The Embassy of Sweden in Chisinau in partnership with UNDP Moldova and BCTA Impact Lab have launched a pilot programme to support small and medium-sized enterprises in Moldova to harness business opportunities and social accountability deriving from the 2030 Agenda and the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The pilot programme includes workshops and mentoring for a period of up to 12 months for a limited number of companies selected based on a contest. At the same time, the involved companies will learn how to use a set of tools designed to accelerate the innovation in business.

“The involvement of private sector is essential to ensure sustainability and to reach the Sustainable Development Goals. We hope that this unique pilot programme will bring benefits to people and businesses in Moldova. Sweden is a strong promoter of Agenda 2030 as well as the UN Guiding Principles of Business and Human Rights and this program is part of our work to put these policies into practice,” says Anna Lyberg, the Ambassador of Sweden in Chisinau.

The call for participation in the programme and the Applicant’s Guide may be found here. The deadline to submit the application is 16 September 2019, 18.00.

The companies participating in the SDG Accelerator will benefit from international training on business modelling, business innovation and new products/services development. Also, these will have access to a set of unique tools developed in Denmark, designed to promote innovation in business.

“The Programme will provide mentoring, as well as technical support to companies that see innovation as an irreplaceable component of their business.  Moreover, we will explore cooperation opportunities with selected companies as well as within other UNDP projects in Moldova,” mentions Dumitru Vasilescu, Policy Specialist at the UNDP Moldova.

The project follows the operation model of the Danish SDG Accelerator for SMEs from Denmark that involves 30 small and medium-sized companies from Danish industries in developing new SDG-related business solutions.

BCTA Impact Lab is a platform created and managed by the UNDP for inclusive companies to measure and manage better their impact on the SDGs.