Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
Forty-sixth session
Summary record of the 6th meeting
Held at the Palais Wilson, Geneva, on Wednesday, 4 May 2011, at 3 p.m.
Chairperson:Mr. Pillay
Contents
Consideration of reports
(a)Reports submitted by States parties in accordance with articles 16 and 17 of the Covenant (continued)
Second periodic report of the Republic of Moldova
The meeting was called to order at 3.05 p.m.
Consideration of reports
(a)Reports submitted by States parties in accordance with articles 16 and 17 of the Covenant (continued)
Second periodic report of the Republic of Moldova(E/C.12/MDA/2; E/C.12/MDA/Q/2; E/C.12/MDA/Q/2/Add.1 (submitted in English only); and HRI/CORE/1/Add.114)
1. At the invitation of the Chairperson, the Moldovan delegation took places at the Committee table.
2.The Chairperson welcomed the Moldovan delegation and invited it to present its second periodic report of the State party.
3.Mr. Sainciuc (Republic of Moldova) said that his country attached great importance to guaranteeing all citizens, including members of the various ethnic and linguistic groups, the exercise of the economic, social and cultural rights enshrined in the Constitution of the Republic of Moldova, as well as respect for the universal norms and principles of international law. In spite of the limited resources at its disposal and the obstacles that it had encountered, the country had moved forward with the implementation of the provisions of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, as reflected in the present report covering the period from 2001 to 2009 and, to a lesser extent, 2010. The Republic of Moldova undertook reforms on the basis of recommendations. The majority of public establishments were taking measures to enhance the judicial and normative framework necessary for the exercise of economic, social and cultural rights and to implement various related programmes and projects, with the cooperation of international organizations. In that respect, it should be noted that the budgetary allocation for social protection, health care, education and culture was increased annually so as to improve the quality of the services dedicated to the Moldovan people and improve their quality of life.
4.Measures intended to solve the Roma community’s problems in gaining access to education, health care and social protection had been taken, including a new action plan for the period 2011–2015. As to matters concerning the population as a whole, the National Plan for the Promotion of Gender Equality in Society for 2010 to 2015 had been adopted in an effort to reduce the gender wage gap. Safeguarding the rights of workers in the informal sector, whose numbers had grown by 4.7 per cent between 2009 and 2010, remained problematic. However, social assistance was provided to all low-income households, including Roma and young people in an attempt to combat social exclusion. Statistics showed that 91 per cent of the households that had benefited from such assistance in 2010 included families with children. In order to advance the rights of the child, the country had adopted the National Strategy and Action Plan on the reform of the residential system of childcare for 2007 to 2012, which provided for the establishment of regional child protection commissions.
5.Moreover, in 2010 the Republic of Moldova had ratified the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which had coincided with Parliament’s approval of the national strategy to facilitate the social integration of persons with disabilities through the adoption of various measures that were primarily aimed at aligning national legislation with the relevant international and European provisions. Domestic violence was a punishable offence and there were now rehabilitation centres for victims. The Republic of Moldova attached great importance to combating trafficking in human beings, particularly where children were concerned, and had set up a national committee that was responsible for establishing the repatriation procedures for victims of trafficking and illegal migration as part of the State’s continuing efforts to curb that phenomenon. It had resulted in 30 per cent fewer cases in 2010. In order to create an environment conducive to sustainable development and to align national policy with European policy, several strategies and their corresponding action plans had been implemented at national level. At that time, the efforts undertaken had focused on decentralization; social housing; mortgages for low-income households; universal water supply, and the introduction of environment-friendly sanitation systems, pursuant to the Millennium Development Goals; the strengthening and enhancement of the health-care system through guarantees of equal access to high-quality medical care.
6.A further priority was ensuring that all citizens had access to education in their mother tongue, whether Russian, Ukrainian, Gagauzi or Bulgarian, as guaranteed by the right to education enshrined in the Constitution, either through the subsidizing or cost-free loans of textbooks. The Government had set up a working group to devise a syllabus to cover Roma history, culture and traditions. The Republic of Moldova acknowledged that, despite its efforts, further action was required to guarantee the population full exercise of their economic, social and cultural rights. Consequently, the authorities had established a number of priorities: to combat gender inequality; afford women greater access to the decision-making process; reduce unemployment and the gender wage gap; step up the fight against violence and the trafficking of persons; address the problem of morbidity among the population; prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and other infections, while combating the discrimination and stigmatization of those concerned; reduce the number of underage pregnancies; afford persons with disabilities better protection; combat moonlighting; reduce poverty; ensure that all children, including those from national minorities, attended school.
