Sweden, Norway and UNDP to assist 20 Moldovan communities to build climate resilience
Specifically, Sweden, Norway and UNDP have launched a program to support local authorities and women entrepreneurs throughout Moldova, including communities on the left bank of the Nistru/Dniester River. The competition to select beneficiaries is organized by the UNDP project “Resilient Communities through Women Empowerment, Phase II”, funded by Sweden and Norway. The program aims to integrate gender-sensitive climate change adaptation measures into development planning at all levels and in priority sectors to ensure medium- and long-term resilience of economic, social and environmental systems to climate change. At the same time, the program aims to develop and implement measures to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and mitigate climate change. Another goal is to create public-private partnerships for environmental protection and climate resilience at the local level. Between 2025 and 2026, 20 selected communities will be supported to develop or update Sustainable Energy and Climate Action Plans. Once this process is complete, communities will be able to access three types of support. The first type of support, up to $40 thousand, is for local communities and requires a 10% co-financing. The second type of assistance, for women agricultural producers, provides goods and services up to $20 thousand with a minimum 10% contribution from beneficiaries. The third type of assistance is for women who are engaged in economic activities at the household level and provides services and goods up to $6 thousand and requires a minimum co-financing of 5%. Expressions of interest for support under this program can be submitted from both rural and urban communities throughout Moldova, including from the left bank of the Nistru/Dniester River. The deadline for submitting project proposals is November 30. The call is aimed at communities that have already developed their Sustainable Energy and Climate Action Plans but require updates to include a new context with elements of sustainable energy, climate, energy poverty, etc. Communities that have developed Sustainable Energy Action Plans by 2020 but need to adapt to the current context are also invited. Communities that do not currently have Sustainable Energy and Climate Action Plans but are interested in developing them are also encouraged to apply. From November 11 to 23, UNDP project experts will hold information sessions on the terms and conditions of the calls for proposals. “Resilient Communities through Women Empowerment, Phase II” project, aims to further increase gender-sensitive climate resilience in Moldova by integrating gender into climate policies, empowering women leaders as agents of climate action and promoting smart solutions. The project will be implemented by UNDP in 2024-2028 with financial support from Sweden and Norway. // 07.11.2024 - InfoMarket.
