Preventing Corruption for Better Governance
Experts agree that corruption is one of Moldova's biggest and most pressing problems. The major consequences of corruption include lost tax revenue; an enormous shadow economy; a lack of integrity in the private sector and harassment and over-regulation of business activities including frequent and confusing changes in the laws that regulate business activity.
The government of Moldova has declared its commitment to actively fight corruption and taken some important steps to do so, including passing a sweeping anti-corruption reform strategy. But the government's programs will only be effective with adequate citizen input and monitoring. The Eurasia Foundation in Moldova believes that civil society can and should be an equal partner to the government in this process. EFM's anti-corruption program aims to help civil society organizations realize their true potential as advocates for reform based on positive and effective models of NGO-government partnership.
Prime-minister on the activities of the Anti-Corruption Alliance during the quarterly meeting
Project description
The goal of this project is to increase the role of civil society and media in reducing systemic corruption in Moldova. Working with a broad coalition of NGOs and media partners, the project monitors, offers advise, reports, and addresses corruption at the national and local level. The main vehicle for these activities is the Anti-Corruption Alliance (ACA), a coalition of NGOs dedicated to exposing and eradicating corruption. The Foundation hosts the ACA Secretariat, coordinates local and national initiatives, funds specific projects, provides technical assistance to ACA members, and sets up working groups with government authorities. In addition, the foundation helps local NGOs and media outlets report and address corruption.
EFM's anticorruption program is implemented through three distinct directions:
1. Institutional Support to the Anti-Corruption Alliance
Goal: Mobilize civil society actors to effectively address corruption by setting up and supporting the Anti-Corruption Alliance.
The Anticorruption Alliance is a voluntary coalition of non-governmental organizations in Moldova with the mission of strengthening civil society organizations' efforts to stamp out corruption, as well as to ensure greater transparency in public institutions' activities. The Alliance currently consists of 26 member NGOs. (For more information, see the Alliance's website www.alianta.md)
2. National Anticorruption Initiatives
Goal: Ensure the national anti-corruption strategy is implemented effectively through active engagement of NGOs and media outlets.
Through targeted grants, EF will identify and support initiatives that complement, aid and monitor government anticorruption programs on the national level. These government programs are the National Strategy to Prevent and Fight Corruption and the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) Threshold Country Program. National-level activities such as providing anticorruption expertise on laws, offering free legal advice, monitoring and evaluating anticorruption policies, and/or investigative journalism will be supported. The program will strengthen citizen oversight and input into Government anticorruption policies.
3. Local Anticorruption Initiatives
Goal: Support local initiatives to make national projects more effective and increase civil society buy-in in the anticorruption process at the local level.
Through a series of grants competitions, EFM will identify and support initiatives that will link the national Anticorruption Alliance with grassroots, local-level efforts. These grassroots initiatives will be designed to respond flexibly to the needs of their communities, to garner broader public support for anticorruption activities, and build the capacity of small, locally-based media and NGOs to prevent and fight corruption.
Members of the ACA during a study trip in Romania, meeting anti-corruption authorities
For more information on the Eurasia Foundation's anticorruption activities in Moldova, please contact Andrei Brighidin, Program Manager, at:
- The Eurasia Foundation
- Moldova Representative Office
- 49/4, Tighina street, 3rd floor
-
Tel: (+373 22) 235343; 548102
Fax: (+373-22) 542-338 - E-mail: abrighidin@eurasia.md
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This web site is made possible by the support of the American people through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The contents are the sole responsibility of the Eurasia Foundation and do not necessarily reflect the views of USAID or the United States Government.