Project Summary:

The Security Sector Reform (SSR) aims to create a secure environment that is conducive to development, poverty reduction, good governance and rule of law. This relies on the ability of the state to mitigate its people’s vulnerabilities through development, and to use a range of policy instruments to prevent or address security threats that affect society’s well-being. The United Nations Security Council believes that SSR is “critical to the consolidation of peace and stability, promoting poverty reduction, rule of law and good governance, extending legitimate State authority, and preventing countries from relapsing into conflict”.

The Project responds to UNDP Moldova Country Programme Document 2018 – 2022 priorities: to support the country’s reform agenda, including overarching public administration and sectoral reforms, enhance institutional integrity and transparency through leveraging ICT and innovation, re-engineering and digitizing business  processes, and offer innovative tools for collecting and processing disaggregated data that will inform policymaking.

Objectives:

• To contribute to the effective implementation of the Security Sector and Defense Sector Reforms as a means for ensuring security of men and women in the Republic of Moldova ultimately leading to the sustainable development of the country;
• To develop capacities that would respond to the strategic context by building effective military institutions ensuring that they remain responsive to the legitimate demands of a democratic society, abide by the principles of accountability and good governance;
• To ensure that militarily institutions have a representative composition in terms of gender, ethnicity and other factors; are trained and equipped to suit their strategic environment (which may include contributing to peacekeeping and regional security organizations);
• To support the military institutions to abide to the international law, thus contributing to national and international goals of peace and security.

Expected results:

• The Ministry of Defense has capacity to make evidence-based military and civil protection decisions and to rapidly react to any emerging military or civil protection needs using high-performance IT solution able to collect, store, preserve, update and process the data on mobilization resources;
• Enabling environment for effective operations of the Defense Forces created through the endowment by up-to-date equipment and rehabilitated physical infrastructure;
• The Security Sector better reflects the society by implementing gender responsive policies and practice and achieves a better gender balance in the military and civilian staff.

Accomplishments:

• The Ministry of Defence, the Central Clinical Military Hospital, and the Diagnostic and Outpatient Center - endowed with modern equipment and modernized infrastructure, applying the value for money approach;
• Enhanced individual and institutional capacities for gender sensitive policies, practice and daily activity of the Ministry by piloting the methodology of the Gender Equality Award in public institutions that contribute to the implementation of the National Action Plan on the UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security for 2018-2021; 
• Capacity of 176 senior and middle level managers, units’ commanders, psychologists, public relations specialists, and medical personnel on gender dimension developed and expert support in the elaboration of gender responsive internal policies provided to ensure the progressive implementation of the National Action Plan on the UN Security Council Resolution 1325;
• Support for launching and conducting in 2021 of the wide awareness raising campaign on “zero tolerance” approach to gender-based discrimination, sexual harassment, and sexual abuse;

• In 2022, UNDP commissioned and transferred to the Ministry of Defence the ICT system of the State e-Register for Defence Resources (SRDR). The SRDR will enable an effective and efficient use of the available resources for quick response in case of crisis situations. The SRDR also addresses the Moldovan Government plans to digitize the governmental institutions and bodies’ activity and enhance their efficiency;

• UNDP contributed to the modernization of the physical infrastructure of the Ministry of Defence by constructing a new building for the primary medical care in the military unit in Cahul. It will improve the working conditions of the medical personnel and enhance the quality and diversity of the medical services for over 2500 persons.