Diaspora Conference & Job Fair took place in Germany

The Diaspora Conference & Job Fair – “Building Bridges – Georgian Diaspora for Development” took place in Frankfurt on Main (Germany) on 11-12 March 2016. The delegation from Georgia, including the State Minister of Georgia for Diaspora Issues, Mr. Gela Dumbadze, the Ambassador of Georgia in Germany, Prof. Dr. Lado Chanturia, Mrs. Nino Kobakhidze, Administration of the Government of Georgia, State Commission on Migration Issues, Georgian migrant organizations from Germany, Austria and Czech Republic, officials from Georgian state institutions, employers from different branches and an audience of more than 100 Georgians residing in Germany confirmed the importance of the event.

The conference provided the unique platform for sharing experiences and thoughts on diaspora engagement. The role of the engagement of Diaspora in the development of Georgia was underlined by the state officials presented at the conference. “Unity is what makes us stronger – good communication and active dialogue will help us to build the bridge” – noted the State Minister for Diaspora Issues in his welcoming speech.

Furthermore, the market-place setting of the job fair on the second day of the event enabled direct exchange between Georgians residing in Germany and employers from Georgia, representing private & public sectors from tourism, hospitality, agriculture, higher education, medicine, aiming at offering to Georgian diaspora members employment and start-up support opportunities in Georgia.

The event is a part of a 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 co-funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). The project is implemented by partners: German International Cooperation (GIZ)/Centre for International Migration (CIM), Public Service Development Agency of the Ministry of Justice of Georgia and Georgian Small and Medium Enterprises Association (GSMEA).

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