2022 in Numbers
UN Women Moldova
Dominika Stojanoska, UN Women Moldova Country Representative
2022 has been a very difficult year marked by the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the consequent refugee crisis that forced many women, children, and elderly to leave the country in search for safe haven. Many Ukrainian refugees found safety in the Republic of Moldova where authorities and people opened their centers, houses, and hearts to accommodate and help their neighbors. The war triggered the energy crisis in Moldova and accentuated more the pre-existing economic crisis deriving from the COVID-19 pandemic, which disproportionately affected women. 2022 was also the year of important political achievements, such as the EU candidacy status granted to the Republic of Moldova with important recommendations – among others - on advancing the gender equality agenda.

In the times of competing energy, economic and refugee crisis, UN Women - jointly with the other UN Agencies and development partners - was able to provide effective support to the Government to respond to the crisis, but also to advance on the strategic development priorities to reduce persisting gender inequalities.

Thanks to the strong partnerships, but also due to the relentless leadership of Moldovan women and their effective partnership with men leaders – at both central and local levels significant strides towards gender equality were achieved in the country. We take pride of having contributed to the achievement of the results described in this report, but at the same time, we also acknowledge that gender inequalities continue to persist and much more needs to be done in the years to come.

Dominika Stojanoska
UN Women Moldova Country Representative
Women in Leadership and Governance
44 932 beneficiaries, including 24 025 women/girls and 20 907 men/boys, in 44 communities benefitted from gender-inclusive social infrastructure and services as result of 61 local initiatives implemented with support from Sweden and EU.
In 6 localities from Moldova, local initiatives have been implemented to mainstream gender into the road and pedestrian infrastructure, street lighting and public sanitation services.

  • 46 Local Public Authorities
    signed the European Charter for Equality of Women and Men in Local Life thus committing to pursue gender-responsive governance practices in their communities' fee.
  • 33 Women Leaders Aspiring to Enter Politics at Local Level
    (3 young, 6 with disabilities) strengthened their capacities on women’s leadership in local public administration.

  • 55 Women and 14 Men
    from the youth wings of political parties, mass media and CSOs increased their knowledge and awareness to embed gender equality and inclusiveness in electoral processes.
  • 158 Members of the Network of Active Women from Cahul and Ungheni Focal Regions
    improved their knowledge in harnessing the local economic potential, female leadership, teamwork, and addressing emotional burnout.

  • 754 Young People
    involved in volunteering and outreach activities have strengthened their knowledge and abilities in promoting gender equality and women empowerment.
A cross-party Women’s Parliamentary Caucus was established in 2022, supported by UN Women along with UNDP, UNFPA and UNICEF. The Caucus succeeded to table a joint bill voted into law that grants mothers the right to receive both pre-natal allowance and salary if they chose and are fit to work the past 7 months prior to delivery, thus enabling their labor force participation and better financial security considering that the allowance is calculated based on the highest salary of the two spouses, if applicable.

23 women parliamentarians, members of the Women’s Caucus enhanced their knowledge and skills on strategic communication and advocacy to enable an effective joint promotion of gender responsive legislative priorities.


2 043 public servants, including 1,533 women, representing all Central Public Authorities, such as the electoral management bodies and the security and defence sectors, as well as the 201 women-led Local Public Authorities, have enhanced capacities to mainstream gender in policies, budgets, prevent and combat gender-based discrimination and harassment within their institutions.
Three online courses have been developed, integrated on the E-learning platform of the Public Administration Institute and included in the 2023 Training Plan of Public Servants from Moldova
Gender Equality in Public Administration
Prevention of Sexual Harassment at the Workplace
Women, Peace and Security

A new National Programme and Action Plan to Accelerate Progress on Gender Equality was drafted with UN Women Support

Four State Institutions
committed to integrate gender equality principles in their policies and processes thanks to UN Women assistance.
  • The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration
    has a revised Law on Diplomatic Service that integrates gender perspective.
  • The Central Electoral Commission and the Centre for Continuous Electoral Training
    completed a Gender Audit of 8 internal regulations.
  • The Centre for Continuous Electoral Training
    adopted a Regulation to Prevent and Combat Sexual Harassment.
  • The National Penitentiary Administration
    approved an Internal Regulation on Prevention, Examination and Reporting Gender-based Discrimination, Harassment and/or Sexual Harassment.

