Experts of the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination Welcome the Creation of Specialised Human Rights Commissions in the Republic of Moldova, Ask about Minority Groups in Parliament and Roma Mediators

The Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination today concluded its consideration of the combined twelfth to fourteenth periodic report of the Republic of Moldova, with Committee Experts commending the State on establishing specialised commissions for the implementation of recommendations on human rights, while asking questions about the representation of minority groups in the parliament and the role of Roma mediators.

Stamatia Stavrinaki, Committee Expert and Country Rapporteur, said the Committee welcomed the establishment of six specialised commissions mandated to coordinate and monitor the implementation of international treaties and human rights recommendations.

Ms. Stavrinaki asked for disaggregated data on the number of parliamentarians from minority groups? Were there women among them? A Committee Expert asked if the Gagauz were also represented in parliament? Another Expert asked about the status of minorities not represented in parliament? Did they receive the same treatment as everyone else?

Yeung Kam John Yeung Sik Yuen, Committee Expert and Country Co-Rapporteur, asked how many posts of Roma mediators existed today and how many had been filled? Was the post of Roma mediator a full-time one? Did the Roma mediators form part of the civil service, and must they be of Roma ethnicity? Did they work from an office or on the ground? What was their renumeration? What measures had been taken to ensure cooperation between Roma community mediators and local authorities?

The delegation said 18 out of 101 parliamentarians represented five minority groups. This was not a proportional representation, but there were still some minority representatives in parliament. According to a report, minority religious groups had reported general improvement in the attitudes of authorities towards them in the country. The State party had signed the convention on minority languages, but the parliament had raised questions on which of the 16 minority languages within the State should be afforded protection.

The delegation said the Republic of Moldova had strengthened the capacity of Roma community mediators. They carried out an important task in serving the Roma community, and facilitating communication and collaboration between the Roma and the State. Until 2020, 43 mediators had been supported. To date there were 56 units which had been integrated to be supported by the State budget. The salaries for the mediators had also been increased. There had been considerable efforts to prevent discrimination against the Roma population.

Introducing the report, Adriana Cazacu, State Secretary, Ministry of Education and Research of the Republic of Moldova and head of the delegation, said in 2022-2023, there were 1,218 educational institutions in the country, and of these, 243 schools taught minority languages. The Strategy for Strengthening Inter-Ethnic Relations for 2017-2027 was being implemented and it focused on the development of policies aimed at protecting the rights of national minorities, including Roma, Ukrainians, Gagauz, Bulgarians and other groups. The Republic of Moldova had also implemented several instruments to manage the increased migration flow caused by the war in Ukraine.

In concluding remarks, Mr. Yeung Sik Yuen thanked the delegation of the Republic of Moldova and all those who had been involved in the dialogue. He wished all those returning to the Republic of Moldova a safe journey home.

Ms. Cazacu thanked the Committee for the opportunity to take part in the session. This had been a constructive dialogue, with fruitful days of work. The Republic of Moldova would do its best to make progress on many of the recommendations made by the Committee over the last two days.

The delegation of the Republic of Moldova consisted of representatives of the Ministry of Education and Research; the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection; the Ministry of Justice; the Ministry of Internal Affairs; the Agency for Inter-Ethnic Relations; the General Inspectorate for Migration; the General Prosecutor’s Office; and the Permanent Mission of the Republic of Moldova to the United Nations Office at Geneva.

Summaries of the public meetings of the Committee can be found here, while webcasts of the public meetings can be found here. The programme of work of the Committee’s one hundred and twelfth session and other documents related to the session can be found here.

The Committee will next meet in public on Thursday, 25 April, at 3 p.m. for an informal meeting with non-governmental organizations.

Report

The Committee has before it the combined twelfth to fourteenth periodic report of the Republic of Moldova (CERD/C/MDA/12-14).

