CMIR

About Us

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5

1800+

30+

20+

25+

Years

Legally Supported

Information Materials developed

Research, Policy papers and Articles published

Interns/fellows from 10 countries and 16 universities benefited

Donate Options

Option 2 (Wire Transfer):

Account Number: 01905396200012

Account Name: Center for Migration and International Relations

Bank Name: Himalayan Bank Limited

Branch: Thamel

Address:  Karmachari Sanchaya Kosh Building, Tridevi Sadak, Kathmandu, Nepal

Swift Code: HIMANPKA

Phone: +977-1-4250202

 

Research and Study

CMIR backed with its highly experienced group of researchers and academicians, expertise in conducting a range research and study programs in the issue of migration and international relations also including other cross-cutting issues. CMIR best utilizes its experiences of working on humanitarian causes for migrant workers and their families to document and extract stories and patterns to analyze the issue; where each of the research work is highly sensitive towards the human value and norms and fundamentals of human rights. Thus, our research works are better proven to provide a deeper understanding to the ground realities faced by migrant workers and their families. Also, CMIR extensively studies the international relations and associated policy dynamics to come with policy discourse and recommendations for improvising the migration status-quo through better performance of the foreign policies of/in the origin and destination countries.

Title: Perception of Environmental Change Relationship to Labor Migration in the Chitwan Valley

Type: Research Report

Year: 2019

Published by: Center for Migration and International Relations

This research examines environmental change, in terms of agriculture production, influence on out migration from the Chitwan Valley in Nepal. As the first part of a longitudinal study, a maximum variation sampling method was used to gather data on farming households’ perceptions of environmental change and labor migration. While collecting field data, verbal consent was obtained from research participants and their identities protected. This study uses the measures of environmental change, social capital, and environmental history to analyze risk formation and amplification along migrant networks. Additionally, using t-tests, this data was compared to a sample from the Chitwan Valley Family Study (CVFS) to observe change in perception and labor migration over time. The analysis concludes that perception of environmental change interacts with socio-cultural processes in ways that intensify household level migration. In addition, environmental change is one of the main factors causing low efficiency in agriculture production, leading households to diversify occupation and income through labor migration.

Title: Articles Complied

Type: Articles

Year: 2018

Published by: Center for Migration and International Relations (CMIR)

This publication consists of investigative articles by CMIR in major national dailies of Nepal. All of the articles compiled in this book focuses on the issues of labour migration and international relations. 

Title: Migration Process components and Costs: Recommendation on Decentralization

Type: Policy Report

Year: 2018

Published by: Center for Migration and International Relations (CMIR)

This research was conducted in the span of a month and a half using Center for Migration and International Relations’ (CMIR) resources and network. This report functions as a continuation of previous research and a roundtable discussion hosted in May about the legal ramifications of decentralization in Nepal. The idea behind the research was to assist in providing recommendations for government decentralization by identifying the real cost of recruitment and comparing it with the actual cost of recruitment for Malaysia and GCC countries to figure out what specific components of the recruitment process can be improved upon by government decentralization. Lastly, there is a section dedicated to the recruitment process for South Korea which serves as an example of a government-togovernment agreement plan for foreign employment.

Title: Nepal Political Parties and Migraiton

Type: System Thinking Research

Year: 2017-2018

Research by: Center for Migration and International Relations (CMIR) and Engaging Inquiry, LLC

The  goal of this research is to understand the driving forces behind Nepali political parties’ attitudes towards their migratory constituencies, which in turn will help effectuate future interventions at the local and regional levels to prevent the continued exploitation of migrant labor.

Title: Ensuring Safer and Dignified Employment for Nepalese Migrant Workers for Domestic Work

Type: Policy Report

Year: 2016

Published by: Center for Migration and International Relations (CMIR)

Submitted to: Ministry of Labour and Employment

CMIR put forth a proposal with specific solutions aimed at assisting the government to make well-informed and pragmatic decisions to protect the dignity of migrant workers for domestic workers, by providing policy recommendation to Ministry of Labour and Employment. The paper, comprised of 20 sets of recommendations, sought to ensure that they are incorporated into domestic as well as bilateral legislation between the sending and receiving countries. The recommendations range from- a month long training with follow-up examinations to original passport and other essential documents to be in the domestic worker’s possession. As an outcome, the recommendations played an important role for Ministry of Labour and Employment to come up with Domestic Worker Guideline 2073.