In 2022, the Government of Moldova committed to strengthen gender equality efforts towards building the tracking and reporting system on gender-related spending in the public finance management.

UN Women achieved these results in close partnership and cooperation with the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration, the Institute of Public Administration of Moldova, the Women’s Caucus in the Parliament of the Republic of Moldova, the Congress of Local Public Administration (CALM), the Central Electoral Commission of the Republic of Moldova, the Center for Continuous Electoral Training, the District and the Local Authorities of Cahul and Ungheni Regions, the Gender Equality Platform, Expert-Grup Independent Think-Tank, and AXA Management Consulting.
Women, Peace and Security

14 women civil society leaders, equally representing both banks of Nistru joined an informal Women's Advisory Board established to advance women’s meaningful participation in conflict settlement and peace processes.

Three Women’s Discussion Platforms comprising of 45 women from Transnistrian region were created to support women’s leadership, community-based peacebuilding and human-security.
Nadejda Sorocean leads the Social Re-integration Department in a penitentiary institution and shares her positive work experience in a field were women are underrepresented.
The 2nd generation of the National Programme and Action Plan for the implementation of the United Nations Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) on Women, Peace and Security was drafted with UN Women support.
New Project
A two-year flagship project from the UN Peacebuilding Fund was secured to promote inclusive peace, trust and social cohesion on both banks of Nistru river, implemented by UN Women, UNDP and OHCHR.
UN Women achieved these results in close partnership and cooperation with the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Bureau of Reintegration Policies of the Government of the Republic of Moldova, The National Penitentiary Administration, the Public Administration Institute, the Military Academy of the Armed Forces “Alexandru cel Bun”, the Center for Support and Development of Civic Initiatives “Resonance”, the Organization for Security and Cooperation (OSCE) and United Nations Development Programme – Department for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs (UNDP-DPPA).
Women's Economic Empowerment
Through pre-acceleration programs, 115 women-led start-ups increased their business knowledge and learned how to transform their ideas into a business.

Out of 115 women participants, 83 women started new businesses.

In the first Women Acceleration program, 15 women led start-ups got selected and further worked on revenues generating activities and expanding on external markets. 10 women benefitted of the follow-up investments to ensure constant growth.

  • 100 Small Capacity Women Producers
    strengthened their businesses and became more resilient through capacity building, mentoring and financial assistance.
  • 73 Women Local producers
    (50% from rural areas and underrepresented groups) enhanced their business capacities through knowledge on financial literacy and improved business skills.

  • 23 Women
    got the opportunity to build a more sustainable business and increased their resilience to crisis with financial assistance through vouchers.
In 2022, UN Women continued to empower girls and women in the field of IT through trainings, mentorship, motivational and networking events. The program was focused on women and girls from Balti and Comrat region.
  • 200 Women and Girls

    from Balti and Comrat districts developed necessary technical skills and enhanced soft skills for employment in IT sector, by participating in Women in Online Work (WoW) programme.
  • 100 Women and Girls

    learned the platforms and ways to apply for a job.

  • 30 Women

    got employed or an internship program in IT companies.
  • 20 Community Events

    were organized with women and girls interested in the IT field, both for Moldovan and Ukrainian women from Chisinau, Balti and Comrat.

Other Advancements in IT

  • Partnership with academia, specifically Technical University from Comrat and Alecu Russo University from Balti strengthened.


  • Women Green and Social Hackatons with the participation of 30 women and girls.


  • 9 women, including 1 woman refugee from Ukraine, strengthened their business capacities.

