The project’s objective is to build inclusive sustainable and resilient communities and create an enabling environment for women’s economic, social, and educational empowerment.

Moldova’s rural women are four times more prone to absolute poverty and more vulnerable to climate change, requiring targeted actions towards enhancing their access to alternative income generation activities and support services (i.e. subsidies), as well as information and knowledge on sustainable and resilient management of natural and agricultural resources on which they depend. 

The overarching strategy of the project is to build sustainable and inclusive resilient communities through empowering women to practice alternative livelihoods in the context of increased environmental degradation and vulnerabilities to extreme weather patterns. UNDP will work with women groups from 30 target communities and 6 districts (Nisporeni, Calarasi, Basarabeasca, Leova district from Gagauzia region and one district from the Transnistrian region) to increase their knowledge and skills for sustainable and resilient agriculture and forest practices and to explore alternative income generation activities in the respective sectors. The districts from Gagauzia and Transnistrian regions will be selected at the inception phase.

Activity 1: Sustainable, climate-resilient and environmentally-sound livelihoods defined and local capacities & knowledge on environment, climate change, and gender enhanced and implemented successfully;

The project will be guided by the UNDP 5-step capacity development approach with focus on women, men and LPAs: engage women, men and LPAs in capacity development based on the assessed capacities and needs; formulate a capacity development response and implement a capacity development response; and evaluate capacity development.  

Activity 2: NGOs capacities to provide expertise to LPAs and women in the field of resilience to climate change, sustainable development and gender mainstreaming; 

The outcomes of the project emphasize the need for extensive capacity-building of CSO and NGOs of environmental topics as well as their institutional and individual development. This outcome will focus on strengthening the NGOs' capacities to engage in local environmental and climate actions, natural resources management, and decision-making.

Activity 3: Environment-friendly and climate-resilient practices and projects implemented by women-headed households, women agri-producers, and communities;

Under this activity financial, technical, and informational support will be provided to women-headed households, agri-producers, and communities for piloting environment-friendly and climate change resilient practices in agriculture, forestry, and other areas aligned with their economic and social needs.

Activity 4: Sustainable and climate-resilient practices and business models disseminated and replicated;

This component aims to support the preparation of case studies, best practices, lessons learned and other relevant information on climate adaptation solutions and resilient livelihoods from the pilot communities to enable their replication and scaling at the national level.

Activity 1.1.Carry out district-level environmental and climate-change vulnerability assessment

Activity 1.2.Mainstreaming of gender, environmental protection and climate resilience into local development strategies and capacity building of LPAs 

Activity 1.3.Conduct capacity and needs assessment among women’s groups and men agri-producers 

Activity 1.4.Carry out a practical capacity development programme for women and men agri-producers.

Activity 2.1.Conduct institutional capacity assessment of environmental NGOs

Activity 2.2.Carry out a core capacity development programme for the selected NGOs

Activity 2.3.Design and implement a capacity building programme for NGOs on environmental and climate-change related legislation, challenges and response measures.

Activity 3.1. Support for preparation of environment-friendly and climate resilient sub-project plans (business plans)

Activity 3.2. 60 sub-projects with improved livelihood implemented

Activity 3.3. 10 entrepreneurial sub-projects implemented

Activity 3.4. 30 community sub-projects implemented.

Activity 4.1.Formulate the Upscaling Strategy

Activity 4.2.Formulate and implement the communication and outreach strategy

Expected results:

Outcome1: Sustainable, climate resilient and environmentally-sound livelihoods defined and local capacities & knowledge on environment, climate change and gender enhanced and implemented successfully;   

Outcome 2: NGOs capacities to provide expertise to LPAs and women in the field of resilience to climate change, sustainable development and gender mainstreaming enhanced;

Outcome 3: Environment-friendly and climate-resilient practices and projects implemented by women-headed households, women agri-producers, and communities;

Outcome 4: Sustainable and climate-resilient practices and business models disseminated and replicated.