Chisinau – The National Conference was convened by the Moldovan Ministry of Internal Affairs in partnership with the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the United Nations Network on Migration in the Republic of Moldova on 1 February 2022. The event aimed to review the implementation of the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration (GCM) by the Republic of Moldova as a preparatory exercise ahead of the International Migration Review Forum (MRF).

As many as 70 participants representing national public authorities, civil society, academia, diaspora leaders, the UN and other international organizations attended the conference that served as a participatory platform to openly discuss and share progress, current challenges and opportunities in the implementation of all aspects of the GCM. As well, during the event, the participants engaged into discussing Moldova’s national priorities for the implementation of the GCM and shared their views on country’s participation and contribution to the IMRF multi-stakeholder framework meetings and the resulting Progress Declaration.

Therefore, the event supported the Moldovan stakeholders in defining the country's main achievements and challenges in implementing the GCM, with the view to update the 2020 National Voluntary Review Report that will be submitted by the Government of Moldova prior to the IMRF. Also, the discussions helped identifying national priorities, key messages, pledges and best practices to inform the Moldovan Delegation’s participation in the IMRF-2022 events in New York.

In his opening remarks, Mr. Lars Johan Lönnback, Chief of IOM Mission in Moldova, highlighted the strategic importance of the conference marking the 100 days ahead of the IMRF-2022 itself and taking stock of the progress made by Moldova in the implementation of all 23 GCM’s Objectives.

In his turn, Mr. Simon Springett, UN Resident Coordinator in Moldova, stated that the United Nations in Moldova under IOM leadership in this particular area is committed to supporting the GCM review and the preparations towards the IMRF-2022. “The IMRF represents an important opportunity for the Moldovan authorities to highlight the strategic importance on engaging its diaspora in homeland development and to share this experience at the Forum, giving a perspective on the benefits of human mobility, especially when it its carefully managed both in material and human development contexts”, Mr. Simon Springett said.

Ms. Jana Costachi, State Secretary at the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Moldova, assuredly remarked that the broad representation emphasises the added value of this constructive dialogue that enables adopting an inclusive and well-informed perspective for defining the future approach in relation to the migration policy framework in the Republic of Moldova.