Moldovan parliament to host meeting of PACE social affairs, health, sustainable development committee

Chisinau, 15 May /MOLDPRES/ - The parliament will host, for the first time ever, a meeting of the committee on social affairs, health and sustainable development of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE). The meeting, due on 19 May, will be chaired by the committee’s head, Valeriu Ghiletchi, first Moldovan MP elected as chair of a PACE committee, the parliament’s communication and public relations department has reported.

Parliament Speaker Andrian Candu will greet the PACE MPs in the beginning of the meeting. 

The agenda includes debates and adoption of draft resolutions on European social model, need of guaranteed minimum income and management of international public health emergencies. At the same time, hearings on improving children’s access to social and health services aimed at their needs will also be held. The deputy head of the social protection, health and family commission, Vadim Pistrinciuc, and Spanish and Greek experts will present reports on this issue. Valeriu Ghiletchi will unveil a report on the fate of seriously ill convicts in Europe.

The meeting will be preceded by a regional parliamentary seminar titled: ”Promoting social rights in the Eastern Partnership region: focus on European Social Charter”. The event, due on 18 May, is the first seminar on social rights in the Eastern Partnership states. The seminar will review the present situation in the sector from the parliamentary viewpoint, in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine, and is meant to identify ways to improve the implementation of the European Social Charter in the Eastern Partnership states.

The seminar will be opened by Deputy Parliament Speaker Liliana Palihovici and Labour, Social Protection and Family Minister Ruxanda Glavan. Recommendations and conclusions of European experts will be provided during the two sessions of the seminar, namely: social rights in legislation and in practice, as well as implementation of standards in the social rights sector – challenges and opportunities.

The parliament will also host the 23rd meeting of the Contact MPs Network to stop sexual violence against children, due on 20 May. The event is titled: ”Strategies and mechanisms to protect children against sexual abuse, trafficking and sexual exploitation”. European experts, representatives of Moldovan public authorities and NGOs will exchange good practices, in order to stimulate a string of legal and political actions to stop sexual violence against children. 

(Editor L. Alcaza)