Orange Moldova, with the support of the International Labour Organization and the National Confederation of Employers of the Republic of Moldova, has launched Orange Kids. The facility, set up according to regulatory standards, will provide a friendly environment tailored to the needs of children, including rest areas, recreational activities, and a special place for socializing and playing while parents are at work."I am pleased that with our move to the new Orange headquarters, we can support even more employees with young children to work from the office when needed. Also, I am proud that we are the first company in Moldova to have the courage to implement this project and hope to set an example of best practices for other local businesses," said Olga SURUGIU, CEO of Orange Moldova.Parents strive to balance professional and family responsibilities. The reality is that often women have to give up their careers because they do not have a solution for childcare. "Over 50% of working-age women in the Republic of Moldova stay at home, taking care of children, although they are highly qualified," pointed out Claire Harasty, Director DWT/CO-Budapest, International Labour Organization.Studies show that providing childcare benefits in the workplace leads to increased motivation, improved performance, and staff retention, especially among female employees. Employee turnover can be reduced by 50%."I have always had this dream to help parents in the Republic of Moldova balance professional and family life. Because investments in this field have been lacking, we currently have over 150,000 women out of work, and I believe that such initiatives will serve as examples for other companies," said Minister of Labour and Social Protection, Alexei Buzu."We were thinking about what to associate with the brand of the Republic of Moldova. Digitalization is associated with Estonia. Child-friendly policies are attributed to countries in the Nordic region. We aim and aspire to be like the Nordic countries in this regard for the Eastern European region and thus increase the participation rate of women in the labor market," stated Minister of Education and Research, Dan Perciun.These statements were confirmed by the Swedish Ambassador to the Republic of Moldova, Katarina Fried, whose country supports this program in the Republic of Moldova. "These investments mean not only contributions to family income but also to the country's economy. It is important to ensure that our children feel well during the time we are at work."It was not an easy process. Many entrepreneurs wanted to participate but gave up along the way. Orange was among the few brave ones to launch this initiative, mentioned Leonid Cerescu, President of the National Confederation of Employers' Organizations of the Republic of Moldova.The Orange Kids space will benefit 600 children of Orange Moldova employees, aged between 2-8 years old, in accordance with prior registration.Gheorghe and Ana Luchian work at Orange Moldova and say that this space will allow them to be present at the office while being close to their daughter at the same time. "For our daughter Eva, this project means a modern space, adapted to the needs and safety standards for children. Additionally, Orange Kids saves us from additional expenses for a nanny or private kindergarten, as we are not accepted at the state kindergarten at the age of 2."For Cătălina Burcovschi, an Orange employee, the launch of Orange Kids is also an important aid "because our 2.9 year old daughter needs communication, and this project will help her build relationships with other children, develop communication skills, and fit in more easily at kindergarten. An enormous advantage is also the fact that I will be able to work alongside her peacefully, knowing that she is in the care of responsible individuals."This service has emerged because in the Republic of Moldova, only 15% of children aged up to 3 years old are enrolled in preschool education institutions. Due to the lack of alternative childcare services for children under the age of 3, 53.6% of the population of the Republic of Moldova, mainly women aged between 25 and 34, are inactive due to family responsibilities.The Orange Kids pilot project was implemented by Orange Moldova, with the support of the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the Confederation of Employers of the Republic of Moldova (CNPM), with financial support from Sweden.

