Chisinau – Ten Moldovan emigrants who left the country 10 to 20 years ago returned this week (17 April) to present five public policy proposals to the Moldovan Government. The proposals aim to advance Moldova’s development agenda in justice, public health, economy, environment protection and diaspora relations.

The policy proposals were developed under the Diaspora Excellence Groups programme – implemented by IOM and the national  Diaspora Relations Bureau. The mechanism of consulting highly skilled Moldovan emigrants was tested and is ready to be taken over and continued by the Moldovan Government.

“Moldovan scientists and scholars who left the country in the 1990s and built great careers abroad are an unexplored resource of development. They acquired an insight that can be used to respond multiple challenges that Moldova faces,” said Mr. Ghenadie Cretu, Migration and Development Programme Coordinator, IOM Moldova.

After 23 years of working in the US, Dr. Ian Toma, Assistant Director for Genomic Clinical Research, George Washington University proposed to create a Centre of Excellence in Biomedical Research in Moldova. Such a centre would enable Moldovan medical workers, computer sciences specialists and students to digitalize medical data so it could be used for medical research to study such diseases as TB, HIV and third and fourth-stage cancer

“We reckon that by establishing the Biomedical Centre we will create job opportunities in a new field for Moldova such bioinformatics and biomedical research, which will also prevent young medical workers emigrating”, added Dr. Toma. For more information about  the highly-skilled experts involved in the Diaspora Excellence Groups – see here.

The Governmental programme Diaspora Excellence Groups is part of the DIASPORA ENGAGEMENT HUB, which is implemented by Diaspora Relations Bureau and IOM Moldova and partly funded by the IOM Development Fund.

For more information, please contact Ms. Iulia Tvigun, IOM at (+373) 69 123 905, email itvigun@iom.int.

For more pictures from the event, please click here.

City of Dispatch: Chisinau