Helping the Moldovan government and democratic actors withstand the destabilizing effects of war in Ukraine.
WHY USAID/OTI IS IN MOLDOVA
Moldova’s democracy and European trajectory face significant challenges in the coming three years when local, presidential, and parliamentary elections will determine Moldova’s future. Moreover, the economic, political, and security threats stemming from Russia’s war in Ukraine continue to overextend Moldova’s reform-oriented government, and test Moldovans’ will for democracy and European integration. A recent EU candidate country, Moldova is also weathering an energy crisis, hybrid Russian aggression, and other destabilizing factors. These concerns led to OTI’s launch of the three-year Moldova Resilience Initiative (MRI) in 2023. Working with the Government of Moldova (GoM) and democratic actors, MRI helps Moldovans withstand destabilizing influences and remain committed to pursuing democratic reform and European integration.
USAID/OTI’S ROLE IN MOLDOVA
OTI helps strengthen support for a democratic, European Moldova by:
- Increasing support for democratic governance and EU integration and;
- Fostering unity through a Moldovan, European identity and future.
PROGRAM APPROACH
- OTI provided regular public polling, media analysis, and assistance from international strategic communication experts to strengthen the GoM’s strategic communications efforts. OTI is currently working with the government to implement innovative communications initiatives on EU integration and energy independence.
- OTI supports news production and entertainment content for Russian- and Romanian-speaking audiences. In its first year, OTI supported 31 media projects or outlets, which produced over 2,500 pieces of Moldovan-created content, viewed nearly three million times. Examples range from Russian-language newscasts on a major broadcaster and new political talk shows on Youtube, to innovative travel programs highlighting the advantages of EU integration, to youth-led social media projects.
- OTI supports festivals and cultural events such as Ia Mania, PROchtenye, and the Bunica si Bunelul Fest, which attracted twice as many participants as past events, and empowered local change-makers to reach and mobilize communities for reform. These festivals brought diverse groups from all parts of Moldova together to share unique cultural traditions and modern artistic expression.