The inequalities in Moldova are persistent and affect the most vulnerable groups from the environmental, social and economic perspectives. Governance, participation and governmental institutions are in need of continuous strengthening. Social cohesion remains fragile with negative attitudes towards vulnerable groups. Climate change is having a significant impact on agriculture in Moldova, affecting people’s livelihoods. While the cost of climate adaptation measures is relatively high, the cost of inaction is double, says the UN Common Country Analysis Report for the Republic of Moldova 2020 that was presented today in an online event, IPN reports.
Simon Springett, UN Resident Coordinator in Moldova, said the UN Common Country Analysis for Moldova provides an in-depth analysis of the country’s socioeconomic development and political context, along with critical challenges and root causes. It serves as a basis for priority setting within the UN that feeds into resource mobilization, development of cooperation partnerships, as well as projects' technical design contributing to sustainable development of the country. In addition, the analysis integrates data from more than 25 COVID-19 impact assessments conducted by the UNCT in 2020.
According to the report, Moldova is one of the poorest countries in Eastern Europe and is in the top countries with the fastest shrinking population in the world losing 1.8% of its population annually. Based on three scenarios projections, even the medium scenario predicts a decrease of the population to less than 2.4 million by 2035. Although inequality has decreased in the last few years, social transfers still make up a significant share of household incomes. The large outflow of Moldovan migrants has led to substantial dependency of Moldova’s economy on remittances, being in the top 10 most remittance-dependent countries in the world. Income of the poorest households increased by 38% in pre-COVID-19 period, coming primarily from remittances and social assistance. At the same time, the share of the poor is three times higher in rural areas compared to urban areas, including among children.
Gheorghe Leuca, State Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration, noted the United Nations stands as a key development partner for the Republic of Moldova and the Government highly appreciates the role and contribution of UN Country Team in advancing the development agenda of the country. The Common Country Analysis Report will help Moldova's authorities to prioritize strategic decisions and embark upon more evidence-based policy making.
Disadvantaged and vulnerable people, who are often left behind, are not sufficiently captured by official data, and they are invisible in regard to the development of policies and programs. Inequalities in terms of gender, ethnic groups affiliation, and residence persist in education. Children in rural areas perform worse than those in urban settings. Only 11% of children with disabilities have access to ECD, similarly the Roma children. At the same time gender equality is weakly mainstreamed in the strategic planning, policy development and budgeting processes. The gender wage gap is 14%, while in some sectors, such as finance, it reaches 38%. About 40% of women were victims of domestic physical violence at least once in their lives on average.
According to Liliana Rotaru, president of CCF Moldova, there is no single factor of vulnerability regardless of its nature, but rather an accumulation of these factors that leads to complex challenges that need complex solutions and interventions otherwise they intend to become chronic. Many times, vulnerabilities tend to be intergenerational, are historic and build for years and decades.
Employment rates are the lowest in the region and labor market is characterized by substantial gender and age-based discrimination. Employment of persons with disabilities is half that of the general population, while 36% of persons living with HIV are unemployed.
Peter Michalko, the EU Ambassador to Moldova, said the EU and its Member States are the biggest donor in Moldova offering over one billion Euro in the last years. As of March last year, a substantial part of EU support was reoriented towards the mitigation of the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic and socio-economic recovery applying the EU Team approach.
Moldova has ratified seven out of the nine core United Nations human rights treaties. The two conventions that remain unratified are the Convention for the Protection of all Persons from Enforced Disappearance and the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of their Families.
The UN CCA has been conducted jointly by 23 United Nations agencies, funds, and programs with the leadership and coordination of the Resident Coordinator’s Office in Moldova.