Presentation of Report

ADRIANA CAZACU, State Secretary, Ministry of Education and Research of the Republic of Moldova and head of the delegation, said the latest statistics on the ethnic composition of the population dated back to 2014, when the last population and housing census was conducted. The questionnaires were prepared in the languages of the national minorities: Russian, Ukrainian, Gagauz, Bulgarian and Roma languages. In 2022-2023, there were 1,218 educational institutions in the country, and of these, 243 schools taught minority languages. The issue of Roma education was topical as they were known to have a lower level of education compared to the majority of the population. According to the latest statistics, there were 3,407 pupils of Roma origin and 49 Roma refugee pupils from Ukraine who benefited from State educational support. The Ministry of Education was taking steps to integrate Roma children into the education system, including through the provision of scholarships to pupils and students of Roma origin. In January 2024, 49 Roma pupils and students benefited from this scholarship.

The Strategy for Strengthening Inter-Ethnic Relations for 2017-2027 was being implemented and it focused on the development of policies aimed at protecting the rights of national minorities, including Roma, Ukrainians, Gagauz, Bulgarians and other groups. Law no. 78/2021 supplemented the Criminal Code with new provisions aimed at combatting racism, fascism and xenophobia, criminalising the propagation of these ideologies and Holocaust denial. The action plan for 2021-2024 to promote Holocaust remembrance and a culture of tolerance to combat racism, anti-Semitism, xenophobia and other forms of intolerance was another important step. The Republic of Moldova had implemented three national human rights action plans for 2004-2008, 2011-2016 and 2018-2022 respectively.

The Republic of Moldova had also implemented several instruments to manage the increased migration flow caused by the war in Ukraine. Back in the first months of the war, decision no. 4 of the Extraordinary Commission was adopted, according to which the State took urgent measures to facilitate the integration of displaced persons, including employment issues. In addition, Government decision no. 21/2023 was adopted, the first time that the Republic of Moldova had applied a temporary protection mechanism for refugees. Temporary protection eliminated the need to apply for asylum immediately by providing access to a variety of State-guaranteed services. On 4 September 2024, the Ministry of Education and Research issued an order aimed at integrating children from refugee families from Ukraine into the country's general education system, demonstrating commitment to providing educational support to children affected by international humanitarian crises, regardless of the country of origin. The Republic of Moldova would continue to ensure the implementation of the Convention in the country.

Questions by Committee Experts

STAMATIA STAVRINAKI, Committee Expert and Country Rapporteur, said the Committee appreciated the presentation of updated statistical data. Could updated information based on disaggregated data be provided regarding the enjoyment of economic and social rights by ethnic minority groups and non-nationals? Could the Republic of Moldova provide any updated information on economic and social indicators, such as native language, language of habitual use, and religion? The Committee noted that the Equality Council could only issue recommendations or a misdemeanour protocol finding violations, which had to be further sustained by a court. Did the State consider the remedy to be effective, or did it intend to empower the Council to impose sanctions? Did the legislation provide for public authorities’ obligation to ensure equality? Did it prohibit racial profiling?

The Committee noted the adoption of law no. 111/2022 for the amendment of some normative acts, which supplemented the Criminal Code (2022). Did the law prohibit and punish hate speech or only incitement to hate? Did the Audiovisual Code punish hate speech? Could the State clarify the crime of “separatism” recently introduced and explain how this had been implemented? Would the State consider ensuring a specific and adequate budget for the actions included in the programme for the implementation of the Strategy for Strengthening Inter-Ethnic Relations? What were the concrete outcomes from objectives set to combat racial discrimination?

The Committee noted the studies which found that there was a lack of coordination between the Agency for Inter-Ethnic Relations, the Office of the People’s Advocate and the Equality Council. What measures were being taken to ensure cooperation and cohesion, and to facilitate for those exposed to racial discrimination to navigate within the institutional framework? Did the State party intend to strengthen the Equality Council by allocating sufficient resources, including appropriate salaries? Would the Council be allowed to submit complaints on cases of racial discrimination?

