Chisinau, 24 April 2020 – Over 1,000 young people from all over the country got involved in the ‘Youth of Moldova for #GlobalGoals’ campaign, and 17 of them became Media Ambassadors for the #GlobalGoals. All of them contributed to the national report presented by the Republic of Moldova at its first Voluntary National Review (VNR) of the 2030 Agenda.

The ‘Youth of Moldova for #GlobalGoals’ Campaign aimed to provide young people with suitable skills and set the right conditions so that they could contribute to the development of the society – monitoring the achievement of Global Goals is the their opportunity to express opinions and make their voices heard at global level.

‘Partnerships, in promoting the Global Goals, are crucial to achieving their successful implementation, therefore, NYCM, as a national organisation, assumes the role to further promote the Sustainable Development Goals and we rely on a continuous partnership with UN Agencies and the Government of the Republic Moldova, in this regard. I express my sincere thanks to the young people from the youth centers who hosted the local activities during the campaign and the youth organisations that were actively involved’, said Nicolai Cheles, chairperson of the National Youth Council of Moldova.

During the three-month campaign, 400 young volunteers from Youth Centres all over the country participated in 22 workshops aimed at informing about the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and how important it is to achieve them. They also learned to monitor and promote the Global Goals on social media, using photos taken in their communities.

Thanks to a community created on a social network, other young people who did not attend the training also obtained such knowledge.

Using online tools during April, young people from different regions of the country were invited to two national consultations to assess the Global Goals. The participants expressed their opinion on the findings of the report on the situation of young people in the Republic of Moldova and discussed the extent to which the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) had been implemented in our country. 

‘The involvement of young people in the campaign showed an active civic spirit on their part. At the level of authorities, we understand that sustainable thinking and acting should mean that the policies we are developing should be focused on the present, as well as the future of the young generation. When making decisions, it is important to maintain an open and constructive dialogue between young people and authorities and encourage them to become proactive partners in the decision making, as well as in implementing and monitoring the 2030 Agenda’, specified Aliona Ursoi, Chief Consultant in the Policy and Priorities Coordination Directorate of the State Chancellery.

During the campaign, the national photography contest ‘Media Ambassador for the #GlobalGoals’ was organized for all young people in the Republic of Moldova. The jury selected 17 of the 179 applications received and their authors became Media Ambassadors for Sustainable Development Goals. In addition to awards and diplomas, the young Media Ambassadors will be invited to events and conferences on the same topic. Photos of the Media Ambassadors can be seen HERE.

The activities of ‘Youth of Moldova for #GlobalGoals’ Campaign were based on the fundamental SDG principle of leaving no one behind, so that all young people were encouraged to get involved and speak up, regardless of gender, age, social status, ethnicity or language.

‘I personally participated in one of the #GlobalGoals activities for young people in Moldova at the Youth Center in Orhei. I was surprised by the energy, creativity and motivation of young people to change things for the better both in Moldova and around the world. They are the strength that humanity needs for a real change’, said Simon Springett, UN Resident Coordinator in Moldova.

The ‘Youth of Moldova for #GlobalGoals’ Campaign was launched on 24 January 2020 during an event in Chisinau. The campaign's activities took place both offline and online, through applications and social platforms.

Background of the event:

In September 2015, alongside other 192 member states, Moldova approved the new Sustainable Development Agenda – 2030 Agenda, which includes 17 goals and 169 targets. An important part of monitoring the implementation of 2030 Agenda is the Voluntary National Review (VNR) of the progress achieved in implementing the 2030 Agenda, which is applicable to countries that enroll voluntarily and report their progress. Moldova will present its first VNR report in July 2020, at the High-level Political Forum in New York, USA.