7.The Government thanked the donors and international organizations that had supported the Republic of Moldova in its efforts to democratize its society and to undertake the necessary reforms to improve its people’s quality of life. The delegation was certain that the forthcoming dialogue with the Committee would be frank, open and constructive; and provide solutions to the problems facing the people of the Republic of Moldova, and that the Committee’s subsequent recommendations would be instrumental in the country’s reforms.
Articles 1 to 5 of the Covenant
8.Mr. Atangana, deploring the fact that the Republic of Moldova had failed to provide the information requested both on the general framework within which the Covenant was implemented and on the follow-up given to the Committee’s previous recommendations, requested the delegation to transmit the relevant information to the Committee. He would also like to receive information on the real situation regarding the judicial system’s malfunctioning noted by the Committee against Torture. He also enquired as to the autonomy of the Centre for Human Rights and as to the resources that allowed it to operate.
9.Ms. Barahona Riera,welcoming the State party’s progress on gender equality through the adoption of legislation and targeted programmes addressing the wide range of issues, enquired what resources were actually allocated to the National Plan for the promotion of gender equality in society for 2010 to 2015 and whether the plan had already yielded preliminary results. Despite the progress achieved by the State party, she noted that women still did not participate fully in public life, and wished to know why more women did not occupy decision-making positions, particularly in politics.
10.Ms. Cong, in the knowledge that the country had suffered during the 2007 drought and the global, economic and financial crisis, welcomed the progress achieved by the State party but pointed out that such difficult times could not but emphasize the need to safeguard human rights. With regard to the reply to questions on the list of issues concerning article 3 of the Covenant, the promotion and protection of gender equality was the responsibility of the State and could not be dependent on political events that occurred once a year. She would like to know whether the results of actions in the area of equal opportunities for men and women had been analysed, whether the public was aware of the existence of the relevant Act or National Plan and whether NGOs had been involved in their drafting and participated in their implementation or monitoring.
11.Mr. Kedzia said that it was encouraging that the Constitution of the Republic of Moldova incorporated economic, social and cultural rights and that, should a domestic law run counter to an international instrument to which the country was party, the latter took precedence. He would like the delegation to cite specific cases where that had been the case, indicating, for example, whether there had been issues of coherence between domestic legislation and the Covenant and what decisions had been taken. Aware that the Ombudsman and the Centre for Human Rights had been established more than a decade before, he invited the delegation to clarify whether the latter had been accredited by the International Coordinating Committee of National Institutions for the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights. Furthermore, in the light of certain claims that there is no comprehensive domestic anti-discrimination legislation, it would be useful to know the authorities’ intentions in that regard.
12.Mr. Kerdoun, noting that some time had passed since the conclusion of the National Human Rights Action Plan for 2004–2008, asked what its outcome had been. With the Republic of Moldova all but cut off from Transdniestria, he asked what wealth and natural resources the country could draw upon to bolster the region’s development and what governance policy it would apply. He would like to know whether the local population was involved in the management of those resources, since the exercise of individual economic, social and cultural rights was dependent on the resources at the country’s disposal. He also invited the delegation to indicate the cooperative relations the country had established with international bodies involved in the right to development.
13.Mr. Sadi said that the Republic of Moldova was clearly experiencing a degree of political instability, and its economy undergoing a transition from a communist economy to a nascent market economy. That being so, it would be useful if the delegation could indicate the status of Covenant provisions within the numerous programmes and strategies mentioned to the Committee. The delegation might also provide examples and case studies to demonstrate the role of the Ombudsman and the Centre for Human Rights in the implementation of the Covenant, and indicate the grounds of the complaints handled by the two institutions, and the decisions taken. Similarly, he would appreciate specific examples, and case studies, of the measures taken to promote gender equality. The Committee had received reports that, in some cases, the Covenant did not take precedence over domestic laws, and it would welcome an explanation as to why.
