The Government of Moldova aims to work out and approve the new national program for ensuring gender equality for the next five years. It also undertook to prevent gender discrimination in advertising and the mass media sectors and to strengthen the role of men and boys in preventing and combating discrimination and violence against women and girls. A delegation of the Republic of Moldova led by Minister of Labor, Social Protection and Family Stela Grigoras took part in the 60th Session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women entitled “Women’s empowerment and its link to sustainable development” on March 14 – 21, IPN reports.

In this connection, the Ministry of Labor said the Government intends to adjust the legislation to the Istanbul Convention so as to ensure multisector consolidation to prevent domestic violence. The government also pledged to optimize the provision of maternity leave, to develop the nursery and educational infrastructure and to improve the legislation so as to ensure the broad and effective participation of women in all the levels of decision making in the political, economic and social spheres.

“The active engagement of women in the political, economic and social spheres is not only their right, but also a precondition for everyone’s enhanced welfare. The Government’s constant efforts led to the inclusion of the gender equality principle in most of the sectors. Thus, the women’s participation in different activities to which their access was earlier limited has increased. By adopting the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, Moldova reiterated its commitment to ensure gender equality at national and international levels,” stated Stela Grigoras.

The 60th Session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women is held at the UN head office in New York on March 14 – 24.