Boris Gilca: Political courage and commitment is required to solve social problems

In Moldova, much political courage and commitment is needed for the pension system reform, and its delay will cost us dearly, especially those who are about to reach retirement age, stated Boris Gilca, UNFPA Assistant Representative, in an interview with Info-Prim Neo, {published on December 28} as part of the “Year 2012 in the life of Moldova and its people” Series. According to Boris Gilca, today we have more elderly than people to support the elderly. Moldovans will live longer and the segment of the elderly population will increase. “We must comprehend these realities and start practising policies that would help us face these phenomena, in order to manage them better. The population needs information regarding the benefits of reforming the pension system and promoting active ageing. All of the political parties should support these unpopular reforms, in order to prove that they care for a better and safer future of the society”, said Boris Gilca. According to him, Moldova inherited social problems from the old regime. “Despite the progress made, we observe a certain disparity in parameters such as: rural relative urban, among different social layers, between the majority and minorities. The are statistics, access to education indices, that we observe more and more often in vulnerable categories, such as Rroma people, for example. Healthcare services are not yet equal. The are youth integration issues, and here we again notice discrepancies. They have unequal access to the labor market, which makes part of the youth to leave the country, leading to migration”. Boris Gilca highlighted domestic productivity as another issue. Although migrants send money to the country, these remittances are mostly used for direct consumption. There are youths who cannot find a job, making them think of migration. “A vicious circle leading to migration emerges. Coherent migration policies must be formulated”, stated UNFPA Assistant Representative Boris Gilca in his interview with Info-Prim Neo.