14.Mr. Schrijver asked whether persons residing on the State party’s territory could directly or indirectly invoke Covenant rights before the domestic courts. He would also like to know whether the State party intended to sign and ratify the Optional Protocol and, if not, why. He would also like to know the reasons for the high percentage of people living below the poverty threshold; whether the phenomenon affected one group in particular, Roma for example; and the measures the Government had taken to mainstream the poor into development, in compliance with its obligations under the Covenant.
15.Mr. Texier noted that the core document provided by the Republic of Moldova dated from 2001 and that, in keeping with the recent treaty body reforms, such documents must now be updated every five years. He also noted that the State party had not replied to the questions raised during consideration of its previous periodic report in November 2003. Recalling the concerns raised in paragraph 11 of the Committee’s concluding observations (E/C.12/1/Add.91) on the reference to the Covenant in the rulings of the national courts, and in paragraph 12 on the negative effect that both corruption and the low salaries of civil servants on the full exercise of the rights covered in the Covenant, he wondered whether the situation had changed and whether there was any related jurisprudence. Lastly, he endorsed Mr. Schrijver’s questions regarding the Optional Protocol.
16.Mr. Abashidze said that in 2003 the Committee had asked the State party to clarify the Covenant’s status within the domestic legal order and to supply specific examples. However, the question had remained unanswered and no specific examples had been given. No further reply had been received to the first two questions on the list of issues (E/C.12/MDA/Q/2) drawn up in 2010. He noted with regret that the delegation did not include a representative of the Ministry of Justice and feared that a failure to answer to those key questions would invalidate the entire review process.
17.Mr. Ribeiro Leão asked whether the compulsory HIV screening test of aliens and stateless persons did not run counter to the principle of equality enshrined in the Constitution. He would also like to learn the situation of seropositive persons or AIDS patients with regard to education, employment, housing and health care, and whether their seropositive status made them a target for discrimination.
18.Ms. Shin said that the data on the various population groups, including minorities and Roma, were unreliable and inaccurate in terms of the number of persons with disabilities, because that category accounted for between 5 and 10 per cent of any population. She invited the delegation to say how data was gathered and how often censuses were conducted, particularly in the case of Roma, whose numbers seemed to fluctuate unaccountably. She underscored the need for all countries to possess a reliable statistical mechanism on which to base their social policy. Taking into account the widespread discrimination and prejudice to which persons with disabilities, Roma, and the homosexual, bisexual and transsexual community were subject in Moldovan society, she would like to know the State party’s policy for altering people’s perceptions — possibly with the assistance of civil society organizations — and its attitude towards the Orthodox church which advocated conservatism.
19.Mr. Sainciuc (Republic of Moldova) said that the workload of the Ministry of Justice had increased as a result of the additional responsibilities it had recently assumed, which meant that no senior official of the Ministry had been free to join the delegation. The National Statistics Bureau collected all data in compliance with the current international norms on data collection. The figures on persons with disabilities were accurate as it was actually in the interest of those persons to be registered as such because their disability entitled them to special benefits. In 2000, the Republic of Moldova had introduced a name- based allowance system for expenditure on public utilities. However, since many people had sought to obtain disabled status in order to claim those benefits, the Government had been forced to tighten its controls. The statistics on Roma were based on figures from the 2004 census, and the next census was expected to take place in the period 2013 to 2014. The new social welfare system introduced in 2008 was intended to guarantee a minimum income for the poorest families. Roma, who tended to have large families, were among the system’s chief beneficiaries. Poverty figures were high because the Republic of Moldova had no mineral and mining resources. While the economic and financial crisis of 2009 to 2010 had affected income, it had not increased the poverty rate, which had remained relatively stable compared to 2008 (about 25 per cent). While growth had resumed, it had not sufficed to create jobs and unemployment now stood at between 6 and 7 per cent.
20.The Covenant was certainly one of the most important international instruments ratified by the Government of the Republic of Moldova, which had also ratified the European Social Charter, several ILO conventions, including the eight core conventions and, more recently, the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, the provisions of which had been incorporated into domestic legislation. In the event of conflict, the regulations of international law took precedence over those of domestic laws.
