Labour diplomacy underscored between Nepal, Gulf countries

Kathmandu, Aug. 23

Ambassador of Nepal to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Tej Bahadur Chhetri has said that the country should give priority to labour diplomacy in the bilateral relations with the Gulf and other labour destination countries.

"With a large number of Nepali migrant workers in the UAE, Nepal can promote people-to-people relations," he said while speaking at a programme organised by the Nepal-UAE Chamber of Commerce and Industry (NUAECCI) on Tuesday to welcome the newly appointed Ambassador to Nepal, Abdulla Saeed Mubarak Jarwan Al Shamsi, and express best wishes to Ambassador designate Chhetri.

Chhetri said that textiles, carpets and handicrafts from Nepal can find a good market in the UAE and he would put his efforts to promote Nepali goods in the markets there. Likewise, the Gulf country could be a good source of tourists and investment as well.

Nepal and the UAE established their diplomatic relations in 1977. The latter is the fourth largest trade partner of Nepal with total goods exports of US$ 362 million and imports of US$2.6 million in 2022.

According to the government estimates about 500,000 Nepalis are in the UAE for employment and it is the source of US$285 million remittance which is equal to 3.5 per cent of the national Gross Domestic Product of Nepal.

"Nepal should devise a strategy to export high-value products to the UAE markets and attract tourists. There is a need of increasing the number of tourists from the UAE. Only about 600 tourists came to Nepal last year," said Chhetri.

Likewise, the Ambassador of the UAE to Nepal Al Shamsi expressed his commitment to creating a future where both countries work together to benefit from the cooperation. According to him, Nepal's natural beauty and cultural diversity can be a good attraction for Emirati people.

Speaking on the occasion, Secretary of the Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social Security (MoLESS), Kewal Prasad Bhandari, stated that while the role of Nepali workers in the prosperity of the UAE is immense, they are in trouble there, so we should implement occupational safety measures and request the UAE government for the same.

He also stressed on the need to increase the number of foreign employment orientation centres. About 700,000 Nepalis formally went for foreign employment last year but Nepal's orientation centres can train only about 100,000 individuals a year.

He also suggested the Nepal government utilise the UNFCCC's COP as the platform to raise the climate change issues globally. The next COP is happening in Dubai in the UAE. It will be attended by more than 33,000 delegates. It is a good opportunity for Nepal as well, said Bhandari.

"I urge the ambassador designate to put extra efforts in positioning Nepal's agenda at the upcoming COPs and make labour migration dignified and safe," he said.

Pawan Kumar Agrawal, President of NUAECCI, said that the binational chamber is putting its efforts to support Nepali business persons in creating ties with UAE businesses or expand their business there or vice-versa.

He requested Ambassador Chhetri to run advocacy campaigns in the UAE to attract investment to Nepal and promote Nepali products there.

"We are interested to organise business exchanges with the Gulf country soon. We want the UAE support to develop a skill development centre in Nepal so that the youth migrating for jobs could be trained on various skills," he said. 

 Published in The Rising Nepal daily on 24 August 2023.