What measures had been taken to increase the number of employees of the Ombudsperson, and to attract and retain staff? The Committee welcomed the establishment of six specialised commissions mandated to coordinate and monitor the implementation of international treaties and human rights recommendations. Could the delegation provide more information on these commissions, their expertise and the resources allocated to them?

GUN KUT, Committee Expert and Follow-Up Rapporteur, said the Republic Moldova had submitted the interim follow-up report on time, which should be commended. Two key issues had been raised, including the linguistic rights of ethnic minorities, and the situation of non-citizens. The Committee took note of the fact that shortcomings still existed in certain parts of the country and called on the State party to report on the impact of the measures taken. The Committee recommended that the State party ensure non-citizens were given access to education, housing and employment without discrimination. Up to date information on these issues would be appreciated.

A Committee Expert said information stated that the law which granted the Ombudsman immunity was not approved by the Government. This would make it very difficult for the Ombudsman to perform all duties. Was the State prepared to review this law again and ensure it was adopted?

Responses by the Delegation

The delegation said data was disaggregated on a national basis in terms of access to labour. The latest data was provided in line with the 2014 census. There was no discrimination permitted in the labour market on racial and ethnic grounds. Overall, there had not been many cases of discrimination within the labour market registered. Unemployed Roma made up 4.5 per cent of the total number of unemployed people. The labour law provided for a wide list of services and measures.

On 21 April 2022, a new law was adopted which amended regulatory acts; it supplemented the Criminal Code with a separate article, defining bias-motivated crimes, including those based on race or ethnic beliefs. The revised Criminal Code meant it was mandatory to punish actions of incitement to hatred, including as perpetuated by the media. Amendments to the Code of Administrative Amendments had been made, which punished deliberate actions and dissemination of public information with a view to perpetrating incitement. Under a 2023 law, the Ombudsman was granted immunity so staff could not be detained or searched while carrying out their functions, unless for major crimes.

The Inter-Ethnic Relations Strategy divided its plan of action into three phases, including between 2020–2024, which aimed to encourage inclusive diversity in society and promote the full participation of ethnic minorities. The plan provided measures to include minorities, especially young people and women, in employment. Training sessions had been organised by leaders on ethnic and cultural cooperation. Cultural education events had been introduced, aimed at promoting cultural respect and overcoming barriers.

Questions by Committee Experts

A Committee Expert said 43 per cent of people did not have access to clean water facilities, according to statistics provided by the delegation. Could the delegation explain these statistics further?Another Expert asked for further clarification on the immunity law for the Ombudsman.

Responses by the Delegation

The delegation said the law in 2023 amended the law from 2014, and now provided immunity to the Ombudsman. An inter-governmental committee was established for each action plan to meet regularly and provide updates on the implementation of policies. The majority of the population did have access to water. Specific figures could be provided in writing. People could respond to a question regarding their ethnicity on the census. At the beginning of 2023, following the modification of the legal framework on prejudiced and motivated crimes, the procedure was revised.

Questions by Committee Experts

YEUNG KAM JOHN YEUNG SIK YUEN, Committee Expert and Country Co-Rapporteur, asked what was being done to ensure that the effective protection of human rights in the State party was given full importance? Could disaggregated numbers of the political representatives from the five minorities be provided? According to information, during the local elections of November 2023, only the Romanian language could be used – effectively banning the use of Russian language which was the main inter-ethnic communication language of the minorities. Could the delegation provide information on measures to address the lack of availability of minority languages in the electoral process and on the public websites. Did the State party plan to ratify the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages?

