The best practices implemented by Moldovan local authorities in 2015 and 2016 were awarded on December 19 at a national ceremony. The event was organized by IDIS "Viitorul", within the Best Practices Programme, which is implemented with the financial support of the Council of Europe.
The National Award Ceremony, which gathered more than 120 guests, was a perfect opportunity for all local public authorities to communicate their successful achievements to the public and to ensure the sustainability of their initiatives through the exchange of knowledge, skills and experiences.
"It's been 12 years since our institute started this tradition of identifying and promoting the best signs of local progress. We are glad to have been able to advance with the support of the Council of Europe, but also of the mayors and community leaders who have demonstrated that they have a strong motivation to serve the public interest. Mayors have the highest trust in all public institutions according to surveys, and this means that there are still sustainable institutions in Moldova to which citizens have high expectations", said the Executive Director of IDIS “Viitorul ", Igor Munteanu in the opening of the National Ceremony of Best Practices.
In turn, Eva Gutjahr, Deputy Head of the Council of Europe Office in Moldova stated: "The Council of Europe gives special importance to local democracy and I am very pleased that our organization is actively contributing to the identification, appreciation, promotion and dissemination of best practices to improve the efficiency of local government. Implementing innovative practices is a demanding task, but it is a task that brings a lot of satisfaction. And as the European Charter of Local Self-Government says, public responsibilities will be exercised, preferably by those authorities that are closest to the citizens. So it is already up to the local elected to exercise authority in the most sustainable way to meet the needs of the citizens they are responsible for".
Valentin Guznac, Deputy Secretary General of the Government stressed the role played by local authorities: "Through their actions, results, projects and good practices, mayors demonstrate that they are leaders in their communities and have the skills together with their local teams to make beautiful things for the villages and towns of the country. It is complicated to create an idea and to come up with an initiative and if the local team succeeds in identifying opportunities for this idea to become real, local public authorities have a great chance of realizing the projects and programs presented to the electorate".
"The Best Practices Programme is a great platform that encourages local public authorities, and through this platform, we can learn from each other, find solutions to many issues, and apply colleagues' initiatives in our communities. We have ingenious and powerful mayors in the country who come up with beautiful initiatives and solve the problems of our communities involving families and relatives to meet the demands of citizens. And these good practices deserve to be appreciated at a higher level. I want to encourage you and be united to bring about as much change, but for that, we need democratic reforms, decentralization and the strengthening of local autonomy. Representatives of local authorities in Moldova need adequate remuneration, respect from citizens and central authorities", believes CALM President, Tatiana Badan.
And in this edition of the Best Practices Programme, four contest categories were announced, namely 1. Transparency of local governance - a prerequisite for increasing citizens' trust in the administration; 2. Local development through community involvement; 3. Cultural - historical heritage, the resource for the revitalization of the community, and 4. Public quality services in support of citizens. The aim of the Best Practices Programme is to identify and disseminate the original initiatives of the local public administration in the Republic of Moldova, as well as to make known the experience and outstanding results of the local public authorities and institutions in the country.
In the framework of the national award ceremony, 22 certificates of participation, 14 mentions, ten third degree awards, ten second-degree awards and five first-degree awards and seven special awards for the best practices implemented by local governments during 2015-2016 were offered. The winning authorities chose trophies and diplomas, and the rest of the participants with certificates.
Thus, the following awards were awarded:
Section: Transparency of local governance - a prerequisite for increasing citizens' trust in the administration
First prize - Bravicea (Calarasi rayon) for publishing the newspaper "Curierul de Bravicea"
2nd Prize – Rusestii Noi Village Hall (Ialoveni rayon) for the study of English with the help of the Peace Corps volunteer Deborah Sasek
3rd Prize - Vinogradovca Village Hall (Taraclia rayon) for organizing the Diaspora Day in 2016\
Section: Local development through community involvement
Special prizes: Taraclia Village Hall (Causeni rayon) for mobilizing the community to transform the garbage into a young forest with 2 000 trees
First prize - Selemet (Cimislia rayon) for the involvement of migrants in the local development and the Sipoteni commune (Calarasi rayon) for the volunteer fire-fighters and rescuers service
The second prize – Balti Town Hall (the civic budget project), the Edinet Town Hall for the social laundry and Telenesti for the development of modern services at the "Vasile Alecsandri" library
3rd Prize - Calfa Village Hall (Anenii Noi rayon), Calarasi Town Hall, Gura Galbenei from Cimislia rayon for the inter-municipal enterprise and Lozova commune (Straseni rayon)
Section: Cultural-historical heritage, the resource for the revitalization of the community
Special prize: Zaim commune (Causeni rayon) for the unique festival dedicated to fruit trees "Copacel"
1st Prize - Chisinau Town Hall for the national literary contest for students "Letter to the mother"
Second Prize - Mayoralties of the following localities: Chiscareni (Singerei rayon), Hasnasenii Mari (Drochia rayon) and Visniovca (Cantemir District)
Third prize - Carahasani village from the Stefan Voda rayon for the promotion of the national port and the Village Hall of Slobozia Mare (Cahul rayon) for the male carols ensemble
Section: Public quality services in support of citizens
Special prizes: Baxani village (Soroca rayon) for social bread offered to elderly people, Chisinau Town Hall for the assembly of trolleybuses, Cioresti commune (Nisporeni rayon) and Selemet for organizing the summer camp dedicated to children from the diaspora
First prize - Carpineni commune in Hancesti rayon for the project for composting biodegradable waste
2nd prize - the village of Budesti for the social barber services, Chisinau Town Hall for the food project for schools: "Swedish Buffet" and Costesti village in Ialoveni rayon for the "Speranta" community center
3rd Prize – Copceac Village Hall (UTAG), Vulcanesti Town Hall and Zagarancea Village Hall from Ungheni rayon
Also, during the award ceremony, a special prize was given to the TRM journalist Tatiana Balan, who actively promoted best practices in radio broadcasts.
In the 2015-2016 edition of the Best Practices Programme, 104 good practices from 64 local public authorities participated in the competition. Regarding the regions, good practices have been submitted from 25 rayons of the country and three municipalities: Chisinau, Balti and Comrat. Thus, 45 best practices from 24 communities were submitted from the Center region; 33 best practices have been submitted from the South region and 26 good practices from 19 localities have been implemented in the North region of the country.
The Best Practices Programme of Local Authorities in Moldova is implemented by the Institute for Development and Social Initiatives (IDIS) "Viitorul", with the financial support of the Council of Europe. The Programme aims at identifying, promoting and disseminating good practices among local public authorities in the Republic of Moldova, thus contributing to the efficiency of local governance.
For more details, contact Program Coordinator Ana - Maria Veverita at 0 22 221844 or ana.veverita@viitorul.org.
