Switzerland has launched a cooperation program with Moldova for the next three years. Its total budget is 104 million Swiss francs, equivalent to about 2.1 billion Moldovan lei, IPN reports.
"Switzerland will cooperate with Moldova with the intention of promoting sustainable development, prosperity and stability," Deputy Director General of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation Didier Chassot said at the launch event of the program.
The initiative focuses on three priority areas, aimed at "responding to the consequences of Russia's military aggression against Ukraine and supporting Moldova's reforms on the European path".
One of the areas is governance and social cohesion, with a budget of 600 million lei. In this case, the project supports democracy, the rule of law and civic engagement in order to promote an inclusive and stable society. At the same time, the local authorities are to be "helped to better fulfill their duties".
Another area consists of economic development and resilience and the budget exceeds 700 million lei. The interventions will focus on improving employment opportunities, supporting small and medium-sized enterprises, promoting women's economic empowerment and integrating refugees from Ukraine into the Moldovan labor market.
The third area concerns local health and public services. With a budget of over 700 million lei, the project will improve the quality of local and public health services.
Also, with Swiss support, small grant programs will be implemented to support cultural initiatives and civil society projects.
