Another meeting of the Working Group on Women’s Economic Empowerment and Gender Equality of the Economic Council to the Prime Minister took place. The meeting presented the Ministry of Economic Development and Digitisation’s (MDED) concept of creating an inclusive economy, where under-represented groups – women, rural dwellers, diaspora, people with special needs – are supported and make an increasing contribution to economic activity and GDP growth.  

Veronica Arpintin, State Secretary of MDED, told the meeting that in Moldova only 1% of enterprises with less than 9 employees are run by women. This needs to change, Veronica Arpintin stressed. In the same vein, the State Secretary said that they are now looking at how the IT sector can be embraced even more by women. The ministry is also working on simplifying entrepreneurial activity in the field of childcare.     Steps are also being taken to ensure that the principle of equal pay for equal work is implemented in Moldova, and today women in Moldova are paid 14% less than men for work of equal value.  

Dumitru Alaiba, Minister of Economic Development and Digitisation spoke about the steps the Government is taking to support women’s economic empowerment. Among these steps is the Programme to Support Women Entrepreneurship. It will facilitate access to finance for at least 90 women entrepreneurs. For the implementation of the Programme, the State has provided 30 million lei for a 3-year implementation period.  

Alexei Buzu, Minister of Labour and Social Protection, said that his institution will provide all the necessary support to enable women to exploit their economic potential.   The business association sector, member of the Economic Council, stressed the importance of the authorities’ actions to support women’s economic empowerment. Initiatives to be accelerated include access to cheap financial resources, support for more women to enter the IT field, the creation of childcare policies, etc.   Marina Morozov, a member of the Moldovan Parliament, who attended the event, said the legislature has an ambitious plan for women’s economic empowerment. A draft law on work-life balance for parents is currently before Parliament.  

The head of the Economic Council Secretariat, Ion Lupan, mentioned the initiation of discussions on upgrading the status of the Working Group on Women’s Economic Empowerment and Gender Equality within the Economic Council to the Prime Minister to a National Women’s Council, which would breathe new life into the work that the WG is doing. At the same time, according to Ion Lupan, the Roadmap on Women’s Economic Empowerment, approved by the members of the Economic Council, will be updated so that it corresponds to the current needs of women in business, the priorities of the government and development partners in the field of women’s economic empowerment.

The Secretariat of the Economic Council to the Prime Minister is supported by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, funded by the UK Government’s Good Governance Fund.