Citizens, civil society organisations, and local authorities in 10 countries are taking stock of the EU4Accountability project and already have joint development plans for their communities for the coming year. In November-December, several other projects coordinated by ALDA have achieved their objectives. The citizens of Straseni Municipality (Moldova) now benefit from an Information Centre equipped with office equipment, thanks to the AO “Băștinașii din Strășeni“. The creation of a specially equipped space arose from the need of the inhabitants to quickly access information and benefit from various services, to have a space for meetings and activities for young people, including refugees, to strengthen civil society skills and civic involvement. AO “Dezvoltare prin Implicare” supported the development of the local coalition of NGOs in Cimislia (Moldova), involved youth in a competition of innovative initiatives and solutions to local problems, and improved collaboration and effective communication with LPA.
The newly launched Civic HUB will create an inclusive space open to the activities of all CSOs and will become the main platform for the implementation of the newly developed Civil Society Development Strategy in Cimislia district. AO “PROSPECT” has contributed to transparency and monitoring of public policies in the city of Cimislia and the village of Selemet (Moldova). Now both localities have meeting rooms equipped with audio-video equipment to involve more citizens in the decision-making process and increase the accountability of public authorities. The AO “Centrul Multifuncțional de Educație, Informare și Cultură” in the city of Telenesti (Moldova) organised the “School of Community Leaders,” a project dedicated exclusively to pupils, which created opportunities for them to learn about good governance, participatory budgeting, and advocacy, as well as how to organise public hearings. Students also identified community issues and learned how to develop projects and mobilise the community. The study visit to the Volunteer Centre in the city of Balti (Moldova) allowed them to exchange ideas with their peers and learn best practices for implementing social initiatives. The communities of Chițcanii-Vechi and Negureni in Telenesti district (Moldova) have a strategic vision of their development, thanks to the PRO BONO Information and Resource Centre.
The capacity-building activities from which representatives of local authorities and active citizens benefited resulted in an increase in awareness of good local governance and contributed to the development of Community Development Strategies. These strategic documents aim to define priorities, intervention mechanisms, and ensure a transparent local governance process that will have an impact on socio-economic development.
An important outcome of the project is the Good Practices Guide on good governance and participatory budgeting, developed by AO Caroma Nord (Moldova), which explains the essence of good governance and the importance of community actors in local development and exemplifies the regulations related to the implementation of participatory budgeting mechanisms.
EU4Accountability runs from 2022 to 2024, is funded by the European Union, and is implemented by a consortium of three organisations: ALDA, the European Partnership for Democracy, and People in Need Moldova. It extends to 10 Moldovan districts (Cahul, Comrat, Cimislia, Falesti, Floresti, Glodeni, Riscani, Straseni, Stefan Voda, Telenesti) and provides for a total budget of EUR 1.6 million.