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: "mailto:gcretu@iom.int">gcretu@iom.int