Ms Aliona Grossu, member of the Advisory Committee on the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities in respect of the Republic of Moldova, participated in a Webinar organised by the Office of the OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities on “Impact of COVID-19 on Minorities: Emerging Lessons about Risks and Good Practices” on 29 June. Referring to a statement adopted by the Advisory Committee in May, Ms Grossu said that the Advisory Committee was concerned about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on persons belonging to national minorities and will follow the issue closely in its monitoring work. Together with other panellists, Ms Grossu stressed that the closing of borders and mobility restrictions have particularly affected persons belonging to minorities and that cross-border collaboration should be revitalised as a priority. Panellists further spoke about the effects of the anti-epidemic measures on education, good practices to ensure participation of national minorities in the design and implementation of the COVID-19 response, and the need to collect disaggregated data on its precise effects, including on minority women and youth.