Chisinau, 22 November 2019 – During two days in Chisinau, over 130 young people throughout the country got together with representatives of central and local public authorities, including officials in charge of youth area, managers and employees of district and municipal youth centres, representatives of youth organizations, youth councils and development partners and set the directions for the development of youth policies and services in the Republic of Moldova during the national conference "Enhancing youth services in Moldova to leave no one behind", 2019 edition.
The event was moderated by young people, who had the opportunity to make their voice heard in front of decision-makers and to get inspiration from the success stories of other young people.
In his welcome message for conference participants, Corneliu Popovici, Minister of Education, Culture and Research said that since young people represented over 1/3 of the population of the Republic of Moldova, their contribution to the development of the society was indispensable: ‘The state authorities will continue to make efforts to promote and support young people, so that they can achieve success at home. That is why it is essential to diversify the participation and involvement opportunities for young people at community level and to provide quality services for young people at local level.’
UN Resident Coordinator and UNICEF Representative in Moldova, Desiree Jongsma, said: ‘The UN family in Moldova advocates for harnessing the potential of young people as agents of change for the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals Agenda. We are committed to continue our work for and with young people from Moldova, to end inequalities and to make sure that all boys and girls, regardless of ethnicity, ability, rural or urban residence, enjoy equal rights and opportunities in order to thrive.’
In her turn, Rita Columbia, UNFPA Representative in the Republic of Moldova, said: ‘Today, almost half a million young people aged 15-35 years from all the districts of the country can benefit of services provided by Youth Centres, which operate in 44 communities, including villages, towns and municipalities.’ It is about young people with different needs and abilities, and this is why it is important to provide services that are accessible and inclusive for everyone.’
This is the second edition of the conference ‘Youth Policies and Services for Every Young Person from the Republic of Moldova’ and is a platform of interaction for youth stakeholders across the country. During the discussion panels, various topics on facilitating the dialogue between young people and adults, engaging young people at local level; role and commitments of local public administration and of Youth Centres in strengthening the sector, etc. were addressed.
Ion Bulhac, a volunteer at Falesti Youth Centre, said: ‘Young people need to get involved in taking the decisions that affect them because adults cannot know everything our generation needs. Participation in such events allows young people to make their voice heard.’
Tatiana Zaharia, volunteer at the Chisinau Municipal Youth Centre: ‘We can benefit from a range of opportunities at Youth Centres and other youth organizations, which are always bring together activities and events that contribute to the personal and professional development of young people.’
Also, the conference participants had the opportunity to learn about life stories of successful young people from the Republic of Moldova, who obtained results in different areas like journalism, arts or business. During a special session – Youth Talks, they inspired young people through their motivational examples and urged them to be active and strive to succeed.
Adriano Marian, founder and conductor of the Moldovan National Youth Orchestra, pointed out that: ‘It is important for young people to find their way and follow it with a well thought out vision, to work very hard to make their dream come true.’
At the end of the conference, the participants approved a series of proposals and recommendations that will be submitted to authorities, donors, civil society in order to facilitate the coordination during the process of developing quality policies and services for young people. The conclusions made by the thematic groups will underpin the decisions and programs that offer opportunities for civic involvement, personal development and participation of young people, thus contributing to the development of communities in the Republic of Moldova.
The recommendations will be included in the Final Statement of the conference and will be sent to all the relevant ministries and institutions in order to mainstream youth in the sectoral programs and policies.
The conference was organized in the context of the National Youth Day, within the Joint Fund for Developing Youth Centers and Strengthened Participation and Civic Engagement of Young People in the Republic of Moldova, set up by MECR, Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), in partnership with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).
PICTURES from the event are available here
VIDEO from the event is available here
For details: Irina Draguțanu, Communication Assistant, 069694246 dragutanu@unfpa.org
