On August 12, 2025, the final event “It works” took place in Chisinau, bringing together over 35 participants from various fields of society (active citizens, representatives of local public administrations, local NGOs, as well as guests from the State Chancellery of the Republic of Moldova, the European Union in the Republic of Moldova, and People in Need Moldova (PIN). The purpose of the event was to present the main results of the project, as well as some citizen initiatives and good practices regarding good governance focused on collaboration between citizens and local public authorities.
The event presented the methods, lessons learned, and results achieved in the five partner communities involved in the project: Alexandru Ioan Cuza (Cahul district), Lingura (Cantemir district), Speia (Anenii Noi district), Mascauti (Criuleni district), and Pelinia (Drochia district) – communities where a functional model of collaboration between local authorities and citizens was applied to promote good governance and active civic engagement in the community.
“What you are doing is increasing trust between people, increasing trust between local public administration and citizens. Through such projects, we encourage dialogue at the local level, with the aim of being as transparent and accountable as possible to citizens, and through the reform of central public administration, we want to improve services at the local level.” – Andrei Strah, Deputy Secretary General of the Government, State Chancellery.
“It is a pleasure to be present at this event summarizing the ‘Citizens ACT’ project. The European Union is proud to support iRi together with People in Need in order to carry out this initiative. We like to believe that the support we have provided to this project strengthens local partnerships, transparency, citizen participation in the budgetary process, and other aspects of local democracy. We are delighted to have been able to facilitate dialogue, inclusion, and everything that local partnerships represent.” – Marcia Kammitsi, Programme Officer for Foreign Policy Instruments, European Union Delegation.
A special emphasis was focused on discussions among participants, the exchange of ideas and solutions regarding better citizen involvement in the budgetary process.
The event brought together not only the 5 pilot communities involved in the project, but also 9 other localities, including one from Transnistria, interested in studying and replicating the “Citizens ACT” model. This interest confirms the growing interest among rural communities in more open, participatory, and effective local governance.
“When people work together, communities become stronger and trust begins to take root and flourish. Together with iRi, the European Union, and PIN, we have worked to create spaces where citizens have a voice in local governance. When people are informed, listened to, and involved, they can significantly influence the future of their communities.” – Rafał Chibowski, Country Director, People in Need Moldova (PIN).
During the brainstorming workshop, participants had the opportunity to openly discuss the challenges and successes of civic engagement in a friendly atmosphere promoting peer-to-peer learning.
“Thanks to the project, we received a series of training sessions and held meetings with partners from other communities. We developed the local budget in a simple, clear, very transparent and public way. The surveys with citizens helped us understand the wishes of the residents and take action where necessary.” – Valeriu Cartin, mayor of Mascauti village, Criuleni district.
“Collaboration between civil society and local public authorities is essential for a healthy local democracy. We are pleased to see concrete results and communities motivated to continue this effort.” – Ludmila Turcanu, local facilitator, Pelinia village, Drochia district.
“We encourage the replication of these good practices in other regions of the country. Citizen involvement is the key to responsible and transparent administration”, said Octavii Ivanov, iRi affiliate expert, during his session “Citizens involved in the budget process – a necessary and irreversible trend”.
“The ‘It Works’ event not only marked the end of an important stage of the project, but also demonstrated with concrete examples that partnerships between citizens and local public administrations can generate real and sustainable change in communities. Involvement, collaboration, and transparency become not just principles, but applied practices that transform the way a community is governed. ‘Citizens ACT’ is coming to an end, but the involvement is just beginning. The project has demonstrated that when citizens are directly involved in the local budget process, solutions become more relevant and administrations more transparent. This model really works.” – Tatiana Cosuleanu, executive director of the Institute for Rural Initiatives (iRi).
The event was organized within the project “Citizens ACT: Improving participatory governance and transparency” implemented by the Institute for Rural Initiatives (iRi) through People in Need Moldova (PIN) with financial support from the European Union.