Four innovative solutions will be realized in Moldova thanks to the Czech Challenge Fund, implemented by UNDP, with financial support from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Czech Republic. Each initiative will be awarded with up to US$40,000 and will be carried out by November 2024.

The Czech Challenge Fund aims to transfer Czech know-how and innovative solutions to address development challenges in Moldova and contribute to the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). 

The four projects selected for financing in 2024 are:

• The Czech NGO Caritas in collaboration with the authorities of the Bilicenii Vechi village will develop and install a rainwater harvesting system to improve the resilience of the village to natural disasters and promote sustainable development.
• The Czech company Big Terra in collaboration with the National Association for Rural Development in Moldova will pioneer regenerative viticulture in Moldova and enhance resilience and sustainability against climate challenges.
• The Czech NGO Arnika in partnership with the Civil Society Association “BIOTICA” will address the challenge of managing protected landscapes with limited resources, modernizing networks, and advancing environmental governance.
• The Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Experimental Botany will work on transcriptome analysis of pathogen-resistant tomatoes with scientists from the Moldova State University, harnessing RNA sequencing technology to spread the resistance to other genotypes of tomatoes.

“We are grateful to implement projects with significant potential, relevant for both sides and across many areas, which can improve the functioning of local communities. Particular attention has been given to green technologies and climate change, which is going to increasingly affect our lives,” mentioned Jana Kostrounova, Programme Specialist of the Czech-UNDP Partnership for SDGs at UNDP Regional Bureau for Europe and Central Asia. 

The partnership of UNDP with the Czech Republic supports innovative solutions from Czech Republic’s private sector, non-governmental organizations, universities, state institutions, research centers, and individuals. The Czech Challenge Fund projects focus on solving specific development challenges in six partner countries (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Moldova, Ethiopia, Cambodia, Zambia). The implementation is financially supported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic. In Moldova, the Czech Challenge Fund has already supported 21 projects.