Young people are agents of change who are actively seeking ways to build trust and social cohesion. The project "Building Sustainable and Inclusive Peace, Strengthening Trust and Social Cohesion on Both Banks of the Nistru/Dniester River," implemented jointly by UN Human Rights (OHCHR), UNDP and UN Women and funded by the United Nations Peacebuilding Fund (UN PBF), is empowering young peacebuilders dedicated to reviving dialogue and overcoming division and discord.

Women and girls play a critical role in science and technology communities. However, women comprised only 29.2 percent of the STEM workforce in 146 nations evaluated in the Global Gender Gap Report (2023). Women’s participation in STEM should be strengthened, by smashing stereotypes, defying gender biases and defeating discrimination that hold women and girls back in STEM fields. Representation and retention of women are essential for the science and digital technology sectors to be more creative, innovative, and profitable.

At the beginning of 2024, Moldova’s National Public Security Inspectorate (NPSI) opened a child-friendly room in Chisinau. Serving as a space for the children of employees, the room marks a significant moment in the NPSI’s efforts to support the work-life balance of personnel in the police system. The room is fully equipped with everything necessary for the comfort and needs of children, having received financial support from the Government of Sweden in collaboration with UN Women Moldova. This is the first room of its kind within a body of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and it represents an important step towards creating a more family-friendly working environment for employees. Below, several of the NPSI’s employees share how this child-friendly room has affected their personal and professional lives.

The underrepresentation of women in leadership roles, the gender pay gap, and limited access to financial resources are among the main barriers that prevent women’s full participation in the financial sector. Women represent about 60% of graduates from higher education institutions in the EU, but they are significantly underrepresented in financial decision-making processes.

The Moldova State University (USM) and the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to strengthen joint efforts and collaboration to promote gender equality and combat violence against women and girls.

On 21 May 2024, Moldova’s Ministry of Internal Affairs held an event on implementing United Nations Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1325 on Women, Peace and Security (WPS). Organized around different sessions, the event convened more than 80 people, including representatives of the Secretariat, national entities, development partners and civil society organisations, with the goal of strengthening their collaboration to implement Moldova’s National Action Plan (NAP) on UNSCR 1325 for 2023-2027. All of these stakeholders demonstrate a strong commitment to promoting gender equality in law enforcement, national defence, security and peace.

From 14 to 18 May, UN Women’s Executive Board undertook its first field visit to the Republic of Moldova to observe the country office’s initiatives on the ground and their impact. The Board’s mission involved meeting with a wide array of government officials, civil society representatives, local public authorities, private sector partners, the UN country team, and beneficiaries. As the governing body of UN Women, the Board provides intergovernmental support and supervision of the organization’s operational activities.

From 14 - 22 May, the UN Women Executive Board will be on a mission to Moldova and Ukraine to strengthen partnerships and strategies for advancing gender equality in these countries and beyond, aligning with UN Women's regional and global strategies.

The United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women) and The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), together with the European Union (EU), started the Phase II of the regional programme “EU 4 Gender Equality: Together against gender stereotypes and gender-based violence”. The programme aims to reduce gender discriminatory attitudes and practices between women and men in institutional and community spheres, including unpaid domestic and care work in six Eastern Partnership countries: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, the Republic of Moldova, and Ukraine. Across Moldova the programme will be implemented in Orhei, Ialoveni, Ștefan Vodă, Căușeni and Fălești regions, including Chișinău municipality.

On 25 April 2024, UN Women held a roundtable to discuss Moldova’s first Regional Integrated Service for Victims of Sexual Violence, presenting results from its first six months of operation. The event brought together representatives of local and central public authorities, members of multidisciplinary teams, civil society and the international community, demonstrating the importance of a coordinated and multisectoral response to violence.

For the past six months, Tatiana Cheptonar has been working as a psychologist at the Regional Integrated Service for Victims of Sexual Violence in the city of Ungheni, Moldova. Since its launch, the service has assisted 23 victims of violence, and in 47 per cent of these cases, women received crisis assistance within the first four days of the crime taking place. Tatiana describes her daily work serving these survivors, a commitment that requires professionalism and empathy.

The United Nations in the Republic of Moldova is deeply saddened by the death of Ana-Maria and stands in support of every girl and woman who is a victim of gender-based-violence. Globally, gender-based violence is one of the most pervasive human rights violations and the case of Ana-Maria underlines once more the urge to act now.

On April 29, 2024, a meeting with businesswomen from the Ukrainian community and Olena Kondratiuk, Vice-Speaker of the Supreme Council of Ukraine, took place. The meeting was hosted and organized by UN Women in collaboration with the Parliament of the Republic of Moldova and was part of the visit to Moldova by the delegation led by Olena Kondratiuk. The meeting was attended by Doina Gherman, Vice-President of the Parliament of the Republic of Moldova, H.E. Marko Shevchenko, Ambassador of Ukraine to Moldova, Svetlana Andries, Deputy Country Representative of UN Women Moldova, members of the delegation from Ukraine, and over 15 refugee women from Ukraine settled in Moldova.

A round-table organised by the Council of Europe and European Union in partnership with the Central Electoral Commission of the Republic of Moldova and UN Women gathered over 50 participants representing political parties, media, national and local authorities, civil society, as well as individual citizens. The aim was to jointly address measures needed to tackle hate speech, gender-based intolerance and sexism during the election period, building on lessons learned in the context of the local general elections in autumn 2023.

We are deeply saddened and outraged by the death of Ana-Maria Guja. We mourn her, as we mourn every girl and woman, victim of violence and abuse. This CAN and MUST be prevented, and we need to act.

In April 2024, UN Women inaugurated three new childcare centers in northern Moldova, specifically in the cities of Sîngerei, Rîșcani and Glodeni. These initiatives, undertaken in partnership with national and local authorities, the international non-governmental organization Street Child, and with financial support from the Government of Sweden, will help 60 families balance their personal and professional lives.

As one of the founders of Ophelia, a non-governmental organization dedicated to combating gender-based violence, Victoria Lungu is committed to supporting women in southern Moldova. Thanks to Victoria and her colleagues, Ophelia opened a Women's Resilience Center in Roșu village of Cahul district in November 2023. The center's goal is to support women survivors of gender-based violence and those at risk of abuse, including refugees as well as women from host communities. Victoria's motivation to establish Ophelia stems from her desire to help foster a society free of violence, where every woman and girl lives in a safe and equitable environment.

On 17 March, UN Women hosted an open dialogue on how to ensure sustainable investments in gender equality in a world where women’s rights are facing push back. The event, which took place within the campaign for International Women’s Day, gathered representatives of Moldovan civil society organizations and Gender Equality advocates from across the country to share ideas on different ways to #InvestInWomen. The event also hosted the winners of the writing contest “Invest in Women: Accelerate Progress”, who read excerpts of their essays calling for increased investments in gender equality.

UN Women, with financial support from the Government of Japan, inaugurated two child-friendly spaces in the center of Căușeni, a city located in southern Moldova. Set up to support women and promote child development, these spaces represent a commitment to women's economic empowerment and improving quality of life in the community.

In 2023, over 200 women from Moldova and Ukraine participated in the "Women in Online Work" (WoW) programme, taking advantage of opportunities for their personal development and professional requalification. One of the participants was Evghenia Hutsuliak, a refugee from Odessa, Ukraine, who crossed the border in hopes of finding a safe place for herself and her two children.