The Government of Bangladesh (GoB) has approved a project of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) supporting the promotion and strengthening of the ethical recruitment system in the country ensuing rights of migrant workers.  

On 23 March 2021, an Agreement was signed between the Government of Bangladesh and IOM at the Economic Relations Division (ERD). Dr. Nahid Rashid, Additional Secretary, Wing Chief- United Nations Wing, ERD; Amal Krishna Mandal, Joint Secretary, ERD; Rabbi Miah, Joint Secretary, ERD; Md. Masudul Haque, Deputy Secretary, ERD; Giorgi Gigauri, Chief of Mission, IOM Bangladesh; Fathima Nusrath Ghazzali, Deputy Chief of Mission, IOM Bangladesh; and Sajjad Ahmed, National Programme Officer, IOM Bangladesh attended the project signing ceremony.

Bangladesh is the sixth-largest Country of Origin for international migrant workers with more than 13 million Bangladeshi workers having migrated abroad since 1976. Migrants have sent more than USD 235 billion in remittances which has significantly contributed to the socio-economic development and boosting the local economy. In 2020, despite the adverse impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, Bangladeshi migrant workers sent home USD 21.9 billion in remittances.

However, owing to the lack of necessary awareness and knowledge coupled with the influence of the ‘middleman’, inability and lack of opportunities for individuals to seek employment directly in Countries of Destination; migrants are often forced to accept employment with low wages and in poor working conditions.  To improve the protection of migrant workers throughout the migration cycle, there needs to be greater awareness, knowledge and enforcement of ethical recruitment practices.

Promotion of ethical recruitment practices is becoming a non-negotiable precondition enforced by governments and relevant stakeholders emphasising the need for improved migration governance contributing to safe, orderly and responsible migration. This has also been widely discussed at global and regional migration forums including the Global Forum on Migration and Development (GFMD), Abu Dhabi Dialogue (ADD), Global Policy Network on Recruitment and the Colombo Process (CP).

Accordingly, IOM in Bangladesh and Nepal with the financial support of the IOM Development Fund (IDF), will implement the Promoting Recruitment Industry Reform to Achieve Ethical Recruitment ( PROSPER) project as an initiative to promote and strengthen the ethical recruitment system in the respective countries to ensure the rights of migrant workers. The project will contribute to safeguard the rights of migrant workers through promoting ethical recruitment practices in Bangladesh and Nepal by introducing a tailor-made capacity building programme for licensed Private Recruitment Agencies (PRAs) to help them prepare for voluntary International Recruitment Integrity System (IRIS) certification. Additionally, the project will provide support to the government regulators in both Bangladesh and Nepal to obtain enhanced understanding of the regulation of recruitment agencies including monitoring and enforcement of legal provisions to ensure transparency in the recruitment process.

The project with a value of USD 300,000 will be implemented over a period of 30 months.  The project will ensure sufficient participation of women stakeholders at the national level knowledge sharing events laying special emphasis on adding extra safeguards to monitor the recruitment of female migrant workers from both Bangladesh and Nepal. The project is aligned to Targets 8.8 and 10.7of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

For further inquiries, please contact Md Sariful Islam at IOM Bangladesh, Email: mdsislam@iom.int, Phone: 01915631608