of foreign labour migration. Migration flows from Nepal to rest of the world has become an important and debatable issue in the economic, political and social affairs of the country. Nepal's economy today depends largely on migrant workers. In this context, a migrant labour are facing numerous problems while they migrate for foreign employment in the country of destination. Most of the migrant in the gulf states are working in vulnerable situations without any effective legal protection by the Nepalese government and the receiving countries government. There is a big necessity of addressing the issues of international labour migration from the policy level. Therefore, this study is focused on the evaluation of the existing government policies and programs for the regulation of international labour migration in the three major (UAE, Saudi Arabia and Qatar) foreign employment destination of the Nepali migrant workers of the gulf states. This study is focused on the analysis of policy and initiatives adopted by Nepalese government to enhance labour diplomacy. This study has approached to identify the major problems of international labour migrants in the major their Gulf States and government initiatives to systematize labour migrants via labour diplomacy as well. International provisions are found very sound and applicable to protect the rights of migrant workers but governments in both sending and receiving countries does not seem sincere to the domestication of the spirit of international instruments, conference recommendations and plan of action. So, the current need is for more effective migration management to reduce the vulnerabilities of migrant workers and safeguard the rights of migrant workers. The issue and problem of international labour migration needs to be addressed at the policy level, which could assist in promoting safe migration and management of labour migration in an effective way .Thus ,this study also aims to highlights the national and international promotional policy and instruments regarding foreign employment and rights of the migrant workers. Labor diplomacy continues to have a very important role to play in governing international labour migration. Effective labor diplomacy contributes significantly to fulfil goals of Nepal's foreign policy. Although there are thousands of migrant workers currently residing in gulf and working in a very vulnerable situations. This study has covered the status of labour diplomacy of Nepal on top three major destination of the Gulf States excluding others.