Soros Foundation–Moldova

The Soros Foundation–Moldova remained committed in 2006 to supporting activities and advocacy on critical open society issues such as rule of law, good governance, human rights, access to justice, and civil society development. The foundation’s operational and grant activities promoted reforms to increase local government accountability and encourage fiscal decentralization; built the capacity of independent media; increased transparency and citizen participation in decision-making; and strengthened communication among civil society groups and their participation in democratic processes. To help Moldovan European integration efforts, the foundation supported activities to make the country’s economic and political structures compatible with European standards for an open, democratic society.

The following briefs describe some of the foundation’s activities and achievements in 2006.

Court Ruling Strengthens Access to Information

In a case supported by the foundation, Moldova’s Supreme Court ruled that a state agency had unjustifiably classified its decisions on public expenditures and ordered the decisions to be published in the government’s official journal. While the information did not reveal any wrongdoing, the case prompted extensive public debate about excessive classification of government documents and spurred other efforts to use the courts to access public information.

Teenagers Take on Tobacco

An advocacy campaign developed by Moldovan NGOs focused on promoting tobacco control policies and making the public, particularly teenagers, aware of the dangers of smoking. The campaign, funded by the Soros Foundation–Moldova and the Swedish Agency for International Development, recruited and prepared teenagers to participate in activities such as establishing 20 “smoke-free” high schools.

Harm Reduction Expands in Moldovan Prisons

With the help of a local NGO, the Ministry of Justice added needle exchange and methadone treatment programs to two more prisons, bringing the total to 9 out of the 11 prisons where harm reduction programs are possible. By year’s end, harm reduction activities had raised prisoner awareness and knowledge of HIV and sexually transmitted infections, and increased prison officials’ tolerance for HIV-positive inmates.

Civil Society Weighs in on New Domestic-Violence Law

The foundation supported meetings for human rights experts, lawmakers, and women’s rights advocates to participate in developing the country’s first comprehensive domestic-violence law. The law’s significant features include provision of social services for survivors, rehabilitation for violators, and improvements for the use and accessibility of restraining orders.