Women Empowerment Principles (WEPs)
Developed by UN Global Compact and UN Women.
  • 11 Companies
    From Moldova officially subscribed to the WEPs in 2022.
  • 70 Participants
    From private and public sectors got knowledge on benefits for business development for WEPs signatories, as result of participation within National Conference on WEPs.
Advancement in Legislation
  • Childcare
    A new law on alternative childcare was developed and approved on 29 of December 2022, with the joint support of UN Women, UNFPA and UNICEF. The Law establishes the framework for creation and functioning of the alternative childcare services for children up to 3 years old.
  • Pay Gap
    In March 2022, Parliament amended the Labor Code to include provisions related to pay transparency, based on recommendations developed with support of UN Women. The definitions of the equal pay for work of equal value were introduced, as well as the principle of the transparency of the salary system and obligation of employees to use the evaluation of the functions.
  • Roadmap
    To sustain and operationalize the legislative changes and enable increased participation of women in the labor market and reduce the gender wage gap, the Government approved in May 2022 a Roadmap on Women Economic Empowerment. The Roadmap was developed with the support of UN Women.
Video: Women's financial empowerment contributes to stronger economies and more equitable communities.
UN Women achieved these results in close partnership and cooperation with the Parliament of the Republic of Moldova, the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection, the Economic Council to the Prime Minister, and the Center for Development Partnership (CPD).
Ending Violence Against Women
460 Women Survivors of Violence from Cahul, Ungheni, Telenesti, Soroca, Bălți, Telenești, Ștefan-Vodă and Hincești were assisted and referred to the essential services through NGO and public service providers.
14 women survivors got jobs and started a new business.

Video snapshot on the events organized during the 16-days campaign ”UNITE! Activism to end violence against women and girls” in Cahul and Ungheni.

Over 7 000 Women from Vulnerable Groups

from different regions of the country have knowledge and skills to exercise their rights and access available services as a result of various type of support offered by UN Women and responsible partners through capacity building, mentorship, public discussions, coupled with essential kits distribution.

Out of these 7 000:
  • Over 1 000
    Women victims and survivors of violence.
  • 912
    Elderly Women.
  • 648
    Women with disabilities.
  • 561
    Women living with HIV.
  • 469
    Single mothers.
  • 403
    Women from Roma community, women refugees and other women in situation of risk.
Law #316 - Ensuring the rights of victims in cases of sexual and domestic violence-related crimes, was approved by Government
The amendments will ensure better protection for victims of gender-based violence, with a particular focus on sexual violence, from a justice and law enforcement perspective, in line with the provision of the Council of Europe Convention on Elimination of Violence against Women, including domestic violence.

  • Ministry of Labor and Social Protection (MLSP) and National Social Assistance Agency have an e-learning course available for social assistants on addressing and referring cases of violence against women, which will be compulsory as of January 2023.

  • 61 people are registered and benefitting from the course.

Over 658 professionals (518 women, 140 men) from more than 22 regions across the country, including service providers, members of Multi-Disciplinary Teams (MDTs), educational specialists, local public authorities' representatives, football coaches, church leaders, etc., have knowledge to respond to cases of domestic violence, violence against women, combat gender stereotypes and advance favourable social norms.

An optional course "Harmonious relations in the family" is available for the students in grade 8 and 9, which provides a holistic material on the area of gender equality and ending violence against women and girls.
5 small-scale programs co-created and piloted in selected districts on economic empowerment of women survivors of violence.
1 local referral mechanism and model on socio-economic inclusion, developed and approved in Ungheni district and Cahul districts.

Over 69 institutions and CSOs from different regions of the country have strengthened capacities in gender equality and ending violence against women through capacity development.
Due to the approved Intersectoral Protocol for coordinated response on violence against women, survivors of violence can now get a coordinated response when turning to the police, social assistance, employment assistance, health services, employment services, legal services, or other types of services.

Ministry of Labor and Social Protection approved the draft concept for the National Program on Prevention and Combating violence against Women and Domestic Violence for 2023 -2027, which was informed by the evaluation reports of the first generation of the national program, both supported by UN Women.

