On 2 February, ICMPD together with Moldovan stakeholders celebrated the results of FReMM in a project closing event, while kicking off on that same occasion the newly launched project called CareFor. The event gathered management-level representatives of the key national stakeholders and donor community.
The purpose of the event was to present, jointly with the project partners in Moldova – the Bureau for Migration and Asylum of the Moldovan Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Ombudsman’s Office, and the NGO Law Centre of Advocates, the results of the project “Development of a Forced-Return Monitoring System in the Republic of Moldova” (FReMM), implemented by ICMPD throughout December 2020 – February 2022, and funded by the Polish Ministry of the Interior and Administration. In addition to the ICMPD project and expert team, national beneficiaries and donor representatives, the event was also attended by representatives of the Moldovan and Polish Border Guard, of Consular Affairs Department of the Moldovan Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration, and of the EU Delegation to Moldova.
Participants exchanged words of congratulations, appreciation, and commitment to further develop the recently established forced-return monitoring system in Moldova. In this regard, they welcomed the newly launched project “Capacity for a Rights-Based Return System for Moldova” (CareFor) which will build upon FReMM efforts by continuing to strengthen the countries human rights monitoring capacities, while at the same time addressing some of the analytical, strategic, technical, and operational needs at the Bureau for Migration and Asylum.
The ICMPD Director of Migration Dialogues and Cooperation – Mr. Martijn Pluim – noted that 2022 is set to be a milestone year for Moldova as the country embarks on developing its new sector strategic document and reorganising the Bureau for Migration and Asylum, among others. “The newly launched CareFor project takes a broader scope precisely to address a variety of immediate needs communicated to us along these lines. It is our hope that in addition to continuing the great work on forced return monitoring, the new project will support the Ministry of Interior and the Bureau to manage these strategic endeavors” added Mr. Pluim.
The CareFor project is also funded by the Polish Ministry of the Interior and Administration. More information on the project can be found here.
Information on the FReMM project can be found here.