 ILO Director-General, Gilbert F. Houngbo announced the launch of an ILO project to accompany reforms in key labour market institutions in the Republic of Moldova, all of which will support the process of aligning the country’s labour legislation with international labour standards and related EU acquis at a crucial time when the country is aiming to achieve EU Accession by 2030. The announcement came as the Director General wrapped up a rare two-day joint visit to the country with EU Commissioner for Jobs and Social Rights, Mr. Nicolas Schmidt.“I have come to Moldova for the second time to re-affirm to our tripartite constituents that the ILO is fully committed to work with them in improving access to more and better employment opportunities building an inclusive and fair labour market. I would like to thank the European Commission for their support in our common objective to advance decent work in Moldova,” said the ILO Director-General.“As Moldova prepares to join the EU, this is a great opportunity to boost its labour market and social protection systems. Ultimately, Moldova’s wealth is its people: by investing in their skills, by creating quality jobs, and by combatting poverty and social exclusion, you get a win-win: for social inclusion and for the economy. I am proud to launch the new EU-ILO project today together with ILO DG Houngbo, to improve job prospects and make Moldova a more inclusive and prosperous country, ahead of its accession to the EU”, said Mr. Nicolas Schmidt.Mr. Houngbo also held talks with Her Excellency Maia Sandu, the President of the Republic of Moldova, His Excellency Dorin Recean, the Prime Minister, Mr. Mihai Popsoi, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Mr. Alexei Buzu, Minister of Labour and Social Protection. Discussions focused on the ILO’s continued support in mitigating the impact of the multiple crises on the Moldovan labour market, including the war in neighbouring Ukraine. Moldova currently hosts 115,000 Ukrainian refugees. Discussions also covered the support needed for the EU accession process.The Director-General also met with Igor Zubcu, President of the National Confederation of Trade Unions, and Leonid Cerescu, President of the National Confederation of Employers, during which he reassured the social partners of continued ILO support in fostering social dialogue and institutional capacity-building.“My message is clear: the path to effective and inclusive policymaking runs through strong social dialogue between the government and employers’ and workers’ organisations. The ILO stands ready to help our constituents in the Republic of Moldova deepen their consultations, cooperation, and negotiations. Social dialogue is even more crucial, as Moldova works towards accession to the European Union,” explained DG Houngbo. Moldova’s many challenges include high levels of migration from Ukraine, demographic transition, high energy prices, lack of quality jobs and persistent informality.  Ongoing ILO work in Moldova includes support to employment creation, improving working conditions through formalization of the informal economy, strengthening of social dialogue, enhancing childcare provision, gender equality and non-discrimination, countering violence and harassment in the workplace, and promoting skills development, including green skills. The ILO is also providing technical support to the reform of the National Employment Agency and the State Labour Inspectorate.***********For Media Inquiries please contact: Ala Lipciu, ILO Moldova National Coordinator, lipciu@ilo.org. Iuliana Moga, Project Coordinator of “EU support to inclusive labour markets in the Republic of Moldova”, moga@ilo.org

The 2024 Financing for Sustainable Development Report: Financing for Development at a Crossroads (FSDR 2024) says urgent steps are needed to mobilise financing at scale to close the development financing gap, now estimated at USD 4.2 trillion annually, up from USD 2.5 trillion before the COVID-19 pandemic. Meanwhile, rising geopolitical tensions, climate disasters and a global cost-of-living crisis have hit billions of people, battering progress on healthcare, education, and other development targets.“This report is yet another proof of how far we still need to go and how fast we need to act to achieve the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development,” said UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina J. Mohammed. “We are truly at a crossroads and time is running out. Leaders must go beyond mere rhetoric and deliver on their promises. Without adequate financing, the 2030 targets cannot be met.”With only six years remaining to achieve the SDGs, hard-won development gains are being reversed, particularly in the poorest countries. If current trends continue, the UN estimates that almost 600 million people will continue to live in extreme poverty in 2030 and beyond, more than half of them women.“We’re experiencing a sustainable development crisis, to which inequalities, inflation, debt, conflicts and climate disasters have all contributed,” said UN Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs Li Junhua. “Resources are needed to address this, and the money is there. Billions of dollars are lost annually from tax avoidance and evasion, and fossil fuel subsidies are in the trillions. Globally, there is no shortage of money; rather, a shortage of will and commitment.”According to the report debt burdens and rising borrowing costs are large contributors to the crisis. Estimates are that in the least developed countries debt service will be USD 40 billion annually between 2023 and 2025, up more than 50 per cent from USD 26 billion in 2022. Stronger and more frequent climate related disasters account for more than half of the debt upsurge in vulnerable countries. The poorest countries now spend 12 per cent of their revenues on interest payments -- four times more than they spent a decade ago. Roughly 40 per cent of the global population live in countries where governments spend more on interest payments than on education or health.While investment in SDG sectors had grown steadily in the early 2000s, major sources of development funding are now slowing down. For example, domestic revenue growth has stalled since 2010, especially in LDCs and other low-income countries, in part due to tax evasion and avoidance. Corporate income tax rates are falling, with global average tax rates down from 28.2 per cent in 2000 to 21.1 per cent in 2023, due to globalization and tax competition.Meanwhile, Official Development Assistance from OECD countries and climate finance commitments are not being met. While ODA increased to an all-time high in 2022, reaching USD 211 billion, from USD 185.9 billion in 2021, much of the growth came from aid to refugees living in donor countries, and the total amount is inadequate for development. Only four countries met the UN aid target of 0.7 per cent of GNI in 2022.  The report concludes that the international financial system, which was set up at the 1944 Bretton Woods Conference, is no longer fit for purpose. It proposes a new coherent system that is better equipped to respond to crises, scales up investment in the SDGs especially through stronger multilateral development banks, and improves the global safety net for all countries.The report points to the UN Summit of the Future in September 2024 as a crucial opportunity to change course. It highlights the June 2025 Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development (FfD4) as the critical moment for countries to commit to closing the development financing gap and invest in achieving the SDGs.FfD4 is an opportunity for countries to:Close credibility gaps and rebuild trust in multilateralism.Close financing and investment gaps, at scale and with urgency.Reform and modernize the outdated international financial architecture and adjust international rules for trade, investment and finance.Formulate and finance new development pathways to deliver on the SDGs and ensure no one is left behind.“Without global cooperation, targeted financing, and, crucially, the political will, the world will not achieve the SDGs,” said Deputy Secretary-General Mohammed. “The clock is ticking. Between now and next year’s FfD4 Conference, we have a once-in-80-year opportunity to comprehensively reform the financial architecture, and a last chance to correct course before 2030. History will not be kind to those with the power to act who fail to do so, while the clock winds down on the planet and its people.”

