London – The International Labor Organization (ILO) has agreed to provide Rs 51 million grant to the Non-resident Nepali Association (NRNA) to rescue Nepali nationals stranded in Malaysia, United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Saudi Arabia due to COVID-19 pandemic.

NRNA president Kumar Pant shared on Facebook that an agreement has been signed between the ILO and NRNA in this connection.

“We are pleased to share that the ILO under the United Nations has agreed with us to provide USD 4,24310 (equivalent to Rs 51 million) grant funding to NRNA,” he said.

Panta said that the grant support will be utilized to rescue Nepalis stuck in Malaysia, UAE, Qatar and Saudi Arabia due to coronavirus outbreak.

“The grant support will also be used to study the impact of COVID-19 in labor market,” he said.

The NRNA is coordinating with the Nepali diplomatic missions in the aforementioned four countries to set up its separate offices for rescuing the Nepali nationals, Pant said.

NRNA & ILO Sign a Project on Repatriation of Nepali Migrant Workers Impacted by COVID 19

Non-Resident Nepali Association (NRNA) and The International Labor Organization (ILO), Country Office for Nepal, entered into a project agreement on 29 June 2020 to implement the COVID 19 – Response to Nepali Migrant Workers for Repatriation and Return Project in 5 countries – namely Nepal, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates. As a part of the ILO’s Migrant Rights and Decent Work (MIRIDEW) Project, with financial assistance from Government of Switzerland, this initiative aims to collaborate with Nepali missions in Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and UAE to provide effective services to Nepali migrant workers impacted by COVID-19; provide legal/paralegal assistance and short-term shelter support for the most vulnerable Nepali migrant workers and support Government of Nepal in providing safe and secure transit services to returning Nepali migrant workers back in Nepal.

For this collaboration, ILO will provide financial support of US $424,310 (Around NPR 5 Crore 10 Lakh). The project starts on 1 July 2020 and will conclude by 28 February 2021. NRNA will act as the implementing partner with administrative, logistical, and volunteer support for this project.

The collaboration with ILO significantly boosts NRNA’s ongoing efforts in mitigating the impact of COVID-19. NRNA has adopted both strategic and operational approaches developed by its High-Level Committee on COVID-19 Pandemic Mitigation Response: the 3R Programs – Relief, Repatriation and Rehabilitation of the Nepalese migrants. NRNA has mobilized more than 2,000 volunteers in 49 countries and extended support to more than a hundred thousand needy non-resident Nepali.

We express our gratitude to ILO for its generous support, and acknowledge that this project marks a historic milestone for NRNA in delivering humanitarian assistance in collaboration with global institutions such as ILO. We also thank Vice President Dr. Badri K.C., General Secretary Dr. Hem Raj Sharma, Dr. Puru Shrestha and Mr. Ekanath Khatiwada for leading the efforts to build this collaboration between NRNA and ILO.

NRNA is confident that this project will bring a meaningful impact in the lives of stranded Nepali migrant workers due to COVID-19 pandemic. We look forward to expanding our collaboration with ILO in other areas.

Sincerely,

Kumar Panta,
President, Non-Resident Nepali Association