Experts from Both Banks of the Nistru River Resumed Dialogue on Social Issues and Humanitarian Assistance after a Two-Year Hiatus

On 5 November 2026, a meeting of the Working Groups on social issues and humanitarian assistance was held via videoconference, with the participation of sectoral experts from both banks of the Nistru River and with the support of the OSCE Mission to Moldova.

Chișinău delegation was led by Vasile Cușca, State Secretary of the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection. The delegation also included representatives of the Ministry and the National Office of Social Insurance. 

The discussions addressed the obstacles created by Tiraspol in ensuring the protection of the rights of children in difficult situations, particularly those left without parental care, as well as in the access of residents of the Transnistrian region to social protection measures provided by the authorities of the Republic of Moldova. 

In this context, the Chișinău experts called for the removal of obstacles preventing guardianship authorities from exercising their legal powers. Emphasizing the principle of the best interests of the child, representatives of Chișinău, joined by Vasile Coroi, People's Advocate for Children's Rights, put forward proposals based on national legislation and international treaties to facilitate action by the competent child protection institutions in cases involving children identified as being at risk.

The Chișinău experts also raised issues related to the exercise of the right to a pension and access to family benefits for citizens of the Republic of Moldova residing in localities in the Transnistrian region.

In this regard, an increase was noted in the number of monthly childcare allowances paid until a child reaches the age of two (from 617 in the first half of 2025 to 3,581 by the end of the first half of 2026 and 4,082 by the end of October 2026), as well as an increase in the number of old-age pensions (from 690 in the first half of 2025 to 1,226 by the end of the first half of 2026). In the field of social protection, over the same period, the number of beneficiaries increased from 2,752 to more than 8,000, while the total amount of payments rose from 27.6 million lei to 76.3 million lei.

The Chișinău delegation expanded upon the initiative put forward on 24 September 2026, by the Deputy Prime Minister for Reintegration during the working meeting of political representatives in the Transnistrian settlement negotiation process, regarding the opening of a Social Services and Primary Healthcare Center in Bender. At the same time, unhindered access for specialists to the site was requested to assess the conditions and initiate the necessary preparations for the operationalization of the center. 

The holding of the meeting revealed the unacceptability of politicizing topics from the social sphere and the constant involvement of representatives from Tiraspol’s political representative office, against the backdrop of unrecognized symbols, in the technical dialogue between sector experts, to the detriment of a professional exchange of views and the promotion of concrete measures in the interest of citizens. 

The meeting participants agreed to maintain dialogue within the framework of specialized working groups and to contribute to finding practical solutions to the discussed problems for the benefit of residents on both banks of the Nistru River.

We remind you that the previous working meeting of experts on social issues and humanitarian assistance took place on 13 November 2024.