21.Ms. Pascal (Republic of Moldova) said that the 2006 Act on Equal Opportunities for Men and Women was an essential tool in ensuring compliance with the obligations set out in article 3 of the Covenant. Between 2006 and 2011, national enforcement mechanisms had been introduced under the National Plan on promotion of gender equality, which had received parliamentary approval and had been subject to an annual review. Very little progress had been achieved in that area, owing to the absence of a comprehensive cross-cutting strategy for addressing the issue. With the logistical and financial support of international organizations, NGOs and the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM), the Government had developed a gender equality strategy, which would be implemented by 2015. Eight areas of action had been identified: employment, health care, media, political life, education, violence, trafficking in persons, and public awareness campaigns. Monitoring and analysis were what enabled the Government to measure progress on the equality front in each sector and identify problems that remained. As to the funding of the initiative, it had proved impossible to make a cost estimate at the outset and no global budget had been set. Each year, the ministries responsible for the Plan’s various components provided an estimate of total funding required. At the close of 2010, the strategy had been reviewed and presented to the various organizations concerned in round-table discussions. Publicity campaigns had been organized and programmes broadcast on national radio and television.
22.The Ministry of Labour, Social Protection and the Family was working on harmonizing the legislation on gender equality, including on the involvement of women in political life, which it was hoping to increase through a quota system. A bill to that effect had been drawn up with the support of international organizations.
23.Ms. Handrabura (Republic of Moldova) said that the introduction of a quota in the electoral code was still under consideration because the bill had not yet been passed. No political party had respected the planned 30 per cent quota.
24.The last census, carried out in 2004, had revealed that the Republic of Moldova was home to more than 12,000 Roma. If that number seemed low, it was because a great many Roma considered themselves to be Moldovan, and others living in rural areas did not yet possess a residence certificate. The lack of statistics disaggregated by ethnicity rendered even the Ministry of Education unsure of how many Roma attended school.
25.The current legislation on the enrolment of children in schools by no means prescribed HIV screening. However, the survey carried out by the Public Policy Institute, with financial support from UNESCO, had revealed that 80 per cent of HIV-positive children were not so declared by their parents.
26.Mr. Sainciuc (Republic of Moldova) said that since the 2009 four-year National Human Rights Action Plan had not been adopted by Parliament owing to the elections, a new action plan for 2011 to 2014 would be considered during the next parliamentary session. The Republic of Moldova enjoyed excellent relations with international organizations, in particular with IMF, with which it had signed a memorandum of understanding on national socio-economic policy, and the World Bank, for collection of data on social protection, and that the National Statistics Bureau had spent two years compiling data on gender equality in collaboration with ILO, UNIFEM and other international bodies. He also confirmed that the Republic of Moldova would sign and ratify the Optional Protocol in compliance with its obligations.
27.Mr. Turcanu (Republic of Moldova) recalled that HIV/AIDS remained a priority issue in the area of public health. Since 2003, the Republic of Moldova, in collaboration with the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, had set out to draft legislation to prohibit discrimination against HIV-positive persons. They received every support and care, including antiretroviral therapy. In accordance with the relevant legislation, aliens and stateless persons had access to free health care, in particular to HIV screening (out of the 3,000 people tested, 5 or 6 were HIV-positive). By the end of 2011, the legislation would be amended to remove the provisions that excluded aliens and stateless people resident in the country for less than three months.
28.Mr. Sainciuc (Republic of Moldova) pointed out that his country had ratified the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and was drafting a law that would allow them to participate fully in public life. The Republic of Moldova had adopted several texts on gender equality, including with regard to salaries. The gender wage gap, which stood at around 30 per cent, was largely due to the fact that there were more women working in poorly paid sectors. The salaries of teachers, 95 per cent of them women, were set to double by September 2011 and the Labour Code would be amended to improve women’s social protection. Civil service salaries were also due for a rise in order to combat corruption, particularly within the judiciary. The Republic of Moldova ensured respect for international norms in all areas.
29.Ms. Pascal (Republic of Moldova) said that, in 2009, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria had awarded the Republic of Moldova funds to assist in the development of a care and support programme to facilitate the social integration of HIV-positive individuals and that the Ministry of Health had set up a task force to implement it. Training seminars for health professionals had been organized and shelters established for seropositive persons, in collaboration with UNAIDS and various NGOs, whereas until 2009 only NGOs had been promoting their social integration. The Government had since taken a raft of multidisciplinary and cross-sector measures in that area and relied on education to combat stigmatization.
