The initiative, titled “Engaging Citizens, Empowering Communities”, which represent the Strategic Plan of EEF for 2017-2020 aims to advance responsiveness of policy making in Moldova and fulfilment of human rights. From the programmatic view, the EEF Strategy consists of two inter-related programs with corresponding components conducive to their implementation.
The civil and political and democratic governance program will strive to create opportunities to exercise democratic influence through NGO platforms and think tanks actively providing evidence-based input into targeted public policies and engagement of national authorities in designing institutional mechanisms of interaction with civil society. The program will also promote access to unbiased information and freedom of expression by strengthening media self-regulatory bodies such as the Press Council and actively empowering men and women to freely express their views through ICT and active debates conducted by European Interactive Centers. Not the least the program will promote free and fair elections through active NGOs of Women, Roma and PwD demanding meaningful inclusion of under-represented groups and exercising pressure on duty bearers such as political parties, judges and electoral commissioners to abide to corresponding election standards.
The second program, social and economic rights and sustainable community development, will advance rights and the implementation of Sustainable Development Goals in communities through local NGOs, actively mobilising men and women to (i) constructively engage with duty bearers, (ii) oversee local authorities’ performance, (iii) define and addressing most stringent community needs. It will also enhance active participation of boys and girls in local development by enabling youth NGOs to actively empower youth groups to engage in community assessment, fundraising, outreach, grant-making and constructive engagement of local authorities, businesses and school teachers to ensure a corresponding enabling environment. Finally, the program will advance vulnerable women and men’ access to employment opportunities and improved social services by enabling NGOs to use the Social Entrepreneurship Tools and Inclusive Community Service Assessment Tools, work with local duty bearers, address vulnerability and empower the dispossessed and the marginalised.
In implementing the Strategy, EEF will operate via operating programs and strategic grant-making.
Donor: Sweden
Period of implementation: December 01, 2016 – December 31, 2020
Project budget: 3,200,000 USD