Title: Draft of Standard Bilateral Labour Agreement on Labour, Employment and Human Resources Management

Type: Policy Draft

Year: 2016

Published by: Center for Migration and International Relations (CMIR)

Submitted to: Ministry of Labour and Employment

CMIR drafted the standard bilateral agreement on March of 2016 on behalf of the The government of Nepal (GoN). The objective of the new BLA was to create a framework of cooperation between the government of Nepal and the host country to protect and ensure rights of the migrant workers. The new draft incorporated the issues missing in the previous agreement, such as issues related to recruitment, employment and safety of migrant workers in the destination country. It also touched upon the migrant workers’ rights to retain their legal documents, to be allowed to visit Nepal in every two years, and anytime in case of emergency. Likewise, receiving of proper medical treatment as prescribed by the doctor in cases of injury or illness, which was not specified in the previous agreement, was put in the new BLA. For that, from 2016, the Government of Nepal has strongly taken a diplomatic approach to maintaining the bilateral relations.

Title: A Study Report on ILO Conventions

Type: Research Report
Year: 2016

Published by: Center for Migration and International Relations (CMIR)

Submitted to: Ministry of Labour and Employment

The report thoroughly analysed the ILO Conventions that the GoN has/not ratified, with comparative studies of national policy in Nepal as well as a number of recommendations and developments proposed to help bring the status of migrant workers in line with international standards. The study recommended the GoN to ratify ILO conventions related to Private Employment Agencies to curtail deceitful and exploitative practices in the recruitment stage; to set clear standards and procedures for labour inspection; and to eliminate existing legislative and administrative restrictions that limit the rights of domestic workers, among others.

 

 

Contact Us

Center for Migration and International Relations (CMIR)

Mailing Address: G.P.O: 479, Shasta-11, Bhawana Marg, Buddhanagar-10, Kathmandu, Nepal
Phone: +977-1-4785931
Email: [email protected]

Opening Days : Sunday to Thursday

Opening Hours : 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM (GMT+5:45)

How We Work

Rights Based Approach (RBA)

CMIR doesn’t believe on citing the migrant community as ‘beneficiaries’ rather respects the community as the right-holders’ group. Thus migrant community is rightly involved in every step of our intervention, including planning, designing, implementation and evaluation. CMIR firmly believes the fundamentals of Human Rights and follows a right-based approach in every of its intervention. In the context, where migrant rights are still far behind to be respected as human rights, CMIR uses national and international legal instruments, standards and practices/lessons to make the government/s accountable to uphold the rights of migrant workers and their families at priority of their actions, in the way of ensuring the rights. CMIR realizes the need of having special interventions for ensuring rights of marginalized communities, and thus, it also works to identify inter-sectionalities of migrant rights with other economic, social, cultural, civil and political rights. At CMIR, migration governance and international cooperation are analyzed with the lens of human rights and serious factors that curtail rights of migrant community are identified for policy advocacy and discourse. All the research works at CMIR are principally directed by RBA however, CMIR also involves other theoretical frameworks that do not contradict with RBA as and when required.

Collective Efforts and Unified Voices

CMIR realizes the mutual existence as perpetual in this world, thus, works with an approach of collaboration and coordination with stakeholders. CMIR has deepened faith on the results driven by the collective actions and bargaining, and thus strives to widen its networking, participation, coordination and collaborative efforts for unified voices and actions for bringing about positive changes in the lives of migrant workers and their families.

Working Structure 

CMIR works with a triangular approach to achieve its vision. It could be better understand with the following figure and narrative under each of the touch-points.

