Bangladesh signs deal for welfare of migrant workers
Bangladesh signed a deal on Monday as part of a project to ensure decent work for migrant workers abroad.
The project, known as the Application of Migration Policy for Decent Work for Migrant Workers, is to be executed by the International Labour Organisation and funded by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation.
The project, which will cost around $7.25 million, will run until March 2018 and can be extended to 2021, the ILO said in a statement.
The expatriates’ welfare and overseas employment ministry and workers’ and employers’ organisations will implement the project, it said. Bangladesh is committed to ensuring safety and dignity of male and female migrants in destination countries and supporting them upon their return, said Begum Shamsun Nahar, expatriates' welfare and overseas employment secretary.
“Through this initiative, government services will be further strengthened, which will protect both current and future migrants alike,” she said.
“This new project builds on the success of our past efforts. By working at levels ranging from policy to the grassroots, it will help ensure that systems of migration management are responsive and promote decent work,” said Srinivas Reddy, ILO country director for Bangladesh.
“Labour migration and associated remittance are a vital component of the Bangladeshi economy as well as a lifeline for many workers and their families,” said Beate Elsässer, deputy head of mission of the Swiss embassy in Bangladesh.
“This initiative represents a continuation of Swiss support for the government of Bangladesh as it streamlines policies and builds institutions for safe labour migration and decent work,” Elsässer added.
In 2015, some 555,881 Bangladeshi workers migrated, of whom 103,718 or 18.65 percent were women, the ILO said.
Remittance received through legal channels totalled $15.28 billion in fiscal 2014-15, accounting for about 8 percent of the country's gross domestic products.
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