Chisinau, 4 December 2019 - More than 150 people, partners, and friends, of UNFPA Office in Moldova, gathered for a special evening on the 4th of December 2019 to join UNFPA in celebrating 50 years of ensuring rights and choices for all and 25 years since the International Conference for Population and Development in Cairo.
The event offered a platform for sharing messages of appreciation and support on behalf of the Government and development partners, and strengthening the commitments made at the Nairobi Summit for the full realization of rights and choices of women, girls, and young people in Moldova.
"This golden jubilee is a celebration of dedication, commitment and passion," said Rita Columbia, UNFPA Representative in Moldova, at the beginning of the event. "Thank you to everyone who is supporting UNFPA. We assure you that we will accelerate our efforts to bring further positive changes in the lives of people of Moldova”.
“As the global custodian of ICPD, UNFPA has been entrusted with moving this agenda forward and bringing us closer to a world where every pregnancy is wanted, every childbirth is safe and every young person’s potential is fulfilled”, the UN Resident Coordinator in Moldova, Simon Springett, stated.
The event further showcased the video messages from the UN Secretary-General António Guterres and UNFPA Executive Director, Natalia Kanem, who emphasized the achievements of UNFPA work around the world in the past 50 years and the three transformative results set for the next ten years to fulfill the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
"I congratulate the United Nations Population Fund on its 50th anniversary. Your work has saved lives and has improved the well-being of people around the world. Today the world needs UNFPA more than ever", the Secretary-General António Guterres voiced.
Following the video messages, participating Government officials and development partners, addressed UNFPA team and the guests with appreciation and encouraging words.
“If we think about the impact of these 50 years on the lives of people, then it is remarkable. We are talking about planned and healthy families, and we are grateful to UNFPA for your work and support”, the Minister of Health, Labour and Social Protection, Viorica Dumbrăveanu, said.
“We welcome further collaboration, as we are aware of the fact that the Republic of Moldova faces many challenges, which we can address only by working together”, reinforced Corneliu Popovici, Minister of Education, Culture and Research.
Further on, long-standing and new development partners, supporting UNFPA programs in Moldova, addressed the audience.
“For Switzerland UNFPA is a strategic partner since its foundation in 1969. It remains so because the topic of reproductive health and rights are very important for the Swiss foreign policy” – Caroline Tissot, Director of Swiss Cooperation Office in Moldova.
“I am here to heartily congratulate UNFPA for your great work and achievements in the area of reproductive health and rights in the past 50 years” - H.E. Daniel Ioniță, Ambassador of Romania to the Republic of Moldova.
“I congratulate UNFPA for your remarkable achievements in fighting inequalities around the world. That is why we are encouraged to support also UNFPA here in Moldova” - Alexander Karner, Head of Coordination Office for Technical Cooperation, Austrian Development Agency in Moldova.
Before and after the main programme, guests took photos at the UNFPA@50 selfie installation. They also took a walk down memory lane, following the timeline of rights and choices milestones from 1969 to 2019, which opened this year’s State of World Population report.
The event, hosted by the National Museum of History, also featured a performance of Brio Sonores team, a famous band composed of four young men, who are considering to further engage with UNFPA to promote youth rights and gender equality. A special birthday cake was the evening surprise, featuring 50 years of UNFPA dedication and hard work for the realization of women, girls, and young people everywhere.