30.Mr. Sainciuc (Republic of Moldova), replying to the question on policy shifts, said that the Republic of Moldova was moving towards democratization and a free-market economy. The country had completed six rounds of negotiations with the European Union with a view to securing an association agreement which would facilitate the incorporation of all international norms into domestic legislation, and a draft agreement with the European Union provides for relaxation of the visa-award system. The Republic of Moldova ensured respect for all the international instruments to which it was party.
31.Mr. Sadi requested specific examples of the implementation of the Covenant in the State party, which he invited to study the Committee’s general comment No. 16 of 2005 on the equal right of men and women to the enjoyment of all economic, social and cultural rights, on which it could draw when drafting domestic legislation, and to take the Committee’s jurisprudence into account when finalizing the anti-discrimination bill.
32.Mr. Martynov asked to what extent the State party ensured respect for economic, social and cultural rights in its dealings with international financial institutions and other international bodies, and to what extent those rights were incorporated into programmes developed with assistance from international organizations.
33.Mr. Texier asked the Moldovan delegation to be more specific in its replies, particularly on how willing the State party was to amend its core document; on the fact that no court ruling had made reference to the Covenant; and on the concrete anti-corruption measures taken. As to the final point, he invited the State party to indicate how, why and by how much the salaries of magistrates and public servants had been increased, and to indicate their precise status.
Articles 6 to 9 of the Covenant
34.Mr. Texier enquired about the current rate of unemployment, the method used to calculate it, and the proportion of women and young people who were unemployed. In that regard, he would like to know more about the 2008 programme of action for young people in the wider context of the International Year of Youth. He wished to know whether there was any jurisprudence relating to sexual harassment at work; whether the minimum wage allowed workers and their families to enjoy a decent standard of living; what was the legal duration of maternity leave both before and after giving birth; and whether women in the private sector could return to their posts after maternity leave. With regard to the right to strike, he noted with regret that, despite the amendment of the Labour Code, the implementation of the ILO Right to Organize and Collective Bargaining Convention (No. 98) remained problematic, particularly because of the compulsory arbitration procedure.
35.Mr. Martynov asked whether the State party intended to conduct a midterm review of the National Employment Action Plan and to make the fight against unemployment a national priority. With regard to the employment of persons with disabilities, he invited the State party to publish in its next periodic report the results of the strategy for facilitating the social integration of persons with disabilities, and encouraged it to intensify its efforts in providing vocational training efforts on their behalf. Regarding statistics, he would like to know whether the Government intended to develop a system to facilitate the collection of disaggregated data on the unemployed and on other marginalized groups such as persons with disabilities and Roma. Recalling that the public authorities, including the Attorney General, had criticized the Labour Inspectorate for favouring punishment rather than prevention, he wished to know whether that had been due to a lack of human and financial resources and whether the Government intended to take measures to remedy it. Noting the growing importance of the informal sector, which was a “black spot” for economic, social and cultural rights, he wished to know whether the Government intended to take measures to reverse that trend. Lastly, when did the State party expect to approve and launch the programme for expanding the range of guarantees offered by the social protection system, which had been at the preparation stage in 2010?
36.Mr. Ribeiro Leão said that he would like to know the actual results — with supporting statistics — of the Economic Growth and Poverty Reduction Strategy mentioned in paragraph 526 of the report under consideration.
37.Mr. Kedzia asked whether the numerous people employed in the informal sector, who accounted for 31 per cent of the workforce, enjoyed certain rights to which employees were entitled, such as access to social services; or whether the opposite was true and they were totally excluded from the social protection system. He also wished to hear what measures the Moldovan Government had taken to scale down the underground economy. The delegation might also indicate whether the State party had attempted to identify the root cause of the high unemployment rate among the Roma population rather than subscribing to the received wisdom that attributed it to their traditional lifestyle. It might also indicate whether the State party had endeavoured to address the situation, including by encouraging the children to attend school.
38.Mr. Abdel-Moneim (Country Rapporteur), having identified several contradictions in the report under consideration, which mentioned an increase in the employment rate in paragraph 82 et seq. but, did not deny in paragraph 90 that unemployment remained a serious problem, even during a period of economic growth, requested additional information on the employment situation in the State party. He also noted that, like in many other countries around the world, public servants working for the Ministry of the Interior were not permitted to join a trade union within the State party. Such persons should have the right to collectively defend their rights, working conditions and even their salaries through membership of an association. He would welcome the delegation’s opinion on the matter.
