The overall objective of the programme is to contribute to the facilitation of the settlement of the Transnistrian conflict by supporting the increase of confidence between Chisinau and Tiraspol through joint initiatives involving local authorities, civil society organizations and other stakeholders from both sides of the river.

Specific objectives (outputs):

• To contribute to economic and social development by ensuring a more equal access to the opportunities provided by the Association Agreement (AA) and its Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area (DCFTA) and integration between the two banks of the Nistru River;
• To tackle the growing disparity between the Transnistrian Region and the rest of the country by supporting local development and CSOs;
• To continue supporting the sectoral rapprochement in pilot sectors (i.e. Culture and others) and to progressively include Transnistria in Moldovan-wide development initiatives in order to facilitate the future reintegration while limiting the development gap between both banks;
• To support the activities of media on both banks of Nistru river through common media production.

The programme will represent a framework for engaging in development interventions across the security zone on both sides of the Nistru/Dniestr River, in line with agreements reached in the 5+2 negotiation process[1]. As such, it is comprised of a series of activities that will strengthen, regularize and intensify interaction between otherwise divided societies, aiming to establish this interaction as a norm.

The proposed programme primarily aims at improving the living conditions of the population on the both sides of the Nistru river through their mutual cooperation. Special emphasis is on ensuring the continuity and the sustainability of the cross-river connections, facilitated by the previous CBM in the following sectors/fields: economic development and entrepreneurship; community development and cross-river NGOs sectoral platforms; health sector modernization; cultural development and historical heritage; support to media local content development. 

The implementation of the programme is driven by the principle of “mirroring”, i.e. working similarly on both banks of the river Nistru, and by the principle of consensus between authorities of both banks for a technical and apolitical work. It looks to deal strategically with barriers to cooperation experienced by all development cooperation actors working in Transnistria region of Moldova by building the trust towards such actions and broadening opportunities for engagement for a wide range of stakeholders.

Estimated results:

• Improved living conditions on the two sides of the Nistru River through increased economic opportunities and jobs creation;
• Community development mostly through capacity building is enhanced; joint existing platforms for cooperation between CSOs from both banks are further developed and supported to limit disparity;
• Culture (as a pilot sector) is used as a driver for development and confidence building and the Transnistria region is further and actively involved in Moldovan-wide sectoral initiatives to facilitate the future reintegration while limiting the development gap between both banks;
• Media are capable to co-produce locally attractive, qualitative and professional content for the good of both banks' socio-economic development.