Moldovan municipalities engage in advancing disaster risk reduction and climate resilience
On December 9, 2025, UNDRR organized a workshop in the Republic of Moldova with local-level stakeholders on disaster risk reduction and climate action. The event brought together representatives from 11 city halls, including mayors, deputy mayors, and civil servants responsible for policy development in the field of disaster risk reduction.
The workshop was opened by David Baker from UNDRR, who highlighted global trends in the increasing number and cost of disasters, as well as the support available through UNDRR for the implementation of the Sendai Framework at the country level. A key emphasis of his address was the importance of locally led disaster risk reduction.
Mihai Grigorean, UNDRR technical expert, presented an overview of key UNDRR instruments relevant to the Moldovan context, including the National Disaster Risk Assessment in the Republic of Moldova and the Recovery Readiness Framework and Assessment Tool. Particular attention was given to the agricultural sector, which has been severely affected by recurrent droughts in recent years. Despite occurring in only about 1% of disaster cases, drought accounts for over 70% of total direct economic losses.
The workshop continued with three interactive sessions led by Stanislav Ghiletchi, local UNDRR consultant. The first session focused on integrating disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation into local development by discussing the main entry points for addressing causes of urban disasters. The second session examined the national policy framework for resilience, highlighting how national priorities are translated into local action. The last session presented the MCR2030 agenda and its relevance for Moldova, including the use of resilience scorecards, the Climate Finance GAP Fund, Resilience Hubs, and international resilience platforms such as the European Urban Resilience Forum and Europe and Central Asia Regional Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction.
The workshop concluded with a feedback questionnaire, which highlighted consistent priorities across participating municipalities. Local authorities emphasized significant gaps in staffing, financial resources, and actionable local resilience strategies, as well as the need for stronger integrated planning systems. Participants expressed strong interest in tools such as the MCR2030 framework, resilience scorecards, accessing the Climate GAP Fund, and collaboration with Resilience Hubs. They underscored that the most urgent needs for the coming years include targeted capacity-building, technical and financial assistance, improved cooperation with national institutions, and greater access to peer learning and exchange with other cities. Overall, the feedback demonstrated a clear readiness among local governments in Moldova to advance disaster and climate resilience, provided that adequate support and partnerships are in place.