Many children belonging to ethnic minorities still faced barriers in accessing education in their mother tongue, which particularly impacted Roma children. Could the delegation inform the Committee on the measures taken to ensure the access of children belonging to ethnic minority groups to education in their mother tongue? According to information, the legislative framework did not provide sufficiently for the use of minority languages, including Russian. Would the State undertake consultations with all minorities to ensure the protection of the Russian language and its status, as well as the protection of other minority languages? Did international treaties, like the Convention, have prevalence over domestic Moldovan law? How did the State plan to ensure the access of ethnic minority groups who did not speak Romanian to justice?

Difficulties faced members of certain minorities, more particularly those practicing Muslim or Jewish faiths. The difficulties included profiling and arbitrary identity checks by law enforcement officers for Muslims, obstacles faced in obtaining permission to build a mosque, stereotyping, negative portrayal in the media, hate speech and harassment. What were the measures taken by the State party to counter the difficulties met by Muslim and Jewish communities in practicing their religions? Could the delegation provide additional information on the current consultation mechanisms with ethnic and religious minority groups? Was there a mosque in the Republic of Moldova?

A Committee Expert asked about the prison population; were ethnic minorities overrepresented in the prison population? Had the Education Code made it possible to carry out awareness raising in schools or with law enforcement officers?

An Expert said the Committee had received information that in 2023, political parties and candidates belonging to the Gagauz ethnic group were excluded from participating in political elections. Could the reasons for this be provided?

Another Expert asked which nationals from which countries needed visas to visit the Republic of Moldova? Reports indicated that the Republic of Moldova had been discriminating against refugees on the basis of housing.

Responses by the Delegation

The delegation said the Gagauz candidates had not been excluded on ethnic grounds, but rather the party was found to be illegal. A document specifying measures for equality did not exist in the Republic of Moldova. Eighteen out of 101 parliamentarians represented five minority groups. This was not a proportional representation, but there were still some minority representatives in parliament. According to a report, minority religious groups had reported general improvement in the attitudes of authorities towards them in the country. The Muslim community in the Republic of Moldova had several mosques. The State party had signed the convention on minority languages, but the parliament had raised questions on which of the 16 minority languages within the State should be afforded protection.

Currently, there were refugees in the Republic of Moldova from around 30 States. The procedure for seeking asylum involved approaching the national refugee centre, which hosted 200 people. There were currently 54 people in the process of seeking asylum in the Republic of Moldova. To date there were more than 100,000 Ukrainians in the Republic of Moldova, with 45,000 having received temporary protection status. Mother tongue tuition had been increased by an hour from grades one to twelve.

Questions by Committee Experts

YEUNG KAM JOHN YEUNG SIK YUEN, Committee Expert and Country Co-Rapporteur, asked if the Russian language was the main language for minorities, how did it qualify as outdated? Was there any information provided to the Ukrainian refugees on the temporary protection status at the entry point. Very few Roma refugees benefitted from this protection status.

STAMATIA STAVRINAKI, Committee Expert and Country Rapporteur, asked for disaggregated data on the number of parliamentarians from minority groups. Were there women among them?

A Committee Expert asked if the Gagauz were also represented in parliament?

Another Expert asked about the status of minorities not represented in parliament? Did they receive the same treatment as everyone else?

Responses by the Delegation

The delegation said Russian was a language of communication in the Republic of Moldova between national minorities. Within the 243 schools with language tuition in national minorities, tuition was conducted in Russian. There was no specific data on the number of Ukrainian Roma who arrived in the Republic of Moldova, due to the vast influx of refugees that had been received and the speed at which they had entered the country. Roma had received status in the Republic of Moldova and stayed in residency centres. When identity documents were received, refugees were informed of their rights and what assistance they were entitled to from the State. For the first time, women made up 40 per cent of parliamentarians in the Republic of Moldova. Regarding the 18 representatives from minority groups, there were six Russian parliamentarians, three Gagauz, one Bulgarian, one Roma, one Jewish and six representing other minorities. The Gagauz members of the political party who were excluded had violated the law by financing the party from abroad.

