The Moldovan Women’s Parliamentary Caucus was launched

On 17 June, in Chisinau, was launched Moldovan Women’s Parliamentary Caucus. It represents a new cooperation framework and an interinstitutional dialogue that will empower women MPs from the Republic of Moldova, both from the parliamentary majority and opposition, to find a common ground in strengthening and promoting women’s rights in Moldova. Thanks to the Caucus, all its members will join their efforts to promote gender equality and equal rights for women and men, to prevent and combat violence against women and domestic violence, as well as to contribute to promoting economic independence and economic empowerment of women from the Republic of Moldova and family-friendly policies via initiative and legislative support.

Among the participants of the event were the President of the Republic of Moldova, the President of the Parliament, the Prime Minister of the Republic of Moldova, women MPs both from the parliamentary majority and opposition, women MPs from the European Parliament, the Senate of Romania and the Chamber of Deputies of Romania, as well as development partners and civil society organizations.

Her Excellency, Maia Sandu, the President of the Republic of Moldova, mentioned that this cooperation format will be a useful tool for promoting a dialogue and common, nonpartisan solutions, for problems faced by women, children, elderly, vulnerable groups from Moldova. „I congratulate my colleagues from the Parliament, Government, and civil society for their achievements in the field of gender equality and women’s representation in governing bodies. We appreciate the support provided by our development partners in this process. I am also glad to ascertain that our experience inspires other states to approve gender quotas in their legislative bodies.”

„Everything we achieved as a state, as a Parliament, in terms of promoting women in politics, combating, and preventing violence, reintegrating mothers on the labour market, was achieved thanks to women. In the context of crisis situations, we see that women bring peace and think thoroughly before taking decisions related to state security and prosperity”, Igor Grosu, the President of the Parliament of the Republic of Moldova, declared.

„Today’s event represents a strong sign about the importance of women’s role in public and political life. In our society, we still have a lot to do before saying that equality between women and men is fully achieved. I firmly believe that this Caucus plays a significant role in maintaining on both parliamentary and governmental agendas, as well as in public attention, topics related to ensuring real, full exercise of women’s rights in our country”, Natalia Gavrilita, the Prime Minister of the Republic of Moldova, said.

Frances Fitzgerald, member of the European Parliament for Ireland and vice president of the Group of the European People's Party (Christian Democrats) in the European Parliament, expressed her admiration for the progress made by the Republic of Moldova in mainstreaming gender equality. „We are all impressed how Moldova integrates European values in its response to refugee crisis. One of the basic values of a prosperous state is democracy, and this is not possible without equality between all citizens of the state. My congratulations on the establishment of the Caucus, and I am sure that the Republic of Moldova will achieve bigger progresses in gender equality.”

„Women’s full and equal participation in leadership and decision making is vital if societies are to become economically, environmentally, and socially sustainable. It is also essential for justice and democracy and for the achievement of our 2030 Agenda. The establishment of Parliamentary Women Caucus that unites women’s MPs irrespective of political affiliation is critical during these tough times, marked by multiple crisis and a war in the neighboring country. UN Women, together with UNDP, UNFPA, and UNICEF came to support the Parliament and the Women Caucus in strengthening gender mainstreaming in its legislative, oversight and representative functions.”, Dominika Stojanoska, UN Women Moldova country representative, mentioned.

„We hope that this Women’s Caucus will be a useful platform for discussions across party lines on issues that might unite and build trust, confidence, and solidarity among the participants, and also lead to joint initiatives to promote peace, human rights, and gender equality. Together you have both the knowledge and the power to make a difference for all women and girls across the country and this will also be to the benefit of men and boys”, Her Excellency, Katarina Fried, the ambassador of Sweden in Chisinau, stated.

The Parliament of the XI legislature, formed as a result of the snap elections from 11 July 11, 2021, has a record number of women since the establishment of the Parliament of the Republic of Moldova, 40 mandates belonging to women.

The Moldovan Women’s Parliamentary Caucus launching event was organized by the Parliament of the Republic of Moldova, with support from UN Women, UNDP, UNFPA, and UNICEF.