The results of the “Partnerships for Women’s Leadership and Good Governance” project were presented

Financing 15 local civil society initiatives that promoted good governance and gender equality, training over 180 civil organizations employees and civil society representatives in promoting gender-sensitive policies, assisting four districts (Telenești, Ialoveni, Străseni and Rezina) in carrying out gender audits and in the development of Action Plans regarding the promotion of gender equality and the training of more than 200 women leaders within the Leadership Academy – these are just a part of the results recorded by the “Partnerships for women’s leadership and good governance” program project team, implemented by the “Friedrich Ebert” Moldova Foundation and the “Institutum Virtutes Civilis” JSC, with the financial support of the European Union and the “Friedrich Ebert” Foundation.

During the closing event of the project, the Ambassador of the European Union to the Republic of Moldova, Jānis Mažeiks, emphasized the importance of partnerships between civil society organizations and local public authorities to ensure the sustainable development of communities in the country:

“The project demonstrated, through its activities and results, that the participation of women in good governance and the political activity of the country is a realistic objective. This can only be achieved through the constant empowerment of women. Women have the potential and motivation to become true agents of change in their communities. In the Academy for Women’s Leadership and Good Governance program, we supported over 200 women, trained to become leaders. 63 of them ran for the local general elections in November 2023 and 45 women were elected as mayors and local or district councilors”, said Jānis Mažeiks, the Ambassador of the European Union to the Republic of Moldova.

The director of the “Friedrich Ebert” Moldova Foundation, Ana Mihailov, expressed her hope that the beneficiaries of the project will continue to collaborate even after its finalization. “I especially want to mention the commitment of local public authorities. We hope that the officials we worked with on the project will succeed in inspiring others, including other LPAs, to develop gender audits and action plans for promoting gender equality. At the same time, I would like to express my confidence that the policies they will adopt will respond equally to the needs of both men and women and, as a result, we will all enjoy a more fair and equitable society”, he said Ana Mihailov.

Within the “Partnerships for Women’s Leadership and Good Governance” project, hundreds of civil organization employees were trained to promote good governance and gender-sensitive public policies. Also, six analytical notes were developed that researched public policies and how they respond to the specific needs of women and men. The president of the AO “Institutum Virtutes Civilis”, Liliana Palihovici, drew attention to the fact that it is crucial to continue the efforts to promote good governance and public policies sensitive to the gender dimension to ensure progress and sustainable development of the Republic of Moldova.

“In 2021, when we launched this project, we set out to contribute to better promotion of gender equality and equity in the Republic of Moldova, to create opportunities for involvement in the social, economic, and political life of the country and, in particular, we wanted the Republic of Moldova to be able to offer its citizens fair conditions for affirmation, education, access to public services, etc. From our point of view, we have results we can be proud of: hundreds of women trained in our programs today manage communities or districts in the country, and we have public policies that have been improved as a result of the analytical notes and recommendations we have made through the project, we offered the public more opportunities to meet women leaders, to learn about the challenges that women in the Republic of Moldova go through and to adopt a pro-active attitude in supporting women in ensuring good governance”, said Liliana Palihovici.

Lidia Ostaș, local councilor in Congazcicul de Sus, UTA Găgăuz Yeri, is among over 200 female leaders from all over the country trained at the Leadership Academy. She states that attending the training has significantly contributed to the development of her communication, negotiation, and leadership skills, allowing her to be more efficient in managing local projects and representing the community in front of the authorities. “The academy gave me the courage to overcome my fears and step out of my comfort zone. I hope that by my example I can encourage other women to assume the role of leaders in their communities. It is important to understand that it is up to us to change the localities we come from, and our responsibility is to act with determination and confidence to build a more prosperous and fair environment for all residents”, says Lidia Ostaș.

The “Partnerships for Women’s Leadership and Good Governance” project also supported 15 local initiatives that promoted gender equity and monitored decision-making transparency and good governance processes in their communities. Among them is the “Young People in Action” project, carried out in three villages in the Drochia district (Șuri, Chetrosu, and Drochia). Stas Cebotari, the Executive Director of the Center for Sustainable Development and Civic Innovation in Drochia, says that the project was a good opportunity to familiarize young people with what gender stereotypes and prejudices mean. “Through our project, the young people had the opportunity to understand and combat gender stereotypes and prejudices. Thus, they could become agents of change and equality. It is essential that young people are aware of the impact they can have in eliminating discrimination and promoting a more fair and inclusive society,” says Stas Cebotari.

The “Partnership for Women’s Leadership and Good Governance” project was launched in 2021 and was carried out by the teams of the “Friedrich Ebert” Foundation Moldova and the “Institutum Virtutes Civilis” NGO, with the financial support of the European Union and the “Friedrich Ebert” Foundation.