Press releases

The Organisation for the Development of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (ODSME) was visited today by the delegation of government officials of the Republic of Tajikistan and representatives of the United Nations Organisation for Agriculture and Food (FAO), in the context of studying experience and best practices on the successful establishment and implementation of the PARE 1 + 1 Discharge Programme and its contribution to mobilising the human and financial resources of migrant workers.

The Acting Director-General of ODIMM, Petru Gurgurov, welcomed the interest of the Republic of Tajikistan in the implementation of the PARE 1 + 1 programme. “The programme for the discharge of remittances in the economy has yielded remarkable results. We are glad that its experience and success has aroused a keen interest from other states in the European and Central Asian region”.

Petru Gurgurov also presented the PARE 1 + 1 programme and highlighted ODIMM’s openness to collaboration, consultation and exchange of experience. “The implementation of the Programme over the seven years has allowed us to make significant improvements, starting with the application procedure, the use of the grant and the consultation and monitoring of beneficiaries. They are clearly defined procedures designed to simplify the way in which State support is obtained, "said the Acting Director-General of ODIMM.

In turn, the representative of the delegation, Tolibjon Sharipov, Deputy Head of the Tajikistan Migration Service mentioned that both the Republic of Moldova and Tajikistan are predominantly agrarian countries facing similar socio-economic problems and that the experience of the Republic of Moldova in implementing the programme to attract remittances to the economy is encouraging. The Tajik government, with the support of the FAO, intends to implement a similar model of attracting remittances of migrant workers in the form of investments in agriculture and the agri-food sector, by awarding grants to small projects, including training and education activities.

“We believe that the knowledge and experience gained from this study visit will have a strong impact on the mobilisation of migrant workers’ remittances and ultimately contribute to improving food security and nutrition in Tajikistan,” said Mauricio Rosales, FAO project coordinator.

The study visit to the Republic of Moldova was organised thanks to the United Nations Agriculture and Food Organisation – FAO project “Capacity development to strengthen food security and nutrition in selected Caucasus and Central Asia countries”.

The remarkable results in attracting and incentivising migrants to invest in the country’s economy are also being studied by other countries facing the same problems. Countries such as Ukraine, Serbia and Tajikistan are interested in the successful experience of the Republic of Moldova to implement such projects in their countries.

The PARE 1 + 1 programme aims to mobilise the human and financial resources of Moldovan migrant workers in the sustainable economic development of the Republic of Moldova by stimulating the creation and development of small and medium-sized enterprises by migrant workers and remittances beneficiaries. Thus, significant remittance flows are directed towards the creation and expansion of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises in the Republic of Moldova. These companies, in turn, act as engines of sustainable growth and macroeconomic stability.

According to the results of the implementation of the ‘PARE 1 + 1’ Programme in the period 2010-2017, access to non-reimbursable financing was facilitated for 1136 companies, amounting to RON 213.49 million. The total amount of direct investment in the country’s economy is over RON 678.42 million, so RON 1 in the form of a grant generates RON 3,1 in investment in the economy and has created 3 170 jobs.

ODIMM Communication and Public Relations Department