Small Grants Award Ceremony for Civil Society Organizations from both banks of the Nistru River Peacebuilding Fund Project. Remarks of the UN Resident Coordinator for Moldova  Mr. Simon Springett .

Today’s event again highlights the strong and continued partnership and shared commitment between the United Nations, Moldovan Government, and civil society in advancing human rights, gender equality, and contributing to building trust, and social cohesion.

Since 2022, we have had a full-scale war in Ukraine, which has exacerbated multiple crisis – from economic to energy, from social to political, and to the humanitarian impacts of the influx of refugees, the alleviation of which has relied heavily on civil society organisations.

The impact of the ongoing war in Ukraine has been felt around the world and we fully recognizes the disproportional impact of the conflict on women and girls. After all, women and girls always play a key role as first responders, as well as agents of peace in crisis-affected communities.

Men have long been considered the dominant actor in peace processes. However, this needs to change as women’s participation in peace processes, negotiation, and mediation efforts are indispensable.

The statistics are very clear, when women participate in peace processes the outcomes are significantly better and longer lasting - greater inclusion of women in peace processes is a strategic imperative.

Sustainable peace will not be possible unless women are represented in political life and have a say in political dialogue, reconciliation, peacebuilding, and state-building processes.

We need to examine how to work together to find concrete ways to value and use the diverse expertise, experiences, roles, viewpoints, and contributions of women for peace.

Although women’s organizations and women’s participation contribute to stronger democracies and longer lasting peace after conflict, the support for women’s efforts to build and sustain peace and strengthen community resilience remain starkly under-funded.

UN Women – along with UNDP and OHCHR have joined efforts with the United Nations Peacebuilding Fund to advance further the Women, Peace and Security agenda in Moldova, strengthen capacities of actors engaged in the Transnistrian settlement process - but also to expand the crucial role of CSOs, especially women’s organizations, and community actors in peacebuilding processes.

Women-led and women’s rights organizations in Moldova contribute significantly to promoting social cohesion and community confidence restoration. The institutional funding being granted today to the six (6) organizations from both banks of Nistru river -– will strengthen the organizations and will enable more active participation in peacebuilding efforts in their communities, and beyond.

I am humbled by your dedication and your leadership as women in striving to build gender responsive and inclusive peace - your work must be recognized and valued.

On behalf of the United Nations, we wish you the best of luck in your important work and look forward to the new impetus this will bring in building more inclusive peace in local communities on both banks of the Nistru river, with full respect for Human Rights and Gender Equality