Institutional framework and mechanism for coordinating foreign assistance agreed

The inter-ministerial committee for strategic planning created under a Government Decision of July 2009 is the senior functional institution that would manage and monitor the foreign assistance at the national level, it is said in the regulations concerning the institutional framework and mechanism for coordinating the foreign assistance provided to Moldova by international organizations and donor countries, which was approved by the Government at its last meeting, Info-Prim Neo reports. The regulations provide for the institution of the post of National Coordinator for the foreign, technical and financial assistance offered to Moldova. They say the State Chancellery will be the national authority that will coordinate the foreign assistance. There will be also instituted such posts as sectoral foreign assistance coordinators of foreign assistance programs and projects and sectoral foreign assistance councils created under partnerships (institution, donor, civil society, private sector), which will monitor and assess the programs and projects under implementation. The foreign assistance programs and projects will be registered by the Foreign Assistance and Policy Coordination Division, which will also administer the database. Minister of State Victor Bodiu said the institutional framework and mechanism for coordinating the foreign assistance will enable to eliminate the unauthorized requests for assistance and to better administer the assistance according to the national priorities. Under the regulations, Moldova will negotiate concessional loans, but will give preference to non-reimbursable technical and financial assistance (grants). The requests for foreign assistance accompanied by the required documents will be made exclusively by the National Coordinator. The foreign assistance projects will be strictly monitored. Conditions will be created for the central public authorities to more actively engage in the formulation of project proposals, their monitoring and assessment. Victor Bodiu also said that the implementation of the regulations will not imply additional costs.