KATHMANDU: Nabil Bank has successfully conducted a workshop on “Ways of Protecting Health of Migrant Workers in Climate Change Perspective”.

CEO of La Isla Network, USA, Jason Glaser was the key presenter in the workshop.

La Isla Network is a research and consulting group dedicated to eliminating heat-related ailments, such as chronic kidney disease from non-traditional causes (CKDnT) among workers and their communities around the world. In the changing climate, the organization is developing, supporting, and implementing evidence-based solutions to address workers’ health.

As Nabil Bank has always been promoting various Sustainable Banking initiatives for effective contribution to society, this first-of-its-kind workshop was conducted as a noble initiative to start a dialogue on the crucial component of the Nepalese economy i.e. migrant workers. The program was also supported by Nepal Remitters Association.

The workshop which was held at Vivanta Hotel, Lalitpur on April 15, 2022, was attended by the higher level of authorities of the Bank along with officials from Ministry of Labor, Employment & Social Security, Ministry of Federal Affairs & General Administration, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment Board, International Labor Organization, Diplomatic Missions, various stakeholders from Nepal Remitters Association, manpower companies, Pravasi Nepali Coordination Committee, among others.

Speaking about the workshop, Nabil Bank Chairman Upendra Poudyal said that the works and researches conducted by Jason Glaser are very useful to Nepali Migrant Workers before it is too late as it had been an eye-opening session on the health issues caused by Climate Change.

During the workshop, La Isla Network CEO Glaser focused on the impact of climate change on the health of migrant workers. Furthermore, he mentioned that several chronic diseases are increasing in rural hot communities as temperature progressively rises worldwide amidst any correlation with traditional risk factors.

Hence, it was imperative to raise a voice to improve worksite conditions and ensure adequate hydration of the migrant workers to combat the new type of kidney disease which is linked with temperature and climate and could one of the first epidemics caused due to global warming.

Similarly, Nabil Bank CEO Anil Keshary Shah mentioned that the impact of climate change on living organisms was high but small attentive measures could help everyone, including the workers, to mitigate the risk factors to some extent.

For this, awareness amongst the migrant workers is quite crucial and Nabil Bank was always ready to assist in every way possible, Shah added.

The program was actively participated by all the participants who shared their views and experiences, including Executive Member of Nepal Remitters Association Prabin Adhikari and Subarna Shrestha representing Manpower Agency.

As closing remarks, Under Secretary of Ministry of Labor Employment and Social Security Dr Thaneswor Bhusal shared some of his experiences and learnings about the effect of climate change on workers and also assured that anyone willing to work on such researches will be provided assistance with resources from their end.

Under Secretary Bhusal expressed gratitude towards Nabil Bank for acting as the bridge amongst all the stakeholders and bringing everyone into one single forum to discuss the serious issues related to migrant workers.