Sweden has contributed $9.63 million to Moldova's Energy Vulnerability Fund under an agreement signed with the United Nations Development Program (UNDP).
According to the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection, these funds will allow the government to cover part of the costs of providing compensation in the winter period of 2023-2024. “This year, 91% of households that receive a bill will pay rates similar to last year. This would not be possible without the support of our development partners, who help us solve problems with dignity,” said Minister of Labor and Social Protection Alexei Buzu, expressing gratitude to the Swedish government for its generous support. At the same time, the Swedish Ambassador to Moldova Katarina Fried emphasized that Sweden has been supporting vulnerable households in our country for the second year in a row by providing a grant through the UNDP to the Moldova Energy Vulnerability Reduction Fund. According to the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection, during the cold season of 2022-2023 about 895 thousand households received compensation for their electricity bills. According to a UNDP impact assessment study, offsets reduced energy poverty by 43% and had the greatest impact on the most vulnerable families. 83% of natural gas bill costs were reimbursed. In 2022-2024 through UNDP, the Energy Vulnerability Fund of Moldova received $10 million from Sweden, $6.67 million from Switzerland, 5 million euros from Italy. At the end of November 2023, more than 740 thousand households requested compensation for the 2023-2024 heating season through the “Energy Vulnerability” information system. Recall that the Energy Vulnerability Reduction Fund was created in 2022 by the government of Moldova with the support of the European Union, the government of Slovakia and UNDP. Since then, UNDP and the EU have supported the development and modernization of the information system, the training of social workers and librarians who act as registrars, the creation and operation of a support center, and an information campaign about the fund. // 11.12.2023 — InfoMarket.
