On June 9, 2026, Oleg Cara, General Director of the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), met with Maha Damaj, the Country Representative of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in the Republic of Moldova, on the occasion of the conclusion of her term. During the discussion, Maha Damaj expressed her gratitude for the joint efforts of the NBS and UNICEF, which have significantly contributed to expanding the availability, quality, and use of statistical data on children and families in the Republic of Moldova.

The participants reviewed the progress made by the NBS in its collaboration with UNICEF, as well as future directions for cooperation aimed at supporting the development of official statistics on children.

Maha Damaj referred to the alignment of Moldova’s official statistics with European Union (EU) standards and to filling gaps in the data. She appreciated the ongoing efforts to expand and improve data availability and emphasized the importance of strengthening statistics related to children within the EU, including the EU-SILC (Statistics on Income and Living Conditions) survey and others conducted by the NBS. The UNICEF representative emphasized that more robust and disaggregated data will support evidence-based policymaking, ensure high-quality reporting under the Convention on the Rights of the Child, and provide a solid foundation for the results framework of the European Child Guarantee and the National Action Plan, reflecting the Republic of Moldova’s commitments.

“We appreciate our collaboration with the NBS and its ongoing efforts to provide high-quality data produced in accordance with international standards. Although substantial data is available, further efforts are needed to improve the use, accessibility, and dissemination of the data. Continued collaboration between the NBS and UNICEF ensures the translation of data into tangible results for children”, stated Maha Damaj.

Oleg Cara thanked the UNICEF representative for the fruitful collaboration and for her high praise of the BNS’s work. „The quality and credibility of statistical data are a priority for the NBS team. We focus on aligning official statistics with European and international standards so that the data we produce best meet the needs of users. In this process, collaboration with UNICEF, the European Union, and other development partners is particularly valuable, contributing to the strengthening of institutional capacities for the production of relevant and reliable data” stated Oleg Cara. 

It is worth noting that the cooperation between the NBS and UNICEF spans a wide range of activities and achievements under the UNICEF – Republic of Moldova Country Program „UNICEF Cooperation Program 2023–2027”, which aims to improve the availability of statistical data on the situation of children and women in order to develop evidence-based policies.

During 2023–2025, with support from UNICEF, the NBS carried out several important activities to strengthen statistics on the situation of children and women. Among the main achievements are: updating the TransMonEE regional database, developing and disseminating analyses on monetary poverty and the well-being of households with children, developing and annually publishing the “Children of Moldova” infographics, updating the SDG indicators and child rights monitoring indicators, as well as developing methodological tools for the “Children’s Activities” survey. At the same time, a new national classification of education was developed in accordance with ISCED standards, and support was provided for the transition to producing educational statistics based on administrative data from the Education Management Information System.