August 7, 2018 - The Minister of Health, Labor and Social Protection (MHLSP), Svetlana Cebotari, and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Representative, Rita Columbia, signed a Co-financing Agreement for carrying out the Generations and Gender Programme in the Republic of Moldova.
The programme will be implemented over a three years period (2018-2020) and will include a set of demographic analysis and research activities, including population data collection and development of public policy scenarios in the demographic sector.
An important component of the programme is to carry out a large-scale international Generations and Gender Survey on a sample of 10,000 people, which will study the changes in the family structure, inter-generational relationships, family and reproductive behavior and desired fertility, including factors determining couples' decision to have or not to have children.
Svetlana Cebotari stressed the importance of conducting such a study in the Republic of Moldova, which will strengthen the Government's ability to identify policy measures for the improvement of the demographic situation.
"The findings of this study will guide us through the process of developing the most effective policies that respond to the population dynamics, taking into account the socio-economic and family situation of the people," the minister said.
The Generations and Gender Study will be held for the first time in the Republic of Moldova on the basis of an international methodology and examples from other countries, being the result of a strategic partnership between MHLSP and UNFPA Moldova.
"Quality data are essential for a better understanding of the current family structure and the barriers that make it difficult for couples to plan and have the desired number of children. UNFPA Moldova will provide technical assistance and expertise in order to conduct such a large-scale survey in line with international requirements," Rita Columbia, UNFPA Representative, said.
The Generations and Gender Survey has so far been conducted in 24 countries and is a global tool for monitoring the demographic changes and responding to aging processes, low fertility, changes in the family structure, intergenerational relationships, and others. The study is conducted every three years within a nine years period.
Under the Generations and Gender Programme, the MHLSP will benefit from the expertise of the UNFPA's International Advisory Council on Population and Development and will issue a set of policy interventions in the demographic sector. The results of the project will support the implementation of the agenda of the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) and will contribute to the monitoring of the Sustainable Development Goals.