39.Ms. Barahona Riera asked whether the average old-age pension allowed the beneficiary to enjoy a decent standard of living, and noted with concern that, at 52.5 per cent, the pensioner/worker ratio was almost 2:1. In the face of an ageing population, she feared that the trend would only grow and eventually lead to cuts in old-age pensions. The Moldovan delegation might elaborate on the social protection system and indicate, in particular, whether those non-contributors still enjoyed social coverage.
40.Mr. Sainciuc (Republic of Moldova) said that his country was not in possession of employment statistics disaggregated by membership of a national or ethnic minority. Also, the unemployment rate, which had been falling since 2000, dropping from 6.1 per cent in 2003 to 4 per cent in 2008, had increased to 7.4 per cent in 2010. During that year, the total unemployment figures had stood at 80,000, as opposed to 50,000 two years before. Generally speaking, there were more unemployed men than women, and urban areas were worse affected than rural areas. In 2010, 9.1 per cent of men and 5.7 per cent of women had been unemployed. Young people were the group hardest hit, with an unemployment rate at 17.8 per cent, largely attributable to a lack of vocational training. A law on social protection for persons with disabilities was to be enacted in the near future in order to facilitate their entry into the labour market.
41.Economic growth had clearly not improved employment indicators or created any new jobs. Assistance programmes aimed at stimulating business had been implemented in order to kick-start the economy, providing assistance for young people wishing to set up business and start a career in farming. In an effort to attract foreign capital and encourage Moldovans living abroad to invest in the local economy, the Government had launched in 2010 a programme called “1+1”, with the Government investing one dollar to match every dollar sent back from abroad.
42.The minimum monthly wage of MDL 600 or $54 was not enough to guarantee the population a decent standard of living. Consequently, the salaries of 220,000 public servants were adjusted regularly. The minimum wage in the real economy was slightly higher; it was readjusted annually on the basis of several criteria, including the consumer price index.
43.While the principle of non-discrimination and the prohibition of sexual harassment in the workplace had been enshrined in the Labour Code, the courts had received no complaints on those grounds.
44.Civil servants who came under the Ministry of the Interior had the right to join a trade union, and the State in no way encroached on their right to organize. However, certain types of worker were not permitted to strike and, in the past, general strikes had been prohibited. Notwithstanding, disputes were invariably settled through negotiation by tripartite commissions.
45.Employees were responsible for 6 per cent of their total social security contributions, while employers took care of the rest. The Republic of Moldova had opted for a pay-as-you-go pension plan rather than a funded pension plan and, if the pension fund became depleted, the State had an obligation to intervene, which it had done during the 2009 financial crisis by unfreezing more than MDL 900 million to replenish the pension fund. Given that that history might well repeat itself because of the country’s ageing population, a pro-birth policy needed to be adopted. Furthermore, a longer working life meant that the number of years over which contributions were collected had risen from 30 to 35. Only persons who had paid social security contributions could claim an old-age pension once they had reached the required age, which excluded workers in the informal sector, including domestic staff and agricultural workers.
46.The duration of maternity leave was 126 days. Outside of the legal duration, young mothers could take partially paid leave until their child’s third birthday and, if they so wished, unpaid leave until the child was 6 years. Non-working mothers received maternity benefits until the child was 18 months of age. Women on maternity leave could not be dismissed, whether they worked for the Government or in the private sector.
47.In order to combat the poverty that, according to statistics, had affected 26 per cent of the population in 2009, the Moldovan Government had collaborated with social partners, employers and investors with a view to formulating a development strategy to boost the country’s gross domestic product and therefore improve the population’s quality of life.
48.Ms. Pascal (Republic of Moldova) said that sexual harassment had been classified as a punishable offence since 2010 and perpetrators were liable to a penalty. More generally, employers had a duty to ensure that no discriminatory acts took place on their premises.
49.Mr. Sainciuc (Republic of Moldova) said that the Moldovan Government was in the process of developing a national action plan to safeguard the rights of Roma — particularly in the area of employment — which should be adopted by the end of 2011.
The meeting rose at 6 p.m.