Violence against women and girls can take various forms: physical, psychological, economic, sexual, and social. During the 16 Days campaign “UNITE! Activism to end violence against women and girls”, UN Women created a video that was widely disseminated on social media and TV. The video registered a huge organic reach on Facebook covering 70k users. On TV, the video was broadcasted free of charge by Jurnal TV, TV8, TVR, Canal regional, Realitatea TV and local TV in Cimislia.
UN Women achieved these results and others in close partnership and cooperation with the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection, the Ministry of Education and Research, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the National Center for Training, Assistance, Counseling and Education in Moldova, the District and Local Authorities of Cahul, Ungheni, Strășeni, and Fălești, the Association of Gestalt Associates for Therapy and Psychodrama from Moldova, the Moldovan Football Federation, the Institute for Family and Social Initiatives "IFIS" and the Institute for Development and Social Initiatives "IDIS Viitorul" as well as the National Coalition “Life without Violence", the non-governmental organizations “Women's Law Center”; "La Strada"; "Memoria"; "Făclia"; "Motivație"; “Institutum Virtutes Civilis” and "Association for the Creative Development of the Personality”.
Humanitarian-Development-Peace Nexus
More than 7 743 refugee and host women, men, girls and boys have been reached across Moldova through various projects' activities.
  • 4 091 refugee and local women and girls

    reached with critical emergency food and non-food items (food, hygiene, cloth packages, and vouchers).

  • 1 294 refugee adults and children

    benefited from livelihood and economic empowerment support and opportunities for social integration by participating in cultural, recreation and outdoor actions organized within hosting communities.

  • 1 381 refugee women and girls

    reached with prevention and response interventions, including for gender-based violence (GBV), comprising social assistance, counselling services and referrals through trust-lines, crisis cells, mobile teams (lawyer, psychologist, doctor, support person).
  • 825 refugee women and girls

    benefited from friendly spaces for study and recreation.
  • 218,553 people

    were reached with gender-focused information about the refugee crisis through social media.
Ana Afanasova is a refugee from Ukraine who works in IT, and with the support of UN Women she found a workplace that allows her to continue her profession and interact with other specialists in her field.
114 representatives from government, CSOs, and the United Nations equipped with new knowledge and skills about Gender in Humanitarian Action (GiHA) and GBV in emergencies and are better able to respond.
68 women-led and women-rights CSOs benefit from institutional and programmatic funding and capacity-building support on humanitarian action, financed through the UN Women Peace and Humanitarian Fund (WPHF) and administered/co-financed by UN Women.
422 professionals, activists and representatives of women-led and women's rights organizations, benefited from skills building to enhance their participation and leadership in the humanitarian response and knowledge on GiHA, protection from sexual exploitation and abuse (PSEA), Gender-Based Discrimination (GBD); management of emotions in crisis situations; gender and disability-based humanitarian crisis response planning, professional burnout, etc. through training and workshops.
The Gender Taskforce under the Refugee Coordination Structure
  • 90 members

    including Non-governmental Organizations, International Non-governmental Organizations, Women Led Organizations, Government and United Nations actors.
  • 15 Working Group Meetings

    With an average of 20 participants each.
Two Gender Briefs Published and Disseminated.
Gender Mainstreaming Checklists adapted to local context and published in English and Romanian language.
Gender considerations and gender-sensitive indicators integrated into sector assessments.
UN Women achieved these results in close partnership and cooperation with the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Congress of Local Authorities from Moldova (CALM), the international organization “Terre des Hommes”, the non-governmental organisations "Women for Women"; "Motivație"; "Gender-Centru" "Institutum Virtutes Civilis", the non-governmental organizations "Women's Law Centre' and International Center „La Strada”, as well as the Center for Support and Development of Civic Initiatives “Resonance”, Seed Forum Moldova, and UN Agencies under the coordination of UNHCR.

Our Donors and Partners
Core Support
  • The Government of Sweden
    The Government of Sweden is a strategic partner to UN Women, contributing to the overall implementation of the Country Office Strategic Note.
  • The European Union
    The European Union is providing financial support through "the EVA Project - Promoting gender equality in Cahul and Ungheni districts", which empowers women, promoted the inclusion of the specific priorities and needs of women and children on the agenda of local public authorities and works to prevent and eliminate all forms of violence against women and children.

