ABSTRACT
Nepal, with a population of nearly 30 million and territory of 147,516 km2, witnesses almost all global migration phenomena: internal and international, long-term, and seasonal, diaspora, student migration, travel for family reunion and visits. The topography being diverse, Nepal’s environmental vulnerability has an impact on the scale of both internal and international migration. Climate change, environmental degradation, natural and human-made disasters trigger displacement and dislocation, meaning that migration takes place to ensure sustainable livelihood. A single policy is almost impossible to address these diverse migration characteristics. Institutional mechanisms to address these policies are equally important to revisit. Based on the review of existing migration policies and programmes at the federal, provincial, and local levels, this study aims to identify how these various types of migration have been addressed and to what extent these polices are in line with the global migration policies and programmes. The study then explores Nepal’s status of policy coherence/incoherence in terms of both vertical and horizontal perspectives as well as gaps and opportunities for reforms.
