Kathmandu, March 11: The government of Nepal has indefinitely suspended the attestation of labour demand letters for certain Middle Eastern countries, citing the need to ensure the safety of Nepali citizens amid the ongoing tensions involving Israel, United States and Iran.
Speaking at a press conference organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Wednesday, Foreign Secretary Amrit Bahadur Rai said the government has halted the verification of labour demand letters coming from the three countries for Nepali workers.
The government has also decided to stop sending workers to countries likely to be affected by the war.
In addition, the Department of Foreign Employment has already suspended the issuance of labour approvals for employment in war-affected countries. Authorities have also temporarily stopped issuing No Objection Certificates (NOC) for students planning to travel to those countries for study.
The decision was taken during a meeting of the High-Level Emergency Response Team (ERT) held on March 4 under the coordination of Foreign Secretary Rai.
Following the decision, Nepali embassies in the Gulf and other concerned countries have also suspended the attestation of labour demand letters until further notice.
Millions of Nepali workers are in west Asian countries. A Nepali worker died in UAE recently with a shrapnel fired reportedly from Iran. #nepal #labour
