Tens of thousands of citizens benefit from projects carried out in north Moldova town

Chisinau, 21 February /MOLDPRES/ - About 60,000 people benefit from projects implemented in the northern Rezina town with the support of the European Union, through the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). The results of this assistance were assessed at a today’s meeting to the region by Deputy Regional Director of UNDP’s Regional Bureau for Europe and Central Asia Agi Veres   

In the last years, the settlement has benefited from more projects on the restoration of social infrastructure, such as the section of infectious diseases and the surgery and reanimation section of the Rezina hospital. The hospital’s head physician, Nina Postu, said that, after renovation, the number of people enjoying qualified assistance in the two subdivisions had grown by up to 20 per cent and stood at about 1,000 people per year.    

Another important project deals with the chess school from Rezina, attended by almost 100 children. The institution was repaired and endowed with all needed equipment in 2016. Concomitantly, a chess club was renovated in Rabnita and a tournament was held between the schools was held in 2018.   

In late 2019, the illumination system was repaired on the bridge linking Rezina and Rabnita. The lamps, which are by 500 per cent more energy efficient than the Soviet ones, were turned on for the first time ever after 26 years. Now, the residents of the two cities can travel safely from one bank of the Dniester to another, even at night.    

„The confidence building measures are focused on the promotion of the social infrastructure and consolidation of connections between people. We are happy to say that they are well-maintained and are useful for people,” Agi Veres said.  

„The European Union’s Confidence Building Measures programme has been providing better living conditions for ten years already. The today’s visit to Rezina is a good opportunity to show how this long-term European programme has developed the cooperation and interaction between the two banks of Dniester. It has significantly and concretely improved the daily life of the citizens,” the head of the Operations at the EU Delegation in Moldova, Marco Gemmer, said.   

The European Union has earmarked almost half a million of euros (428,000 euros) for all these projects, from which about 60,000 people benefit.

„We are grateful to the European Union and UNDP for the valuable contribution brought to improving the living of Moldova’s citizens and especially of those from the perimeter of the Security Zone, as well as for the productive contribution to the promotion of the measures of strengthening trust between the residents from the two banks of Dniester,” the head of the Moldovan government’s Reintegration Policies, Bureau, Alin Gvidiani, said.    

Deputy Regional Director of UNDP’s Regional Bureau for Europe and Central Asia Agi, who pays a two-day visit to Moldova, has met representatives of the cabinet, development partners, civil society, as well as with the country UN team. She also participated in the launch of the Human Development Report for 2019.