Ambassador of Sweden to Moldova Anna Lyberg and UNDP Moldova Resident Representative Dima Al-Khatib have signed the $2.8 million project

The United Nations Development Programme, with the support of Sweden, has launched a new project that will contribute to strengthening the efficiency of justice services and improved access to justice for men and women in the Republic of Moldova, in particular from the vulnerable and marginalized groups. The project, with a budget of $2.8 million, will be implemented until 2022, in partnership with two non-governmental organizations: Institute for Penal Reforms and Invento.

The implementation partners will contribute to enhancing the coordination and collaboration among the key actors in the justice sector in four project intervention regions (Soroca, Criuleni, Cimislia and Comrat). Dialogue platforms will be created to identify solutions to enhance efficiency and access to justice. Training sessions will also be conducted for the justice sector professionals in the four districts, with the project’s support.

Four non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in the intervention regions will receive training and counseling, so that they can effectively participate in a constructive dialogue with the justice chain actors and proactively engage in claiming the rights of litigants. The partner NGOs will become a source of information and expertise for the local authorities, as well as for the men and women in the target communities.

Another project direction will include technical assistance to strengthening the capacities of national forensic institutions - the National Center for Judicial Expertise, the Forensic and Judicial Expertise Center of the General Police Inspectorate, and the Centre for Legal Medicine, so as to enhance their institutional efficiency and capacities to provide quality services. In addition, the legal framework on forensic expertise will be revised, and the national forensic institutions will benefit from support for obtaining and extending accreditation in accordance with the ISO standards for the investigations and examinations they perform. The project will also support the development of a forensic case management system (e-system), which will ensure interconnectivity with the e-systems of other justice chain actors.