Bangladesh and Switzerland launch project with ILO for sustainable reintegration of migrant workers

The governments of Bangladesh and Switzerland launched a new project on sustainable reintegration for returnee migrant workers with the International Labour Organisation (ILO) yesterday (19 May).

This project extends a long-standing partnership and commitment to establish a gender-responsive and inclusive policy framework to ensure that returnee migrant workers are sustainably reintegrated and continue contributing to the country's growth and development, reads an ILO release. 

Signed in December 2023, the project aims to strengthen the reintegration of returnee migrant workers through institutions and an effective coordination mechanism that provides employment and business development support services to the workers.

"The contribution of the project is going to be immense and instrumental and will significantly help us to develop our capacity, systems of inclusive and sustainable reintegration," said Md Saiful Haque Chowdhury, the additional secretary of the Ministry of Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment. 

The State Minister for Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment, Shofiqur Rahman Choudhury, commended Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina for her "visionary steps and prudent leadership for the welfare and protection of migrant workers" and expressed his appreciation to ILO and Switzerland for the project, which will work with diverse stakeholders to achieve its goal. 

Partnership extended

The project, Reintegration for Migrant Workers Project: Enhancing Policies, Capacities and Systems for Inclusive and Sustainable Reintegration, will also be implemented in partnership with the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women) and the Parliamentary Caucus on Migration and Development.

"Switzerland has accompanied Bangladesh to design the labour migration policy architecture in the country over the last 14 years, and we are pleased with this long-standing partnership", said Corinne Henchoz Pignani, the Deputy Head of Mission and Head of Cooperation, Embassy of Switzerland.

Tuomo Poutiainen, ILO Country Director, said: "The ILO has been a long-standing partner of Bangladesh, working together to achieve sustainable reintegration for migrant workers. I am very optimistic that this project will strengthen policy and institutional frameworks for improved governance, provide social protection for migrants, and create a clear pathway for harvesting the skills and experiences of migrant workers, which will significantly boost the country's economy."

Tripartism promotes inclusiveness

The Chairperson of the Parliamentarians' Caucus on Migration and Development, Tanvir Shakil Joy, commended the ILO's tripartite approach, saying it had made them more inclusive in how they serve the public. "As members of parliaments, we are bringing the voices of migrants through civil society organisations and grassroots experiences into our national policies. I believe initiatives like this will guide us towards safe migration and sustainable reintegration."

The Secretary of the Ministry of Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment, Md Ruhul Amin, said lessons from previous projects would be incorporated into the current project, emphasising sustainability. 

Post-Covid, Bangladesh became the top migrant worker-sending country in Asia in 2021 and 2022, with more than one million (1m) overseas deployments in 2022. Migrant remittances account for about 40% of the country's export earnings, only second to the readymade garment (RMG) sector.

Through this project, returnee migrant Bangladeshi workers will be better equipped to use and share the knowledge, skills, resources, networks, and capacities acquired abroad in the country.