A high-level conference on Social Rights - the European Social Charter, will take place on 19 March at the Palace of the Republic in Chisinau. The event is hosted by the Council of Europe and the Republic of Moldova’s Presidency of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe.

Opening remarks will be delivered by the President of the Republic of Moldova, Maia Sandu, and the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Alain Berset.

The conference will bring together ministers and other senior officials responsible for social rights and social policy, the Council of Europe officials, as well as representatives of the European Union institutions, the United Nations and the International Labour Organisation. Participants will also include representatives of civil society, social partners, academia, national human rights institutions, equality bodies and their European networks.

Discussions will address the importance of social rights as enshrined in the European Social Charter, the Council of Europe’s New Democratic Pact for Europe, and ways to further enhance the Charter’s relevance and impact. Participants will examine the pivotal role that social rights play in safeguarding security and democratic stability. They will also explore the future of work in the context of accelerating artificial intelligence and new technologies, as well as the complex challenges arising from multiple ongoing conflicts, demographic shifts and climate change.

The event will provide an opportunity for member States to reaffirm their commitment to social justice and to undertake further commitments under the European Social Charter. It will also serve as a platform for high-level political dialogue on the future of social rights in Europe.

Representatives of member States will be invited to adopt a forward-looking political declaration reaffirming their commitment to social rights and to the European Social Charter, while proposing further action.