KATHMANDU: The International Organization for Migration (IOM) plans to launch a School on Migration Studies in Nepal in coordination with the Central Department of Population Studies (CDPS), Tribhuvan University (TU), the oldest public university of the country. IOM and the TU signed a cooperation agreement to coordinate and cooperate on activities for the program.
According to IOM, utilizing IOM’s expertise and leadership on migration issues and building on its experience of organizing summer schools on migration in various parts of the world, IOM, in coordination with TU, will develop and deliver comprehensive training courses starting this year on migration studies in Nepal in the next two years.
“Through the programme, we aim to bring together practitioners, particularly youth, of all gender and backgrounds to enhance their knowledge in the field of migration,” said Lorena Lando, IOM Nepal Chief of Mission.
“Through this initiative, IOM will be assisting Nepal in strengthening its knowledge base on migration, governance and sustainable development by providing a multi-disciplinary approach to migration,” Lando added.
More than 2.1 million Nepalis work, study and/or live overseas, according to the preliminary report of the Nepal Census 2021. However, as migration and sustainable development have not been included in the curricula of Nepali Universities, there is a lack of academic knowledge, and expertise on the matter in the country.
“I believe this collaboration will have a long-term impact in the field of migration research as we will be able to develop future migration experts in Nepal,” said Professor Dr. Kusum Shakya, Dean of Humanities & Social Sciences of Tribhuvan University.
“We envision that the knowledge gained form the training and subsequent research will effectively contribute to efforts to mainstream migration in plans and policies of all three tiers of the government,” she added.
The initiative is part of an IOM project funded by the IOM Development Fund, which aims to support the government in addressing migration issues in a comprehensive manner for the benefit of sustainable development through the acquisition of migration knowledge.
