United Nations to further back Moldova's efforts to ensure human rights

Chisinau, 31 March /MOLDPRES/ - Deputy Prime Minister Gheorghe Balan today had a meeting with United Nations Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights Ivan Simonovic, the Bureau for Reintegration has reported.  

The official was accompanied by UN Resident Coordinator in Moldova, Resident Representative of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Dafina Gherceva, Chief of the Europe and Central Asia Section at the UN Human Rights Office Hulan Tsedev, adviser of the UN resident representative in Serbia, Claude Cahn.

Gheorghe Balan welcomed the visit to Moldova by Ivan Simonovic. He praised the significant contribution of the Office of the UN High Commissioner to the promotion and defence of human rights in Moldova, including through carrying out projects with positive impact on the evolution of the situation in this sector.    

The deputy prime minister stressed that one of the government’s priorities was strengthening the democracy, observance of the fundamental human rights and   freedoms on the entire territory of Moldova. In this respect, the cabinet took the commitment to constantly support also the residents from the eastern districts, by extending the single spaces to the region, promoting confidence building measures and implementing projects on development.   

Referring to the situation in terms of ensuring the fundamental human rights and  freedoms in the Transnistrian region, Gheorghe Balan said that this showed significant gaps and numerous problems, such as obstacles to free movement, pressures exerted on the Latin-script schools, denying access of Dubasari district farmers to their lands placed beyond the Camenca-Tiraspol highway, thus harming farmers’ right to property, etc.

Following an exchange of opinions on the issues tackled, Ivan Simonovic touched upon prospects for cooperation with UN structures and opportunity to implement more projects aimed at improving the situation in the sector.    

The official thanked the deputy prime minister for dialogue and assured that UN would further back Moldova’s efforts to ensure the human rights.   

The visit by United Nations Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights Ivan Simonovic is important in the context of the Cycle II of the Universal Periodic Review, due to be held in next November. The situation of human rights in Moldova will be considered within the Review as well.  

(Editor M. Jantovan)