New funding from the European Union will allow IOM to support a variety of initiatives that will further promote mobility for development in Moldova.

The three-year, 2 million euros project aims to reinforce links between the Government of Moldova and Moldovan expatriates worldwide to encourage them to invest productively at home and transfer some of their skills and knowledge through temporary return programmes.

It will also seek to improve the ability of Moldovan consular staff to reach out and engage with Moldovans abroad. 

The project will also address some of the needs of vulnerable Moldovans left at home by migrating family members, such as children and elderly relatives who will be identified and registered in a National Referral System developed by IOM in close cooperation with the Ministry of Labour, Social Protection and Family.

These services will include psychological counselling, social and legal support, temporary housing, medical assistance and the provision of recreational activities.

As part of the project, a comprehensive migration profile for Moldova will be developed to serve as a country-owned reference tool for evidence-based policymaking in the area of migration and development.

This project falls within the EU-Moldova Mobility Partnership, which aims to broaden legal migration opportunities for Moldovans and increase the development potential of migration.

Despite a considerable drop in remittances due to the global financial crisis, Moldova still ranks among the countries with the highest volume of remittances when measured against the GDP (30 per cent in 2009)   

Recent IOM research confirmed that over 35 per cent of Moldovan households benefit directly from the USD 1.6 billion in remittances sent in 2009.

Remittances are mainly used to pay for basic education, household consumption, consumer durables, and housing and for the repayment of debt. Only a marginal amount is invested productively.

For more information, please contact:

Ghenadie Cretu
IOM Chisinau
Tel +373 22 23 29 40
E-mail: gcretu@iom.int