The pandemic has deepened pre-existing inequalities, exposing most vulnerable groups of the population to even greater exclusion, poverty and discrimination. This should urge the Government to mitigate the inequalities caused by the crisis through effective policy responses, tailored to the needs of specific groups.

We urge the State to:

• take appropriate measures to facilitate full enjoyment of all human rights by persons with disabilities as they face a high level of exclusion, have limited access to social, educational, healthcare and legal services, face limited participation in public life, labor market, including due to inaccessible physical environment, transportation, information and communications;
• strengthen healthcare system with focus on NCDs prevention and management, develop geriatric services and long-term care accessible for all older persons. Every second older person appreciates his health as bad or very bad, suffers from at least one NCD or has disability, access to geriatric doctors is 2.16 per 10,000 older persons;
• ensure equal access to education to all young people and strengthen the transition from education to employment, through state programs that will align the education and labor sector, through paid internship and involvement of the private and public sector;
• increase investment for quality healthcare for youth, including improved communication for addictive behaviour change;
• address gender equality and human rights dimensions of each SDG and insure the linkages between them;
• collect data disaggregated by sex, age, disability, rural/urban levels, monitor progress of implementation of all SDGs;
• perform research on interlinkages between gender, age, disability, ethnicity and environmental issues, including biodiversity, energy, water, climate change;
• How and when does the Government plan to ensure the functionality of Governmental Commissions and Fora for women and men of all ages, persons with disabilities etc. and these groups’ participation in the decision-making process.

Speaker/Read by: Natalia Cojocaru

Alternate: Valentina Bodrug-Lungu, Gender-Centru

MGoS: Youth – National Youth Council of Moldova, 

Ageing – HelpAge International Moldova

Women’s Major Group – Gender- Centru/ Platform for Gender Equality

MGo for Persons with disabilities –  Keystone Human Services International Moldova Association