    The European Union also provides financial support through the project "EU 4 Gender Equality: Together against gender stereotypes and gender-based violence", supporting gender equality, tackling perceptions about the roles of men and women in the family and in the society, and contributing to the elimination gender-based violence.
  • The Kingdom of the Netherlands
    The Embassy Office of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in the Republic of Moldova financed the "Increasing the access of vulnerable women to food and essential supplies” project which contributed to improving resilience of the most vulnerable groups against multiple crises, especially against the COVID-19 pandemic and its aftermaths.
Humanitarian Response
  • The US Department of State
    The US Department of State is funding the project "Promoting Gender-Responsive Refugee Responses at the Regional and Country Level” which addresses the gender-specific impacts of Ukraine’s humanitarian and refugee crisis while simultaneously ensuring that women and those at risk have strengthened access to protection services and resources.
  • The Government of Japan
    The government of Japan is funding the project "Strengthening Socio-Economic Resilience of Women and Girls Affected by the Ukraine Refugee Crisis in Moldova”, aiming at strengthening socio-economic resilience of women and girls affected by the Ukraine refugee crisis in Moldova and enhancing social cohesion in the host communities in 5 selected districts in Moldova.
  • The Swiss Development Cooperation
    The Swiss Development Cooperation is providing financial support through the project "Women in support of women: increasing the leadership and resilience of women affected by the crisis through community initiatives". The project's goal is to foster resilience, inclusion and peacebuilding among local communities through the direct contribution and leadership of women.
  • The Government of Finland
    The Government of Finland has provided UN Women with financial support that has strengthened the gender mainstreaming within the coordination of the refugee response and supported awareness raising activities on gender-based violence. The financial support of Finland has also strengthened UN Women's partners in providing emergency response to the refugee crisis.
UN Women's Peace and Humanitarian Fund
  • Through the UN Women’s Peace and Humanitarian Fund’s (WPHF) Ukraine Regional Response, UN Women is extending support to women’s rights organizations to respond to the war in Ukraine, working to provide critical humanitarian assistance to women refugees, protect women and girls affected by gender-based violence, enhance their economic recovery, enhance their participation in humanitarian planning and response, and build the institutional capacity of local organizations working with displaced women and girls.
  • The Government of Germany
    As a committed partner and the largest donor to the United Nations Women’s Peace & Humanitarian Fund, Germany supports local women leaders & grassroots civil society organizations that are building peace at the forefront of the world’s evolving crises.
The United Nations Secretary-General's Peacebuilding Fund
  • With financial support from the Peacebuilding Fund, UN Women works to facilitate an enabling environment for improved cross-river interconnection between communities and CSOs, social cohesion, reduced social tensions and better mainstreaming of human rights and gender equality in the Transnistrian conflict settlement process.
The United Nations Partnership on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
  • The United Nations Partnership on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNPRPD) is a unique collaborative effort that brings together UN entities, governments, organizations of persons with disabilities and the broader civil society works to translate these possibilities into reality.

    Through the UNPRPD-financed project “Addressing stigma, discrimination and violence for empowering women with disabilities” UN Women addressed challenges in overcoming stigma and discrimination, and how to address violence for women with disabilities. The project developed and piloted a tool to generate evidence of disability-related stigma and discrimination and its implications, as well as behavioral change interventions to monitor evidence of behavioral change. The project also carried out activities to fulfill the fundamental rights of women and girls with disabilities.
UNAIDS Unified Budget, Results and Accountability Framework
  • The Unified Budget, Results and Accountability Framework (UBRAF) is UNAIDS instrument to maximize the coherence, coordination and impact of the UN’s response to AIDS by combining the efforts of the UN Cosponsors and UNAIDS Secretariat in 2012-2015.

    Through the financial support from UNAIDS through UBRAF, UN Women has supported the organizational development of civil society organizations in promoting gender equality and elimination of violence against women and girls, mentoring programs for women effected by HIV, gender mainstreaming of National Program for the Prevention and Control of HIV/AIDS and Sexually Transmitted Infections (2022-2025) along with gender sensitive service provision and capacity building.
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