Memorandum of Understanding concluded with Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ)

A Memorandum of Understanding was concluded between the Ministry of Labour, Health and Social Affairs of Georgia and the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) on cooperation in the field of labour migration on 18 July 2016. The document was signed by Valeri Kvaratskhelia, Deputy Minister of Labour, Health and Social Affairs of Georgia, Maria Schäfer, GIZ Country Director Georgia and Ralf Sanftenberg, GIZ Programme Director, Global Programme Migration for Development.

The cooperation builds on the experiences and lessons learnt through the project “Strengthening the Development Potential of the EU Mobility Partnership in Georgia through Targeted Circular Migration and Diaspora Mobilization” funded by the European Union and the German Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, implemented within the period of 2013-2016 by the GIZ/ Programme Migration for Development, the Public Service Development Agency and the Georgian Small and Medium Enterprises Association. The overall objective of the project was strengthening Georgia’s capacities to harness the development potential of its Mobility Partnership to benefit migrants, the sending and receiving country. The development and testing of a pilot scheme on skilled circular migration that matches Georgia’s and Germany’s needs has been a core component of this project.

The purpose of the MoU is to enhance the capacities of the Ministry of Labour, Health and Social Affairs for setting up a coherent and development-oriented labour migration and labour market management. The cooperation pertains to the field of action on Migration Policy Advice and will focus on building policymaking and implementing capacity of the Ministry regarding labour (circular) migration, facilitating the implementation of the labour migration law, and developing migration database and related methodologies.