The expansion of integrated community services to 2,000 rural communities is one of the most important social investments currently under way, interim Minister of Labour, Family, Youth and Social Solidarity Dragos Pislaru said following a meeting with UNICEF Regional Director Edouard Beigbeder.

According to a Labour Ministry release sent to AGERPRES on Tuesday, Dragos Pislaru met on Monday with a UNICEF delegation led by Edouard Beigbeder, UNICEF Regional Director for Europe and Central Asia, the Middle East and North Africa.

'The discussion focused on Romania's progress in the field of children's rights and opportunities to strengthen cooperation between the Government of Romania and UNICEF, as well as the role Romania can play in the region in supporting reforms for children,' the release said.

UNICEF welcomed the significant and steady progress made by Romania over the past three decades in protecting and promoting children's rights, the quoted source said. This includes the reform of the child protection system, which has reduced the number of children in residential care from approximately 100,000 in the early 1990s to 9,390 at present, as well as the development of support services for children and families in the community.

Moreover, UNICEF highlighted the progress in reducing the risk of poverty and social exclusion among children. Thus, the rate of children at risk of poverty and social exclusion fell from 39% in 2023 to 32.4% in 2025, bringing Romania closer to the targets set under the European Child Guarantee.

'The figures show us that Romania has made progress, but also how much work we still have to do. A child should not have fewer chances because they were born in a village, in a low-income family or tens of kilometers from the services they need. Therefore, the next step is to effectively take services to where vulnerable children and families are. Expanding integrated services in 2,000 rural communities is one of the most important social investments we are making now: social assistance, health and education must reach the family together, not the family being sent from one institution to another. This is the change we want to see on the ground and after that we must measure the success of our policies for children,' Dragos Pislaru said, according to the release.

In his turn, the UNICEF Regional Director said that Romania's experience, having made remarkable steps in child welfare and protection over the past three decades, 'offers valuable lessons for the entire region and internationally.'

'The solutions developed together with the Ministry of Labor, from integrated community services to the implementation of the European Child Guarantee and the participation of children in the decision-making process, show the value of partnership between authorities and multilateral organizations. UNICEF continues to have an important role to play in Romania and regionally in terms of technical assistance, knowledge exchange and good practices in the field of child rights,' Edouard Beigbeder said.

A central point of the discussions was the expansion of integrated community services to 2,000 rural communities, one of the most important measures envisaged under the European Child Guarantee, the cited source noted.

'UNICEF will continue to collaborate with the Government of Romania to implement this strategic approach, with particular emphasis on Romania's important contribution through the European Child Guarantee Learning Lab, a learning and cooperation platform that supports acceding and pre-accession states in translating commitments for children into concrete actions,' the release informed. AGERPRES (RO - writing by: Nicoleta Banciulea; EN - writing by: Rodica State)