Questions by Committee Experts

STAMATIA STAVRINAKI, Committee Expert and Country Rapporteur, said according to the Equality Council, in 2022, 22.73 per cent of the complaints registered concerned discrimination based on language. What measures had been taken to ensure effective protection to victims of racial discrimination and adequate reparation for any damage suffered as a result of such discrimination? While welcoming the measures on anti-Semitism, it was reported that cases and complaints related to a Jewish cemetery and a synagogue in Orhei had not yet been fully investigated. Could the delegation comment on that? Did authorities intend to strengthen the police and prosecuting authorities in identifying and investigating bias-motivated crimes and to improve the collection of data on such crimes? Would the State develop a stronger victim support system to provide victims of racial discrimination and hate crimes with access to justice, assistance and protection services?

It was reported that the legislation combatting hate speech had not been effectively enforced and that authorities did not collect data on hate speech cases. Had the hate speech cases reported by the Equality Council resulted in investigations and prosecutions? In recent years, public officials were identified in hate speech cases targeting Roma and Jewish minorities, Gagauz and Russian speakers. Had there been any prosecution against politicians for hate speech? Did the State party intend to adopt a law on anti-gypsyism? Was there a State mechanism to monitor hate speech online in social media?

Could information be provided on measures taken to improve training and awareness of authorities’ duty to protect ethnic groups and non-citizens against racial discrimination? How did the parliament fulfil its duty to combat intolerance and prejudice, and promote cultural diversity and pluralism as essential values in a democratic society? Had the State taken any measures to raise awareness on these issues among the general population, starting in school curricula, university programmes and teacher training programmes? Were civil society organizations actively involved in education and public awareness?

Responses by the Delegation

The delegation said in 2023 there had been four cases on the use of hate speech by electoral candidates during the electoral period in propaganda materials. Since 2021, the Republic of Moldovan police had initiated the training of trainers to combat hate speech and hate motivated crimes. There were currently eight training courses specialising in hate crimes, and 16 on hate speech. Hate speech, inciting to hate and racial discrimination represented a trap to the social cohesion of the society of the Republic of Moldova. The parliament had made several efforts to improve the legal framework. The Penal Code had been amended regarding crimes motivated by prejudice. The sanction for cases motivated by violence had also been increased. In 2023, the law from 2012 ensuring equality had been amended, extending the criteria for non-discrimination, including to gender identity and HIV status. The terminology of continuing discrimination was also improved, prohibiting discrimination in the field of employment, public services and education. The role of the Prosecutor had been consolidated to support victims of racial discrimination.

Between 2020 and 2023, a series of training activities were carried out for members of the judiciary, including judges. These training courses focused on the universal standards of human rights and recent developments in the European case law for human rights. The Government had developed an action plan to protect and preserve the Jewish cemetery. More than 10 million lei had been allocated for its restoration (around 200,000 USD).

Questions by Committee Experts

STAMATIA STAVRINAKI, Committee Expert and Country Rapporteur, said it was one thing to provide statistics of crimes; but to facilitate the work of the Committee, it would be better to provide numbers showing the lifecycle of this cases, including outlining the number of prosecutions and convictions.

YEUNG KAM JOHN YEUNG SIK YUEN, Committee Expert and Co-Rapporteur, said he was impressed with the information provided on hate crimes. Could information on the application of these laws by police and the courts be provided? How many cases had been prosecuted? What sort of penalties had been passed?

Another Expert asked about the compensation mechanism for victims of racial discrimination. Was it possible to have updated information on the functioning and assessment of that mechanism? Only some minorities were represented in parliament; how was the choice made?

A Committee Expert said the Committee had been concerned about racial discrimination against those crossing borders, including against people of African descent and other minorities. How were they treated at the border? Was there a specific law on hosting Roma?

