February 13: The government is on the verge of finalizing a bilateral labour agreement with Saudi Arabia within a month. This significant development comes following discussions between Minister for Labour, Employment, and Social Security, Sharat Singh Bhandari, and Saudi Arabia’s Minister for Human Resources and Social Development, Ahmad bin Sulaiman AlRajhi, during the Abu Dhabi Dialogue in the UAE.

Rajiv Pokhrel, spokesperson for the Labour Ministry, revealed that Nepal proposed the labour agreement with Saudi officials during a sideline meeting, which was met with acceptance by the Saudi government. Pokhrel further elaborated that Saudi Arabia has pledged to conclude the labour agreement with Nepal after addressing certain considerations. Notably, Nepal has been diligently preparing for the labour agreement with Saudi Arabia for the past eight years.

Despite the influx of unskilled Nepali workers to Saudi Arabia, concerns persist regarding the lack of guaranteed rights of Nepali workers. Although discussions regarding the labour agreement have taken place on numerous occasions between Nepal and Saudi authorities, reaching an agreement has been hindered by Saudi Arabia's insistence on formulating separate agreements for domestic workers alongside general workers.