 "I noticed a major interest. There were a lot of questions. The need to know information about this field, but also the need to use energy-efficient technologies is very high," says Sergiu Robu, expert in energy efficiency.Participants learned how to adopt renewable energy sources and what challenges to expect; how the principles of sustainable development can be applied to ensure a sustainable energy future; which technologies can improve energy efficiency in the agricultural sector; what are the advantages and how microenergy can be used as a flexible solution in the specific context of agriculture, but also how to calculate the return on their own in the use of energy efficiency technologies."Renewable sources are expensive in general, although they are becoming more accessible every year, but small businesses, small agricultural producers cannot afford such investments on their own. If they are supported by development partners, the payback period of an installation decreases from 14 to 3 years. This is very motivating for farmers," explains expert Sergiu Robu."This information session is very useful for us and it came just in time, as we intend to install solar panels, but we were not very informed. We found out, for example, what are the advantages and disadvantages of different types of solar panels. Until now, this information was completely unknown to me, I could not have made a correct decision. I also understood what types of inverters there are and what are the differences between them," says Viorica Guțu from Sîngerei, who grows cereals with her husband.They intend to develop the direction of processing, to produce feed for rabbits and other animals. They have agricultural machinery, a production warehouse, but the room is not heated, it has no working conditions, plus the machinery for processing will consume energy, that is why they are interested in energy efficient solutions.Casapciuc Veaceslav from Zarojeni village, Florești district, has been farming for more than 20 years. He grows wheat, corn and sunflowers on 80 hectares of land, which is not much, he says. "It's interesting and I like the land, if you don't like it, you can't be a farmer," Veaceslav is convinced, although he admits that it's not easy to be a farmer, especially when the earnings barely cover the loan installments and there is nothing left for investment, as has happened in the last two years. Together with his wife, they also grow vegetables in the greenhouse and have been planning to install photovoltaic panels for several years, but they have not been able to raise the necessary money. He came to the training session hoping to find out "how best to do it", that he doesn't know the technical aspects either, but he knows that something has to be done because "if many of us are going to use energy efficiency measures, we will reduce energy costs, which will increase farmers' income, increase the efficiency of our businesses, improve the environment, quality of life and build a better future for our children here at home!"Victoria Cazacu manages two family businesses in Prajila commune, Florești district. Two years ago, she returned for good from abroad, including to help her family develop their business and she says they planned to bring other relatives back home as they need workers. They mostly grow vegetables and greens and have 20 permanent and up to 60 seasonal employees. They recently purchased an industrial refrigerator and a dryer, but they understood that "the cost of electricity is a problem, and the installation of solar panels would be a solution, although their cost is still quite high, but I hope we can solve these problems," says Victoria."This topic is very interesting, because it is very current. I plan to install solar panels to reduce costs. I have several development ideas," says Victor Cuțuc from the village of Copăceni, Sîngerei. Victor owns a cow farm."I intend to make a milk processing section, heat the production space, and have access to water. Now I give the milk to the collection point, but I don't always succeed, we have a very bad road. And then I make cottage cheese that I sell in the district. But I have high consumption with refrigerators. I also have two greenhouses where I grow vegetables and I could make them functional during the winter as well. I was also thinking of producing biogas, I could collect the raw material from the village and neighboring villages," says Victor about his plans.Through this initiative and the integration of energy-efficient technologies, UNDP aims to significantly reduce the negative impact of agricultural activities on the environment, strengthen the resilience of rural businesses against the volatile challenges generated by climate change, energy shortages and market fluctuations, but also promote an ecosystem of innovation and sustainability in agriculture, where participants in these information sessions become promoters of change and role models in their communities.Women who practice agricultural economic activities in the 16 districts where the information sessions were organized can obtain assistance for the implementation of energy efficiency and renewable energy solutions by participating in a project competition open until 15 April 2024.In total, 75 projects to increase energy resilience, worth from US$5,000 to 18,000 dollars, will be supported by UNDP Moldova with the financial support of Switzerland and Japan.