Responses by the Delegation

In the Republic of Moldova, institutions were not obliged to collect data on ethnic identity. There were no laws that imposed quotas for the representation of ethnic and other minorities in the Republic of Moldova. Elections were based on party lists and every party was responsible for its list of candidates. There were no special representation quotas. There were no laws specifically for the different treatment of ethnic groups or minorities, and there was no specific law for the Roma community. However, there were laws which paid attention to specific vulnerable groups, and specific policies had been implemented for the Roma and other minorities.

Questions by Committee Experts

YEUNG KAM JOHN YEUNG SIK YUEN, Committee Expert and Co-Rapporteur, asked if the delegation could provide detailed information on the action plan to support the Roma population in the Republic of Moldova for 2022-2025, including its activities and budget allocations? According to the Equality Council, the Roma remained the most disadvantaged minority group and ensuring the effective enjoyment of their rights continued to be a challenge. Was there a State mechanism to monitor hate speech on social media and had there been any prosecutions? Had there been any prosecution of politicians for promoting the stigmatisation of minority ethnic groups and inter-ethnic hatred? What measures had been taken to combat prejudice and negative stereotypes against members of the Roma and to eliminate structural discrimination? What was being done to ensure the rights of Roma to access education, employment, housing and health?

There was a high dropout rate among Roma children at all levels of education. According to reports, 55 per cent of adult Roma had no or only primary education. What was the number of registered Roma school goers, the dropout rates and the measures taken to combat the problem? How many Roma teachers were employed in the educational system? Could the delegation inform on measures taken to ensure the access of Roma to health care services and health insurance? According to information before the Committee, there was a low employment rate among Roma, with only 11.7 per cent of Roma employed in 2023, mainly due to racial discrimination. Could the delegation inform on measures taken or planned to eliminate discrimination faced by Rome in the workplace and to increase their access to job opportunities?

Mr. Yeung Sik Yuen asked what measures in the field of employment, education and health were targeted for the benefit of members of ethnic minorities, including Roma? Were there special provisions to combat the spread of hate speech and racial discrimination against members of these ethnic groups? How did the State party ensure that members of national minorities, including Roma, were consulted in the design and implementation of special measures? How many posts of Roma mediators existed today and how many had been filled? Was the post of Roma mediator a full-time one? Did the Roma mediators form part of the civil service and must they be of Roma ethnicity? Did they work from an office or on the ground? What was their renumeration? What measures had been taken to ensure cooperation between Roma community mediators and local authorities?

The Committee took note that the Republic of Moldova had become a country of transit and destination of refugees and asylum seekers because of the ongoing armed conflict in Ukraine. Could the delegation provide information on measures taken to address barriers faced by Ukrainian child refugees to access education in their mother tongue? What was being done to address the low enrolment rate of Ukrainian refugee children belonging to the Roma ethnic group? Could additional information be provided on the case of seven Turkish teachers abducted and forcibly returned by the Republic of Moldova?

A Committee Expert asked about cases where the Convention had been applied and reigned supreme in the judicial system of the Republic of Moldova?

Another Expert asked how linguistic access to health care services was ensured for the Republic of Moldova’s 16 minorities? The Committee had been informed that birth registration was not universal, and the registration of some minorities was subject to condition. What was being done to avoid statelessness among children? Was the State party considering a national action plan for the eradication of statelessness?

A Committee Expert asked how strategies could target vulnerable groups if the Republic of Moldova did not collect data on ethnic minorities?

Responses by the Delegation

The delegation said special strategies were developed for the Roma community. An increased number of Roma children had been enrolled in education. There had been 400 awareness raising campaigns held for Roma parents on the importance of enrolment. History and cultural classes on the Roma had been included in the school curricula. More than 1,900 unemployed Roma had been supported by the national agency of unemployment. More than 150 Roma youth had benefitted from counselling services. The number of Roma community mediators had increased from 16 to 48, and 56 were approved which would be finalised from the State budget. Increased State support had been offered to the Roma cultural organization.

