The National Council for Economic Empowerment and Gender Equality will operate within the Economic Council to the Prime Minister of the Republic of Moldova. The concept of the entity was presented in the working group “Women’s Economic Empowerment and Gender Equality”. According to Carolina Bugaian, president of the Association of Women Entrepreneurs of Moldova, who presented the Council’s concept, it is based on three pillars: human capital and culture; access to markets and finance; policies.

The objective of the first pillar is to support lifelong entrepreneurial and financial education programmes; launch an entrepreneurial marathon; develop a national skills development programme; promote equity in work remuneration in the public and private sector, etc. The second objective aims to promote the country’s image to attract investors by organising business forums, creating the national e-commerce platform “Women Entrepreneurs Sell Online”. It is also proposed to develop and promote programmes involving the financial sector to ensure access to finance and guarantee funds through small grants for launching income-generating activities; facilitating access to the public procurement process for enterprises created by women and run by women.

The Council’s third objective is to develop a National Strategy for Economic Empowerment; create a legislative agenda and public policies for women’s economic empowerment and entrepreneurship, etc. Present at the event Dumitru Alaiba, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Economic Development and Digitisation, said his institution will fully support the promotion of all initiatives that support women’s economic empowerment. Women’s participation in the economy not only promotes gender equality but also stimulates economic growth, reduces poverty and fosters sustainable development, the minister added.

During the same meeting, the first initiatives under the 3 objectives of the National Council for Economic Empowerment and Gender Equality were also presented. Carolina Pârcălab, Legal Manager at ACI Parthers, presented the draft study of the legislative agenda in alignment with EU directives. According to the document, for economic empowerment women in Moldova need tax incentives and care services. The GLIA innovation HUB project that will operate within ASEM was also presented. The aim of creating the Hub is to provide a supportive and collaborative environment for women entrepreneurs to develop and expand their businesses.

Ana Gorea, Vice President of the AFAM Board, came to the meeting with the pilot project of the Entrepreneurial Education Marathon, which was successfully carried out in neighbouring Romania. The aim of the marathon is to involve 10 institutions from the North, South and Centre regions, 60 student competitors from 7th to 12th grades and 25,000 participating students in the entrepreneurship education process.

Veronica Arpintin, Secretary of State for MDED, presented the “Lift Up for Women” concept which focuses on supporting the promotion of women’s participation in decision-making roles in the economy and addresses work-life balance initiatives. Marina Morozova, Member of the Moldovan Parliament, present at the event said that investing in women’s economic empowerment is very important. The Parliament together with the Government will continue to promote comprehensive policies and programmes that address the challenges faced by women, she added.

Following the meeting, the Economic Council Secretariat together with all stakeholders will develop an Action Plan that will provide the next steps to implement the objectives of the National Council for Economic Empowerment and Gender Equality.

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.