UN Women and the Government of Japan gearing up to empower women affected by COVID-19 in the Republic of Moldova

The Government of Japan will contribute USD 268,700 to UN Women in the Republic of Moldova in order to protect and empower women and girls, as well as address the challenges they face during COVID -19.

The most vulnerable women in the context of COVID-19 in the Republic of  Moldova are returned migrant women, rural women, women from the minority groups, elderly women, expectant and nursing mothers, single women heads of households, women with disabilities, women living with HIV and survivors of gender-based violence placed in the shelters with limited access to essential services, including healthcare.

According to official statistics, in the Republic of Moldova, every fifth woman is likely to be employed in the informal sector, and a higher share of women is employed in the service sector (57.8%). Women dominate the sectors that are severely affected by quarantine and social distancing measures, such as trade (54.9%), hospitality (71.4%) and education (81.9%). On top of that, many women are the main caregivers for children and other family members and are often financially dependent on male relatives. Women have less educational and labor market participation opportunities, especially those from vulnerable setting such as women with disabilities, migrant women, survivors of gender-based violence, single mothers and women living with HIV.

“Over 300 women and girls and their families will benefit from our empowerment initiatives thanks to the generous contribution offered by the Government of Japan. Through this project, the immediate needs of women survivors of violence will be addressed. We will elevate the advocacy agenda to integrate the medium and longer-term needs of women including in the areas of economic empowerment, representation in decision-making processes on COVID-19 recovery, and accountability of resources at national and subnational levels,” said Peterson Magoola,  acting representative of UN Women Moldova.

The one-year project implemented by UN Women in the Republic of Moldova will contribute to ensuring direct access for the most vulnerable women to livelihood support and essential services, including for survivors of gender-based violence, engaging women activists in decision-making on COVID-19 response as well as providing online trainings and mentoring programs on business knowledge and financial literacy for women and girls.

In response to COVID-19, the Government of Japan is providing emergency support to UN Women in the Europe and Central Asia, Asia and the Pacific, Arab States, Eastern and Southern Africa regions. The Republic of Moldova and Kyrgyzstan are receiving support in the Europe and Central Asia region.