Moldovan PM chairs meeting of Millennium Challenge Fund’s Supervisory Board
Prime Minister Iurie Leanca today chaired a meeting of the Supervisory Board of the Millennium Challenge Fund Moldova. During the meeting, the officials discussed the policy on preventing and combating fraud and corruption risks, which will be enforced during the implementation of the Compact Programme, funded by the Millennium Challenge Corporation, the government’s communication and media relations department has reported.
The approved policy establishes the responsibilities of the Millennium Challenge Fund Moldova, as regards the prevention and counteraction of fraud and corruption cases in order to ensure the integrity of the Millennium Challenge Corporation’s funds and their appropriate use. According to the provisions of this policy, the Millennium Challenge Fund Moldova is obliged to carry out additional measures to prevent and increase vigilance during the implementation of the Compact Programme and report any fraud or corruption suspicions.
The Millennium Challenge Fund Moldova is currently implementing an action plan on the prevention, identification and counteraction of fraud and corruption risks the use of the Millennium Challenge Corporation’s funds might be exposed to. According to the information on the enforcement of the action plan in October 2012- June 2013, which had been presented during the meeting, the Millennium Challenge Fund Moldova uses transparent methods to carry out procurements, ensures a participatory decision-making process, involves communities in the monitoring of road rehabilitation and irrigation works, as provided in the Compact Programme.
The members of the board praised the anti-fraud mechanism the Millennium Challenge Fund Moldova is using. In this context, Leanca required the Transport and Road Infrastructure Ministry to carry out an anti-corruption and anti-fraud action plan for all the road infrastructure-related projects, based on the experience acquired within the Compact Programme. Subsequently, the Moldovan premier said this mechanism could be used in other sectors as well, in order to ensure a transparent and efficient use of the funds offered by foreign partners and the public budget.
Leanca also touched upon the employment of Moldovan citizens in road rehabilitation projects. Thus, the prime minister required responsible authorities to maximally use local labour force and train it in order to offer it higher qualified skills. In this context, the Millennium Challenge Fund Moldova told the Supervisory Board that several students of the Moldovan Technical University would participate in the rehabilitation works of the Sarateni-Soroca road segment starting with 1 June 2013. This way, students will be offered the opportunity to use their knowledge and get professional experience. Also, 60 per cent of the staff of the companies, which are responsible for the road rehabilitation works, is Moldovan.
During the same meeting, the Supervisory Board examined information on the implementation of the Compact activities, which revealed a string of progresses Moldova has achieved so far. In this context, the officials discussed the massive enforcement of rehabilitation works on Sarateni-Soroca road segment as well as the initiation of major construction works on this route, such as the Sarateni uneven cross-roads and the railway bridge near Ghindesti town.
Touching upon the rehabilitation of irrigation systems, the sides noted that rehabilitation and modernisation contracts of irrigation systems on the Dniester River, from Criuleni and Lopatna localities as well as Orhei district, have been signed so far. An international procurement contest for the rehabilitation of the irrigation stations from Jora de Jos, Cosnita, Puhaceni and Roscani villages, had been already announced. A contest for selecting the companies responsible for the rehabilitation of the irrigation systems on the Prut River, from Grozesti and Blindesti villages as well as Leova district, will be announced in early July 2013.
The Supervisory Board of the Millennium Challenge Fund Moldova includes representatives of the Moldovan government, representatives of the civil society and businessmen. It is the supreme decision-making body, as regards the management of the Compact Programme’s implementation. The total financial value of the Compact Programme reaches 262 million dollars. The programme is meant to help increase the income of the Moldovan population during 2010-2015, by investing in the development of the road infrastructure, rehabilitation of irrigation systems and boosting up the transition to a modern agriculture.
Adapted from moldpres