16 civil society development projects on both banks of the Nistru benefiting 30,000 people will be funded by the European Union under the Confidence Building Measures Programme implemented by UNDP.  The total value of these projects is more than €290,000. The initiatives were selected through an open competition, where 90 applications were submitted.

“The 16 small grants that we are awarding today will produce positive impact on approximately 30,000 people from both banks of the Nistru river for conducting activities related to education, sports, health, environment, and culture. Just as an example, the awarded projects include communication campaigns to promote international mobility opportunities for the youth, bottom-up initiatives to act on environmental issues like the poaching on the Dniester, activities for active aging of the senior population of the region, festival and events to promote material and immaterial cultural heritage. Only in the last four years (from 2019 to 2022), the EU and UNDP have supported more than 80 civil society partnerships to implement activities to improve cross-river collaboration,” said the Ambassador of European Union in the Republic of Moldova, Jānis Mažeiks at the grant certificate awarding event, conducted on 15 November 2022.

The supported projects address specific needs and local problems through collaboration between the two banks of the Nistru River in the fields of environment, education, health, culture, sport:

• Overcoming language barriers: 25 CSO representatives from both banks of the Nistru river will learn Romanian up to B1 level;
• Development of protected natural areas on both banks of the Nistru river and promotion of ecotourism principles by creating three routes in Țîpova, Saharna and Iagorlîc natural reserves;
• Fostering the development of technical and communication skills, creativity and curiosity in education through innovative techniques, such as virtual reality. Twenty teachers from both sides of the river will be trained how to use these techniques, facilitating learning and understanding of complex concepts for at least 2,000 pupils in the first phase;
• Climbing for all: a mobile climbing wall will be set up for use at sports events in the region as well as festivals, concerts and exhibitions;
• Protecting women's sexual and reproductive health. Thirty health workers from eight communities will be trained and will provide support to nursery schools on both sides of the Nistru river.

“Civil society organisations are crucial for the peaceful development and achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals. Your role for democratization, defence of human rights, social cohesion and protection of the environment is now greater than ever,” mentioned Dima Al-Khatib, UNDP Resident Representative to the Republic of Moldova.

Through its work, the Confidence Building Measures Programme, funded by the European Union and implemented by UNDP, contributes to building trust between the people on both sides of the Nistru river by involving them in joint development projects. The programme was launched in 2009 and the sectoral platforms were created in 2017 as a result of good cooperation between NGOs on both banks.

Download the press-release in Russian.