The United Nations House in Moldova opens its doors to the public

Through guided tours, visitors were offered an opportunity to explore the behind-the-scenes at the UN. Participants visited the offices of the UN agencies hosted at the UN premises and interacted with its staff. The guests also learned about how the UN House has become accessible to people with disabilities and the continuous efforts UN is putting is this regard. Worth mentioning is the installment of an elevator and ramps to ensure easy access to all people with physical impairments, the establishment of tactile pavement outside the building to accommodate people with sensorial disabilities and the diversity internships launched by the UN.

“This has been wonderful, a great experience where we got to see the UN from the inside. It was also good to receive information and to know who to turn to on different topics,” said Elena, a 44-year-old English teacher who is hoping to use some of the information for her students.

A photo exhibition on diversity, displaying 20 different faces of Moldova, was showcased throughout the house tour. The portraits depict the country’s diversity including ethnicity, gender, age, social class etc.

Following the tour, the guests were given the choice to receive in-depth information of one of the UN’s thematic areas of work:

1. Governance, human rights and gender equality

2. Sustainable, inclusive and equitable economic growth

3. Environmental sustainability and resilience

4. Inclusive and equitable social development

These constitute the four pillars of the “Republic of Moldova – United Nations Partnership Framework for Sustainable Development 2018-2022" which is guided by the national development priorities, the Sustainable Development Agenda 2030 and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Visitors met with representatives of different UN agencies and discussed topics such as sustainable development, human-rights, inclusive, effective and equitable quality education, gender dimension, climate change well as evidence-based public policies.

“This was an opportunity to get more information on the SDGs, especially Goal number 13 about climate action” said one of the younger visitors, 17-year-old Gabriel, passionate about the environment. Ana, another guest who visited the UN premises for the first time declared: “I wanted to know more about the SDGs and how I as a representative of civil society can contribute and connect with the UN for the SDGs”.

UN in Moldova has organized annual open house events since 2015 when the UN House for the first time opened its doors to the public to celebrate the UN’s 70th anniversary.