Chișinău, 1 October 2026 – Caritas Moldova hosted a dialogue meeting with representatives of the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection, the Ministry of Education and Research, the National Youth Agency and the General Inspectorate for Emergency Situations. The organisation's international partners also took part: Caritas Austria, Caritas Norway, Caritas Spes, Kindernothilfe (Germany) and Catholic Relief Services.

The discussion focused on cooperation between the state and civil society, in support of vulnerable children, young people and families.

The public institutions outlined their priorities for the coming period. These include accrediting all social service providers and rolling out the e-Social information system. They also cover measures to prevent school dropout and to integrate out-of-school children and those returning from abroad, the development of volunteering and youth centres, and the involvement of non-governmental organisations in crisis management. The Ministry of Labour and Social Protection described Caritas Moldova as a trusted partner.

For its part, Caritas Moldova offered the social protection system its beneficiary referral model, to be piloted in 2027 together with community social workers. Edward Lucaci, Director of Caritas Moldova, proposed that the state and NGOs jointly develop a quality label for social services. He noted that Caritas teams reach isolated communities in every district and that senior volunteers are a valuable resource that remains underused.

The international partners praised the pace of reforms in the Republic of Moldova. They noted that in some areas the country is advancing faster than other states and could become an example of good practice. The European Caritas network was also invited to help promote mobility opportunities such as Erasmus+ among young people with fewer opportunities.

Participants agreed to continue the dialogue and to organise experience exchanges between communities, so that the commitments made are turned into future projects.