The National Decentralization Strategy focuses on the respect for human rights and ensuring of gender equality, which is an important novelty. The matter was discussed in the workshops held to consult the local and central public authorities about the draft strategy, Info-Prim Neo reports. During the workshops that involved representatives of the central authorities, Victoria Cujba, of the State Chancellery’s Decentralization Policy Division, said the Government aims to make sure that the underprivileged groups, including the discriminated, socially excluded and marginalized people, enjoy equal benefits as a result of decentralization. Victoria Cujba also said that in order to implement the strategy, there must be followed a number of stages, including devising of roadmaps for separate areas where decentralization is possible, by ensuring authentic local autonomy. Thus, representatives of the local public authorities, civil society and different target groups were asked to state their opinions. “At the end of the consultations, we will make a synthesis of all the proposals that will be thoroughly analyzed and included in the final strategy,” stated Victoria Cujba. Viorel Furdui, executive director of the Congress of Local Authorities – a nongovernmental organization that promotes the legitimate rights and interests of all the local authorities of Moldova, said there will be built a platform of dialogue and common actions aimed at encouraging decentralization in the public interests. There will be also established partnership relations with civil society and international organizations so as to obtain support in dealing with the challenges faced when building modern local administration. Viorel Furdui also said that the final goal of the decentralization reform must be the establishment of veritable local autonomy and provision of the population with public services of a high quality. The participants in the workshops discussed the content of the draft strategy by areas, the institutional framework, the implementation stages, the impact of decentralization and the plan of action for implementing the strategy by working groups in an interactive way. The National Decentralization Strategy was drafted within working groups for decentralization that were set up by the parity commission with the support of the development partners, representatives of the central and local administration, civil society and the academic and scientific communities. The second round of consultation workshops started on August 2 in a number of settlements and will last for two weeks.