Moldova became the 40th country to have a dedicated U-Report platform

Moldovan youth now have the opportunity to contribute to the National Development Strategy "Moldova 2030" by taking part in the surveys of U-Report platform, launched by the National Youth Council of Moldova in partnership with UNICEF.

The online platform has been piloted in five raions since September 2017, and tested for the first time on December 10, 2017 during a public event at the Eugene Ionesco National Theater. Young people, youth workers, teachers and members of youth organizations across the country attended the event and staged 5 social theatre plays with teenagers and young people from Ocnita, Cantemir, Floresti, Soldanesti and Cimislia.

U-Report is a digital tool for social monitoring in real time and encourages community development through social networks. Being simple to use and 100% anonymous, it creates the perfect environment for young people to engage in social change.

“As the young generation, you are on the fringe of the digital revolution – aware of the latest opportunities offered and savvy about using them to share knowledge, seek development opportunities and, most importantly, be heard about the things that matter! Your voices count!” highlighted in her welcome speech Desiree Jongsma, UNICEF Country Representative in Moldova.

Young people are not only the future of this country, they are also its present. The use of digital platforms like U-Report empowers us to communicate with an enormous number of young people in real time, in an interactive and innovative way, and to involve them in decision-making, said Igor Ciurea, Secretary General of the National Youth Council of Moldova.

Young people and teenagers in Moldova have the opportunity to become U-Reporters and participate in the socially conscious trend of the digital age. More and more children across the world gain internet access. According to the UNICEF global report "State of World Children Report 2017: Children in the Digital World," launched this Monday, young people are the population category most connected to the internet: 71% of young people worldwide are online, compared with 48% of the general population.

Anyone can become a U-Reporter by following the U-Report Moldova account on Facebook, Twitter and Viber. They can participate in surveys or raise topics of concern by messaging those accounts. The results of each poll will be publicly available on http://moldova.ureport.in/polls site.

The U-Report platform is present in 40 countries and has over four million users. About 35 percent of U-Reporters globally are adolescents aged between 15 and 20, and another 34 percent - young people aged 20-24.

About UNICEF

UNICEF promotes the rights and wellbeing of every child. Together with our partners, we operate in 190 countries and territories to implement this commitment, with particular emphasis on helping the most vulnerable and excluded children. For more information about UNICEF and its work in Moldova, visit: www.unicef.md

About CNTM

CNTM has the mission to promote the interests of young people in Moldova and to contribute to the development of youth associative structures through training, advocacy and participation. For more information, go to www.cntm.md

About the Moldova 2030 Strategy

The Republic of Moldova has committed to achieving 106 targets for a better life by 2030. The respective targets represent the outcome of the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda’s nationalization. Moldova has committed to implement the 2030 Agenda jointly with the other 192 UN Member States by adopting the Declaration of the Sustainable Development Summit that took place in September 2015 in New York. The Agenda aims to accelerate the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals focusing, first of all, on eradicating poverty by 2030 and ensuring global sustainable development.