Chisinau - During January 23 - 27, 2023, the Legal Identity Unit of the IOM’s Immigration and Border Governance Division (Geneva HQ), with the support of IOM Moldova, conducted a participatory field research to collect and analyse the experience and practices of Moldova’s national authorities in the area of Legal Identity. This initiative - Facilitating Access to Legal Identity for Migrants: Sharing Good Practices and Developing a Global Guidance, supported by IOM Development Fund, will inform the development of global guidance and will promote best practices worldwide on how States determine legal identity of migrants without proof of identity. 

Opening the series of consultations, the UN Resident Coordinator in Moldova, Mr. Simon Springett, emphasized the relevance of this research: “Legal identity is a pre-requisite for sustainable development and to leave no one behind. The proposals outlined in the United Nation’s Common Agenda identify legal identity as one of the areas of action that are central to upholding international law and ensuring justice. IOM’s Institutional Strategy on Legal Identity serves as a foundation to support the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration. This work on legal identity will be of crucial importance to government and those individuals requiring support”. 

The research team held separate consultations with representatives of key national authorities - Ministry of Internal Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration, Ministry of Labor and Social Protection, the Embassy of Ukraine, General Inspectorate for Migration, General Inspectorate of the Border Police, Public Services Agency, Municipal Directorate for Child Rights Protection and Ombudsman’s office. The research team also presented the scope and methodology of the project to other relevant stakeholders engaged in the process of determining the legal identity of migrants and their children such as UNHCR, UNDP, UNICEF, EUBAM, FRONTEX, National Center for Training, Assistance, Counseling and Education “CNFACEM”, Law Center for Advocates “CDA”, Center of Assistance and Protection of Victims and Potential Victims of Human Trafficking “CAP” and International Centre “La Strada”.

Mr. Mircea Esanu, Director of the Public Services Agency, welcomed the IOM initiative to promote good practices worldwide of how states determine legal identity of migrants, also to support migrant’s right in Moldova and ensure the best solutions in overcoming challenges the region is facing. At the same time, Mr. Rosian VASILOI, the Head of the General Inspectorate of the Border Police, called for an integrated and inter-agency approach, which would generate benefits for migrants without proof of identity.

The agenda of the field research included a study visit at Palanca Border Crossing Point, facilitated by the General Inspectorate of Border Police. “It has been extremely useful for our team to experience on the ground, in real time, the border procedures rolled out by Moldovan authorities to facilitate the movement of persons affected by the war in Ukraine, including those from vulnerable categories. IOM will continue to support the Government of Moldova and the authorities of other countries in ensuring that migrants have inclusive and non-discriminatory access to legal identity” said Mr. Nelson Garcao GONCALVES, the Head of Legal Identity Unit, IOM Immigration and Border Governance Division.

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For more information, please contact: 
Riccardo Severi, Communications and Public Information Officer, IOM Moldova 
rseveri@iom.int