As we celebrate 30 years of partnership between the World Bank Group and Moldova, this Independence Day is a special one for us. We started our collaboration during dramatic times for Moldova in 1992 and since then, have been together and helping to transform the country for the better.
Unfortunately, this year brought us challenges that we could hardly imagine a year ago, when I came to work in this beautiful country. Moldova was about to take a breath after two recent crises caused by the Covid pandemic and high energy prices when the war in Ukraine, next door, erupted and hundreds of thousands of refugees chose Moldova to escape and find shelter.
This new crisis, however, made me, like so many people worldwide, discover a new Moldova, a small country with such a big heart, that despite its own difficulties and challenges showed extraordinary generosity, sacrifice, and solidarity with a neighbor in need. No wonder that this amazing response drew humanitarian, financial and political support from the international community.
The World Bank, like many other friends of Moldova, responded swiftly to this unprecedented crisis by providing budget support to the government, in the amount of $159 million, to mitigate the impact of the war on refugees and households, as well as build resilience to reduce vulnerabilities to future shocks.
During these 30 years of collaboration, we have advocated for improved governance and transparency, supported important policy reforms, and we are proud of the achieved results that improved the lives of ordinary Moldovans. More than $1.3 billion has been allocated to over 60 operations in the country.
Currently, 12 projects with a total commitment of $638.1 million are being implemented by our government counterparts. Areas of support include regulatory reform and business development, modernization of government services, tax administration, land registration, education, roads, health, agriculture, water and sanitation and energy.
Clearly, there are challenges. But there are opportunities, too, and as Albert Einstein once said, “In the middle of every difficulty lies opportunity”. My team and I are determined to continue working relentlessly to help Moldova to seize those opportunities.
Currently, we are preparing a new Country Partnership Framework for the coming years that will be aligned with Moldova’s development priorities, and we will work together to make public services more accessible, efficient, and transparent; economy more vibrant, greener and sustainable and, of course, to ensure that Moldovans have access to better quality education, health and the poorest are supported, especially when crisis hit. We also are excited to support Moldova’s path towards EU accession, especially since recently Moldova was granted EU candidate status. (Indeed, well deserved!)
We remain committed to work together with all stakeholders in supporting resilient post-pandemic recovery, fostering long-term sustainable development and building a prosperous and inclusive society for many years to come.
Happy Birthday Moldova! La Mulți Ani!
