KEY MESSAGES

REPUBLIC OF MOLDOVA and the 2030 AGENDA

The country is committed to implement the 2030 Agenda through combined efforts of key stakeholders to eliminate all forms of poverty, combat inequalities and tackle environmental and climate change, ensuring that no one is left behind.

Besides the focus on fulfilling the commitments under the Association Agreement with the EU, the country registered noteworthy progress since its commitment to implement the 2030 Agenda. Significant progress was registered in achieving SDG 1, 8, 13 and 17, while the results obtained in achieving SDG 2, 3, 5, 7, 9 and 11 are moderate. Although efforts were undertaken to develop all the social areas, their impact on achieving the SDG 4, 6, 10, 12, 15 and 16 was to a lesser extent noticeable.

KEY CHALLENGES

In its ambition to achieve SDGs, the country is facing a myriad of challenges.

People and their capabilities represent the main wealth of the country. But demographic decline is a key challenge. Emigration, especially of young and skilled people, low fertility issues, reduced life expectancy and an ageing population are cumulatively generating an annual decrease of population by over 1.7%.

Inequalities persist and the risks of food poverty and energy poverty are high. Prompt measures are necessary to ensure inclusion of the most vulnerable and reduce income and non-income inequalities.

The high vulnerability of the health system to global epidemics, for instance that of COVID-19 virus, has demonstrated the need for reform to ensure universal access to essential services, safe, qualitative and affordable medicines and vaccines.

The country’s dependence on external energy sources point to the need of promoting energy efficiency and undertaking relevant measures, intensifying and diversifying (including industrially) the available resources of renewable energy, as this is an essential condition for the economy’s sustainable development.

The reduced use of innovation and research in solving societal problems limits the competitiveness and the capacity of the state to respond to the multiple problems influencing negatively the sustainable development. Over the last years, only one fifth of all the enterprises have reported innovation activities.

The area of environment protection is faced with limited institutional capacities and insufficient financing from the national public budget, as the volume of financial resources annually allocated for this area is well below the existing challenges.

The implementation of SDGs is conditioned by the level of financing. Underfinancing in different social areas persists.

The peaceful settlement of the Transnistrian conflict is imperative. At present, this conflict remains a challenge to territorial integrity and impedes the implementation of systemic structural reforms across the entire territory of the country, which would ensure broad sustainable and inclusive development, assumed by the country. The Moldovan authorities are deeply committed to a peaceful, sustainable, and all-encompassing settlement of the conflict, while observing the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Republic of Moldova, within the limits of internationally recognized borders.

The monitoring and evaluation system of the SDGs implementation is impacted by the lack of data for about one fourth of the nationalized SDGs or insufficient disaggregated data for over 30% of the indicators.

CONCLUSIONS

The country is committed to accelerated achievement of the SDGs through the implementation of the Association Agreement with the EU, implicitly the 2030 Agenda. Mainstreaming of SDGs in the main strategic document of the country is an important step, but it is not enough. The SDGs’ targets and indicators, especially measuring vulnerabilities, need to be encompassed in all policies, the efficient implementation of which would be secured by allocation of sufficient financial resources.

It is also essential to enhance the system for SDGs implementation monitoring and evaluation. The implementation of SDGs requires a joint effort, through the development of comprehensive and sustainable partnerships. It is important to ensure that all people participate in implementing the SDGs, regardless of age, sex, ethnicity, religion, nationality, or financial situation.