European Local Democracy Week on letters from today

On the initiative of the State Chancellery, the state-run company “Moldova’s Post Office” launched a postage stamp dedicated to the European Local Democracy Week within the National Conference “Role of the LPAs in Ensuring the Human Rights and Gender Equality at Local Level” that took place on October 13, Info-Prim Neo reports. “The postage stamps, besides the main role of being means of payment for postal charges, play an important role in sending messages about the events. This envelope and stamp dedicated to the European Local Democracy Week, when sent to colleagues, friends and acquaintance abroad, will convey our message about this event and about Moldova,” said Vadim Cebanu, director general of IS “Moldova’s Post Office”. The stamp worth 1.20 lei represents Moldova’s map with districts, the country’s flag and the flag of the EU. The drawing in the left upper part of the envelope represents the same symbols. Vadim Cebanu said that this initiative is the second of the kind. The first one was implemented in 2008, also within the European Local Democracy Week. According to him, a special stamp dedicated to the European Local Democracy Week will be put on all the exit letters of the central office of “Moldova’s Post Office” in the municipality of Chisinau. UN Resident Coordinator in Moldova Kaarina Immonen said the initiative to launch the postage stamp and the envelope is a good one as it will help promote Moldova’s image and the positive measures taken by the local public authorities to promote democracy. The European Local Democracy Week (October 10-16) is a European event within which the authorities of the 47 Council of Europe member states organize activities to engage the people in discussions of common interest in order to promote and catalyze the democratic participation at local level and to promote the human rights as fundamental elements of local democracy. The European Local Democracy Week is organized by the State Chancellery with the support of the development partners – the Government of Sweden, UNDP and UN Women within the Joint Integrated Local Development Program. The Joint Integrated Local Development Program supports the Government of Moldova in its decentralization efforts and in the process of strengthening local autonomy and aims to ensure equal benefits for the underprivileged groups, including the discriminated, socially excluded and marginalized people, as a result of decentralization and local development.