‘Enhancing the Role of Georgian Emigrants at Home (ERGEM)’ project

The project ‘Enhancing the Role of the Georgian Emigrants at Home (ERGEM) was aimed at strengthening the ties between Georgian institutions and citizens of  Georgia abroad in order to increase diaspora contributions to Georgia’s economic development.

The activities of the project were implemented in three consecutive phases under three complementary components: 1) Collection and analysis of information 2) Support and Service provision to diaspora abroad and 3) Service provision in Georgia.

The ERGEM project sought to establish direct and close contact between Georgian diaspora and Georgian state institutions. In frames of the project, in Berlin, Athens and Istanbul the information meetings with diaspora representatives were held. Meetings aimed at improving the dissemination of information and facilitation of provision of services by Georgian institutions to emigrants and diaspora members abroad. The content of the meetings was elaborated  based on the findings of the case study titled “Georgian Diaspora and Migrant Communities in Germany, Greece and Turkey – Transnational Realities and Ties with Georgia”, and it covered topics such as:  legal status, identity and official documents, property rights, return and reintegration possibilities as well as business and investment opportunities in Georgia. In addition, to support the sustainability of the action, a guide on organising mobile counselling events was developed based on the lessons learned during the implementation of the project.

Implementing Agency: Danish Refugee Council in cooperation with ICMPD

Partners: Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkey, Public Service Development Agency, Ministry of Justice of Georgia, Office of the State Minister of Georgia for Diaspora Issues, Ministry of Internally Displaced Persons from the Occupied Territories, Refugees and Accommodation of Georgia, and the Ministry of the Interior of Poland

Donors: European Union, Danish Refugee Council and project partners

Duration: April 2013 to December 2014

Publications:

ERGEM Case Study

ERGEM Guide on Organising Mobile Counselling for Migrants and Diaspora Members