AGREED Project – final conference to celebrate the achievement of planned results

On July 27 2021, the final conference of the AGREED project – Activating Governance Reform for Enhancing Development, was organised.

The event was attended by Tsvetomir SVILENOV, Project Manager from the European Union Delegation, Larisa VOLOH Deputy, Mayor of Palanca village, Alexandru COICA, Coordinator of Eastern Partnership and Central Asia Countries (ALDA), Victor COTRUȚĂ, Coordinator of Eastern Partnership Countries (ALDA), Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) representatives beneficiaries of grant projects, mayors, district councillors, secretaries.

The conference agenda focused not only on the results achieved by the AGREED project, but also on addressing the issues of improving local governance, sustainable development of localities, involvement of citizens at local level. Besides, during the three discussion panel, speakers focused on:

• Issues of territorial administrative reform and decentralisation;
• Models of training of natives in local development;
• Current challenges of sustainable development at the local level and
• Cooperation between civil society and Local Public Administration (LPA).

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  This initiative succeeded in increasing the capacity of local LPAs and CSOs to consistently participate in the processes of ensuring good local governance and local development through joint actions

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Mayors, local councillors but also by a deputy elected to the Parliament of the Republic of Moldova, experts in the field and representatives of CSOs joined the event as well.

More into depth, participants mentioned that the project has achieved its planned results and most of its objectives with a few slight exceptions. Hence, this initiative succeeded in increasing the capacity of local LPAs and CSOs to consistently participate in the processes of ensuring good local governance and local development through joint actions, while involving citizens in local decision-making process, and mobilising communities and to implement projects.

The main activities and results of the project included:

• Capacity building workshops for public authorities and representatives of the local associative sector. As a result, 1091 trained people, of which 742 participated in physical format and 349 online;
• Supporting local development initiatives through the implementation of the LPA-CSO-citizens-business environment partnership. As a result, 19 local projects were supported, with a total budget of over 150 thousand Euros, which ensured the implementation of 26 community initiatives, including Transnistrian region and ATU Gagauzia;
• Elaboration of the voluntary amalgamation methodology;
• Development, publication and distribution of the brochures “Participatory Democracy” and “Community Development: Cooperation between Local Authorities and Civil Society”;
• Creation of a training platform for capacity building of public authorities with interactive modules (E-Learning platform) and
• Elaboration and dissemination of a video / audio spot, audio version – over 3000 broadcasts, video version – over 300 broadcasts.

Unfortunately, due to Covid-19 restrictions, the event was organised in hybrid format, about 75 participants attended the event. Yet, the event was a great succeeded, enjoying both the online and presence of the participants. As also said by participants: “We thank all those involved in this event and hope that the governance reform will come as soon as possible to improve the local development and strengthen the potential of LPA in the Republic of Moldova”.

ALDA is very much glad to the great achievements of this project, and the positive outcomes it has reached.

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The project is implemented by the European Association for Local Democracy – ALDA, LDA Moldova, the University Legal Clinic and funded by the European Union

For more information, please visit www.agreed.md

The event registration can be found on the project’s Facebook page

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