The European Union, together with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Moldova, kicked off the new Mayors for Economic Growth Facility (M4EG) in Moldova. The M4EG Facility will aim at boosting equitable and green development in the Eastern Partnership region, namely Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Republic of Moldova, and Ukraine.

While building on the successes and learning of the previous phase from 2017 to 2020, the new Mayors Facility seeks to introduce new innovative tools and practices to address current and future challenges of municipalities in the Eastern Partnership countries.

“The European Union places great importance on regional economic development. A strong economy is the foundation for a well-managed municipality. With EU support, the Mayors for Economic Growth Facility will focus on sustainable economic growth that creates more jobs and better incomes and contributes to improved living standards. The first phase of the programme involved more than 45 localities and resulted in the creation of a business incubator and several information centres, assisting overall 3000 beneficiaries. The second phase of the facility will provide funding opportunities for local authorities, to create their own “tailor-made” solutions and implement them in their localities, for the benefit of the citizens,” said Jānis Mažeiks, European Union Ambassador to the Republic of Moldova.

“We are particularly pleased that Moldova is part of this new regional action and we reaffirm UNDP Moldova’s commitment towards promoting innovative approaches for sustainable development of cities and communities. This is an extremely relevant and timely initiative that will shoulder the country’s recovery efforts from COVID-19 crisis through the enhancement of economic inclusive growth and job creation in partnership with the local authorities and enabling them to design and implement Local Economic Development Plans in line with the principles of good governance and sound financial management,” said Dima Al-Khatib, UNDP Resident Representative to the Republic of Moldova.

On 27 September, the EU and UNDP Moldova launched the new Call for Interest “Portfolios for municipal transformations” under the Mayors for Economic Growth (M4EG) Facility. This Call for interest is open for acting members of the M4EG Initiative. More details on the selection process and eligibility are available here.

To support the implementation of local economic plans, together with the EU, UNDP will introduce an approach that is currently being piloted within the organization, called a portfolio approach. This method builds on the assumption that the world is complex and operates through systems (e.g. the market, climate change, inequalities), and where no quick fixes or sing-point solutions will do the trick for positive sustainable change. The proposed method will support municipalities in building programmes that incorporate a systems lens, addressing challenges from multiple angles, designing initiatives that are coherent and connected, and practice agile and adaptive management.

The Mayors for Economic Growth (M4EG) Facility is part of the M4EG initiative, launched and funded by the European Union since 2017. The M4EG Facility is run by UNDP, starting from 2021, in close cooperation with the EU, the local authorities, and a range of other partners.