The IOM Mission to Moldova has commenced the implementation of the 18 months project "Capacity Building for Developing Migration Management Procedures and Migration Policies in the Republic of Moldova", which is financed by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA) in the amount of 937,553 USD. The primary aim of the project is to enhance the capacity of the Government of Moldova to develop policies for efficient migration management, based on the improved mechanisms of data collection and analysis.

The respective project comes in response to the recommendations put forward by the IOM Moldova Migration Management Assessment completed in 2003-2004 and along comprehensive consultations between IOM Moldova and the National Migration Bureau (NMB).

With an estimated 600 thousand Moldovan migrants abroad, the Government of Moldova has established the NMB as a leading coordination and policy development agency for migration management activities in Moldova. However, the capacity of the NMB to collect and analyze reliable migration data and to strategize is considerably below the desirable level due to the lack of investment in training, capacity building and equipment.

The project has the following main key purposes:

• Creation of Electronic Case Processing System and Migration database within the NMB, which will supply the need for information for all relevant migration agencies to ensure the efficiency of inter-agency cooperation, information exchange and policy development;
• Provision of training in database utilization and data analysis aiming further improving of capacity and aptitudes of the relevant government staff to develop relevant migration policies;
• Study tours and exposure to the examples of the successful application of migration-related case handling and database systems in other countries;
• Assistance in the development of the migration legislative framework and the legislation harmonization with the international standards;
• Research in the migration area, including: migration and remittances, Diaspora management and visa regime examination.

The proposed activities will further contribute to improving migration management thereby promoting bi-lateral migration agreements, reducing irregular labour migration and combating trafficking in human beings, while safeguarding the interests and human rights of the Moldovan citizens.

This project will become one of the main pillars of IOM Moldova's CBMM Programme and will be effectively supplemented by the Dutch-funded Development of a Migration Information Resource Centre (MIRC) project, launched in August 2005. The objectives of the MIRC, which will be operated by NMB, are to provide accurate and up-to-date information to potential migrants on employment realities abroad; to warn potential migrants of the pitfalls of irregular migration; let them know their rights; and to inform Moldovans abroad of investment opportunities which might exist at home through the use of remittances.

In line with this a new official website for NMB will be set up, which will complement the existing public information website, www.migratie.md, which has been set up by IOM and NMB in 2004 and contains basic facts on the conditions of legal stay, work or study in the main destination countries of Moldovan migrants. These include Italy, Portugal, Turkey, Canada, Romania, Germany, Greece, Spain, Hungary, USA, UK, France and Russia.