MigrantCare:

‘MigrantCare’ is specialized humanitarian initiative of CMIR targeting rescue and immediate support for distressed migrant workers and their families and other range of welfare programs. Rescue and immediate services includes a range of services including rescue and legal aid support to distressed migrant workers, especially working in GCC countries and Malaysia, legal aid support to families of distressed migrant workers, immediate health-care and psychosocial counseling and transit-home (safe house) services for distressed migrant workers. CMIR uses its wide-spread relations with national and international line agencies, migrant rights and human rights institutions, regional and global networks, partners, Diaspora groups, UN agencies and individuals to operate its rescue and immediate support works. Under welfare services, CMIR works closely with national and international partners and government agencies to provide re-integration and livelihood support for the migrant workers and their families and to conduct preventive and awareness raising programs. Services offered from CMIR are absolutely free for migrant workers and their families. 

Research and Study

CMIR backed with its highly experienced group of researchers and academicians, expertise in conducting a range research and study programs in the issue of migration and international relations also including other cross-cutting issues. CMIR best utilizes its experiences of working on humanitarian causes for migrant workers and their families to document and extract stories and patterns to analyze the issue; where each of the research work is highly sensitive towards the human value and norms and fundamentals of human rights. Thus, our research works are better proven to provide a deeper understanding to the ground realities faced by migrant workers and their families. Also, CMIR extensively studies the international relations and associated policy dynamics to come with policy discourse and recommendations for improvising the migration status-quo through better performance of the foreign policies of/in the origin and destination countries.  

WeSpeak

WeSpeak is one of the important working aspects of CMIR. WeSpeak generally signifies the expression and true to its sense, CMIR has constantly been conducting policy advocacy in national, regional and international levels. CMIR policy advocacy efforts are based on its experience of working directly with migrant workers and their families and the conclusions/recommendations coming out of its research programs. CMIR advocacy works are mainly targeted to have enduring and positive impacts on policy issues that best ensure rights of migrant workers and their families.

Who We Are

Center for Migration and International Relations (CMIR) is a not-for-profit institute thriving to ensuring rights of migrant workers and their families are respected, guaranteed and fulfilled. We are a dedicated and dynamic team of returnee migrant workers, migrant rights’ activists and researchers having a long-time involvement history in the field of migration and development. In Nepal, CMIR is the first institute of involving all three groups: returnee migrant workers, migrant rights activists and researchers into a common platform. This enables CMIR to better understand the multi-faceted impacts of migration into different aspects and dynamics of the society and thus, help to come with concrete humanitarian actions, policy recommendations and enduring advocacy efforts in national, regional and international level.

CMIR is also the first and only institute in Nepal to involving international relations as a part of study and advocacy of migration dynamics. Though study and advocacy on bettering international relations makes an obvious impact on migration governance and patterns for any given country, CMIR explicitly focuses on including international relations as strong component to study and advocate for guaranteeing rights of migrant workers and their families.

Mission:

  • To ensure safer and dignified migration through research, counseling, rescue and advocacy in collaboration and coordination with stakeholders from national and international level.

Vision:

  • Ensuring safer and dignified human migration.

Objectives:

  •  Increase and ensure access and right to information of migrant workers and their families through counseling, IEC materials developments and dissemination, training program and other.
  • Increase and ensure access and right to education of migrant workers’ children through educational support programs and research.
  • Increase and ensure access and right to justice/legal remedies of migrant workers and their families through legal and paralegal supports in origin and destination country.
  • Advocacy for the rights of migrant workers and their families to right based and migrant workers friendly policy and mechanism.
  • Establish partnership, coordination, cooperation with government, national and international agencies and migrant community in origin and destination countries for rescue, research and advocacy.
  • Strengthen the capacity of Nepalese diplomatic mission through activities like research, study, training and other.
  • Research to have better knowledge and understand on the penetrating issues of migration and way forward to solutions.
  • Support government to draft legal document related to migration.
8

Years

2300+

Legally Supported

50+

Information Materials developed

30+

Research, Policy papers and Articles published

40+

Interns/fellows from 10 countries and 16 universities benefited