Switzerland will contribute $6.67 million to Moldova’s Energy Vulnerability Reduction Fund.
This includes an agreement signed with the United Nations Development Program (UNDP). The funds will allow the Moldovan government to provide compensation directly to the bill between November and December 2022 for at least 100,000 vulnerable households. The head of the Swiss Cooperation Office in Moldova, Guido Beltrani, noted that his country was one of those that provided direct financial assistance to the Moldovan government to cover the costs of the refugee crisis from Ukraine. Now Switzerland contributes to overcoming the energy crisis and limiting the consequences of high bills for the population. Let us remind that the Energy Vulnerability Reduction Fund was created by the Moldovan government with the financial support of the European Union and the government of Slovakia. UNDP has supported the establishment of the Fund, the development of an information system, the training of social workers, the establishment and operation of a call center, as well as the implementation of an information campaign on the Energy Vulnerability Reduction Fund. Dima Al-Khatib, UNDP Resident Representative in Moldova, stressed the value of Switzerland's assistance and its significant contribution to the Energy Vulnerability Reduction Fund. As InfoMarket news agency earlier reported, according to a UNDP study on the impact of rising energy costs on energy poverty, 60% of Moldova's population suffers from energy poverty, spending more than 10% of the household budget on energy bills. UNDP estimates that at current levels of inflation there is a high risk that 1/4 of the population will fall below the poverty line (less than $1.5 per day). If the Energy Vulnerability Reduction Fund is fully implemented, this risk can be averted. At the same time, according to the preliminary analysis of UNDP, about 160 thousand households were able to get out of poverty due to compensation of electricity bills. // 19.12.2022 - InfoMarket