A new programme had been adopted in 2022 to support the Roma community, including in areas such as education, healthcare, technological development, participation in public life, housing, and access to social services. The efforts of local authorities in the field focused on providing Roma with effective quality services, including visits to health specialists. Activities were organised to promote Roma cultural traditions. In the context of the increased vulnerability of Roma, a separate component of the programme focused on the trafficking of human beings in relation to the Roma population. The evaluation of the programme was carried out by the Ministry of Education and Research, in partnership with other State authorities. All Roma specific policy documents were widely consulted with Roma civil society stakeholders during the drafting process.

The Republic of Moldova had strengthened the capacity of Roma community mediators. They carried out an important task in serving the Roma community, and facilitating communication and collaboration between the Roma and the State. Until 2020, 43 mediators had been supported. To date there were 56 units which had been integrated to be supported by the State budget. The salaries for the mediators had also been increased. There had been considerable efforts to prevent discrimination against the Roma population.

There was no disaggregated data available for the prison population. The Ministry of Education, in coordination with the United Nations Children’s Fund, ran a working group on education for refugees, with particular attention provided to Roma refugees and those from Ukraine. To monitor the situation of Roma schools, the Ministry of Education had cooperated with a taskforce especially dedicated to this issue. The total number of school pupils from six years old were more than 2,200 children of Roma ethnicity. There was a problem with school attendance among the Roma students. Every year, educational establishments created action plans to tackle school dropouts and truancy. To address the problem of absenteeism, a mobile working group comprised of teachers, parents, social mediators and law enforcement carried out home visits. In the Republic of Moldova, there were 1,900 people who were recognised as stateless. Asylum applications were considered by the Government.

Questions by Committee Experts

STAMATIA STAVRINAKI, Committee Expert and Country Rapporteur, said the 15 per cent quota for Roma and vulnerable groups in higher education was highly commendable. However, this created a competition among vulnerable groups, which was an issue. What was the reasoning behind this? To prevent dropout from schooling, the State provided for a benefit for families of around 60 euros if they proved their Roma belonging. How was this ensured?

YEUNG KAM JOHN YEUNG SIK YUEN, Committee Expert and Co-Rapporteur, asked about the scholarships given to Roma children. Around 60 Roma children received scholarships each year. This was a good, but could more information be provided?

Another Expert asked if a plan would be adopted to eradicate statelessness in the country? Was there any data regarding students of African descent in the Republic of Moldova?

Responses by the Delegation

The delegation said 49 Roma students had been supported through scholarships. Scholarships were provided each month until the end of the school year. There was no strategy regarding stateless people. Children from outside of the country could enjoy education on an equal basis with Moldovan nationals. Refugees from Ukraine were treated as refugees and not as a specific group. Not all refugees declared their ethnicity. In 33 asylum centres, there were more than 600 Roma refugee children from the ages of three to 17. General education in the Republic of Moldova was free of charge. All temporary residency asylum centres met national standards. Ukrainian refugees had been housed at a sport complex due to the huge influx at the beginning of the conflict. It was no longer operating in that capacity. All centres were required to meet specific standards. A strategy had been developed to close these centres and integrate Ukrainian refugee children into society. One food supplier provided the food to all centres; there was no specialised treatment in any centre, everyone was treated the same. The Republic of Moldova was grateful to foreign partners for their support during this difficult time.

Concluding Remarks

YEUNG KAM JOHN YEUNG SIK YUEN, Committee Expert and Co-Rapporteur, thanked the delegation of the Republic of Moldova and all those who had been involved in the dialogue. Mr. Yeung Sik Yuen wished all those returning to the Republic of Moldova a safe journey home.

ADRIANA CAZACU, State Secretary, Ministry of Education and Research of the Republic of Moldova and head of the delegation, thanked the Committee for the opportunity to take part in the session. This had been a constructive dialogue, with fruitful days of work. The Republic of Moldova would do its best to make progress on many of the recommendations made by the Committee over the last two days.

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