On 21 December 2020, the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe organised an online meeting for the presentation of the baseline assessment of the institutional position and organisational capacities of the Congress of Local Authorities from Moldova (CALM). It provided an opportunity to discuss the findings and recommendations of the report with members of the decision-making bodies of the Association and reflect on strategic priorities for action.
Viorel Furdui, Executive Director of CALM, stated that the baseline assessment is very timely as the strategy of the Association is expiring at the end of 2020. “The findings and recommendations will support the development of our midterm strategy from 2021 on, and we hope that it will help us progress on institutional development.” The discussion was attended by 26 participants, including members of the newly elected Executive Bureau, the Council of Administration and the Secretariat.
The report is intended to support the efforts of CALM to continue developing and growing, by outlining strengths and suggesting areas that could benefit from tailored measures. The assessment was developed in consultation with CALM members and partners including representatives of central authorities, development organisations, and think-tanks. The assessment includes conclusions and recommendations in the areas of internal governance, consultation with members, transparency, external perceptions and relations with partners, financial sustainability, monitoring and evaluation, among others. The baseline assessment is a tool for the Association, who will decide how to best use it for improving its performance.
The baseline assessment is part of the co-operation activities implemented by the Congress in the Republic of Moldova, which were complemented in 2020 with capacity development in the areas of advocacy and policy influencing. Building on these results, the Congress will seek to continue supporting efforts towards good governance at sub-national level in the country.
The Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe is currently implementing the project "Strengthening the culture of dialogue and consultation of local authorities in the Republic of Moldova" in the framework of the Council of Europe Action Plan for the Republic of Moldova 2017-2020. The project aims at strengthening the institutional capacities of the national association of local and regional authorities, CALM, in the areas of representation and policy dialogue, good governance, municipal management and quality service delivery.
