The main goal of the event was to discuss the problematics of social exclusion in the context of social policies’ increasing efficiency. Respresentatives of the relavant ministries of RM, Government Office, academia, non-government organisations and think-tanks from the country, as well as respresentatives of the National Institute of Statistics of Romania, UNDP specialists and experts in the field from Croatia, Slovakia and Kosovo, have partiicpated in the seminar.
The objectives of the seminar were to discuss the concepts of social inclusion, social exclusion measurement tools: to present advanced experience and good practices of Romania, Slovakia, Poland, Croatia, in the areas of social exclusion measurement and social inclusion policy implementation: to develop concrete recommendations regarding strengthening the capacities of concerned institutions from Moldova to estimate social inclusion and exclusion.
The topics approched during the seminar are:
- Policy agenda of Moldova –the current status of Moldova with regard to EC alignments in the area of social inclusion:
- extent to what SI is currently being a part of the National Development Strategy and its Action Plan;
- social inclusion as a part of the EC neighborhood agreement - Social inclusion concepts and linkages with UN concepts (Human Development, poverty reduction, Human Rights- Based Approach) and EU social inclusion agenda and related instruments and requirements;
- Social inclusion in New Member States and Candidate Countries; Social inclusion in national development plans (NDP); Monitoring of social inclusion in NDP implementation
- Study-cases of Social inclusion measurements (Romania, Croatia, Macedonia, Poland, and Moldova), statistical indicators in the field, data collection tools.
Global approaches related to inequalities and exclusion represent component parts of EU framework on promotion of social inclusion. Availability of a set of statistical indicators on measurement of social exclusion is required for a better awareness of social inclusion and for taking prompt and appropriate decision-making. According to EU standards the basic indicators on monitoring of social inclusion relate to:
- Economic exclusion – poverty and inequality;
- Labor market exclusion– exclusion of employed people, exclusion from employement;
- Housing and living conditions exclusion– utilities, quality of housing, access to housing and cost of housing, endowmenet with goods, ăţi, calitatea locuinţei, accesul la locuinţă şi costul locuirii, dotarea cu bunuri, overcrowded housing;
- Exclusion in education– participation in education and level of education;
- Exclusion in health – access to health services, mortality and morbidity, healthy living;
- Personal and public security– incidence of criminality, perception on community security;
- Social segregation– lack or poor social particpation.
As a result of discussions on approached topics, the concept of social inclusion, indicators which are aimed to decribe it, as well as similarities/differences related to social inclusion process in EU have been comprehended. At present NBS is developping a set of indicators which describe the situation regarding living conditions, health protection, education, etc. in Republic of Moldova in compliance with international standards and edvanced experience of other countries.
At the same time, taking into consideration the international practice, especillay of EU member states, a system of indicators on social exclusion relevant for our country and, respectively, modalities to collect missing data.
The indicators of social inclusion represent an important instrument for elaboration, monitoring and evaluation of implementation on National Development Strategy, sectoral programs, social policies. Also, usage of a system of indicators comparable at European level in Moldova will ensure a comparability of national data on international level, which represents an important fact especially in the context of Moldova’s aspirations for EU intergration.
Issues related to the approched topic have been debated in the framework of the seminar with the participation of representative of: concerned ministries Ministry of Economy and Trade, Ministry of Social Protection, Family and Child, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Education and Youth, Ministry of Local Public Administration, Ministry of Finance, academia, NGOs.
