LocationsDecentralized cooperation and knowledge exchange between local actors of Moldova and France will strengthen crisis response
French Government and UNDP support extended access to basic public services for host communities and Ukrainian refugees in Moldova
July 18, 2022
Dima Al-Khatib, UNDP Resident Representative to the Republic of Moldova and Paul Graham, Ambassador of France to the Republic of Moldova
UNDP Moldova
The French Ministry of Foreign Affairs and UNDP signed today a financing agreement of €100,000 to enhance the provision of local public services such as water, sanitation and waste management, in several partner localities hosting refugees from Ukraine.
Support will also be provided for the application of small-scale energy solutions, solar panels for public institutions or electric power charging stations in some host communities.
“Cooperation between local and regional governments is crucial to manage and overcome a multiple crisis situation like what Moldova is currently facing. At the forefront in the response to people's needs, Moldovan local public authorities need a strong and collective support. With this program, the French Government joins forces with UNDP to ensure local capacity strengthening in Moldova, through facilitating French local governments' engagement on their key areas of competencies to improve water, waste and energy services,” noted Jean-Paul Guihaumé, Delegate for external action of local governments at the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
French partner local institutions will be able to provide peer-to-peer advice and learning opportunities to Moldovan local public authorities, utility providers and the Congress of Local Authorities in Moldova, in the field of intermunicipal cooperation, use of green energy for provision of public services, crisis management etc.
“This partnership between the French Government and UNDP Moldova aims to improve intermunicipal cooperation for increased access to essential services of local population and of refugees. Such solutions, which also rely on the use of green energy, contribute to increased crisis resilience and energy security of host communities,” noted Dima Al-Khatib, UNDP Resident Representative to the Republic of Moldova.
Since the onset of the war, UNDP and its partners mobilized efforts to partially cover the immediate needs of refugees and host communities, as well as to support socio-economic inclusion of people fleeing the war, by promoting employment opportunities, expanding their access to public services and ensuring social cohesion.