One UN Joint Action in Human Rights in the Transnistrian region 2019-2022 (III)

- from the first days of the war in Ukraine, with the support of the One UN Joint Action, an information and humanitarian campaign to help refugees "Let's help as much as we can!" was launched. More than 10 members of platform joined the initiative. Every single day, information about aid for refugees provided by organizations, as well as announcements of humanitarian aid collections, are published. Among the beneficiaries are about 500 Roma people along with numerous Ukrainian women and children, as well as people with disabilities and older people. UNODC Moldova supports the efforts of the authorities and host communities to respond to the needs of refugees from Ukraine. As part of the humanitarian action launched by the agency, with the funds reallocated from the One UN Joint Action, mattresses and bedding sets were purchased to equip temporary accommodation centers for refugees from Ukraine opened throughout the country. - in 2022 five human rights projects were successful completed in Transnistrian region. The projects funded by Sweden under the One UN Joint Action were aimed to promote the socio-economic empowerment of vulnerable groups, especially people with disabilities, Roma people, people living with HIV, survivors of domestic violence on both banks of Nistru River. - in 2022 sixteen prisoners recently released from penitentiary institutions have received social and humanitarian assistance under the One UN Joint Action for the provision of services for prisoners after release from both banks of the Nistru River, for their rehabilitation and social reintegration. The initiative was implemented by the NGO Positive Initiative. Programmes to support the social integration of prisoners after release were the subject of a seminar of exchange of experience between representatives of organizations from both banks of the Nistru River - "Positive Initiative" (Chiinu), "Center "Trinity" (Râbnia)m and Regional Centre for Community Policy "Bertam Grup" (Chiinu). The participants shared views on the difficulties of integration in the labour market, as well as social reintegration, faced by prisoners after release. - as part of the campaign dedicated to women's rights, five civic activists from Transnistrian region, members of the Sustainable (Community) Development Platform, as well as their colleagues from the right bank, talk about women's power, how to combine professional and family responsibilities, about difficulties and major achievements of their organizations. Their stories are extraordinary and inspiring to promote women's rights. - in the public places of Tiraspol, for the first time, art benches of "equal opportunities" were installed. Now, people with disabilities who are using wheelchairs will be able to comfortably and on an equal footing with others sit on a bench without standing out among their companions. The "equal opportunities" benches are designed with a space for wheelchair in the middle, next to the two regular seats. The project was implemented by the NGO "Alliance for Public Health" within the framework of the One UN Joint Action. - new standards for HIV prevention services to high-risk groups were adopted in the Transnistrian region.The document establishes a set of regulations, the list and procedure of the HIV prevention services for high-risk groups on the left bank of the Nistru River. The purpose of providing these services is to control and reduce the behavioral risks of HIV infection among people from high-risk groups: drug users, sex workers, men who have sex with men. - the UN Media Academy corrects this gap, namely, it trains journalists to properly convey information about human rights to each of us. Within the framework of the fourth Media Academy, 15 participants from both banks of the Dniester/Nistru River were trained. Journalists, bloggers and public relations specialists received a three-day training course on human rights, gender equality and non-discrimination against minorities and other vulnerable groups. Based on the best practices, human rights experts got acquainted with the human rights approach in journalism. - to create a personal assistant service on the left bank of the Nistru River, UNDP Moldova supported several initiatives of local non-governmental organizations within the One UN Joint Action, funded by Sweden. The CSO "From Equal to Equal" from Parcani village was engaged in setting up parent clubs, in familiarizing with the service civil society and parents caring for children with severe disabilities. The CSO has also estimated the needed costs for the implementation of the service. - respecting the women rights living with HIV on both banks of the Nistru River, support provided within the "Mentoring Program for Women Living and Vulnerable to HIV" project were the main topics of the event "New Me!". The event was organized in the framework of the One UN Joint Action, funded by Sweden. The activity is implemented by UNAIDS Moldova. - more than 20 teachers of the Centre of Excellence in Medicine and Pharmaceuticals Raisa Pacalo from Chiinu, as well as medical colleges from Cahul, Balti, Orhei and Ungheni took part in a training programme to tackle stigma and discrimination. The trainings included modules on effective communications, assertive methods of communication, building and ensuring constructive communication. - the best practices in the field of assisted employment of people with disabilities were familiarized with civil activists from the left bank of Nistru, members of the Platform for Sustainable (Community) Development, in the framework of a two-day study visit in Chisinau.Participants learned more about international and national regulations on the employment of people with disabilities, subventions for their employment of and the adaptation of jobs. Also, experts of the Centre for the Rights of People with Disabilities in Moldova shared their experience in providing support in employment of people with disabilities.

The intervention's objectives are based on Thomas Hammarberg's report on human rights in the Transnistrian region delivered in 2013 and its follow-up conclusions formulated in 2018. This intervention is built on the results and lessons learned in the previous project supported by Sweden in 2016-2018 in the Transnistrian region of the Republic of Moldova (a breakaway region).   The project intends to foster commitment at the level of the decision-makers in the Transnistrian region and civil society for human rights-oriented reforms in general and particularly in the area of disability, child’s rights, Roma, rights of people living with and affected by HIV, rights of prisoners, and people in prisons, vulnerable women and rights of people who use drugs, facilitating the establishment of multidimensional cooperation, cross-river knowledge exchange and development based on best practices existing on both banks of River Nistru (the left bank being the Transnistrian region). The Confidence Building approach represents the main tool to connect professionals, individuals and institutions (when possible) from both banks to build trust between parties in the protracted conflict (the Transnistrian post conflict situation).   The actual assessment is that duty bearers (in areas mentioned above), including service providers at multiple levels lack knowledge of human rights of the vulnerable ones and implementation capacity, encountering human and economic resources capacity gaps. The rights holders are not aware of their rights and do not participate in the decision-making processes affecting their lives. Hence, the involvement of the civil society in developing regulatory frameworks, in changing perceptions, in developing and piloting transferable services to the de facto authorities, in monitoring the implementation of human rights commitments of the duty bearers and advocating for ensuring the social inclusion of the most vulnerable ones is imperative. It is of paramount importance to enhance the capacity of organizations from both sides for joint programme work, as it is quite limited, based on priorities and development needs of both sides of the Nistru river. Thus, the programme will contribute to reducing inequalities for women, men and children in the Transnistrian region (impact) by ensuring that vulnerable human rights holders are empowered to exercise their rights and duty bearers respect, protect and fulfil human rights to a larger extent (outcome). The project’s integrated approach targeting to work at the individual, institutional and societal levels by increasing the capacities of rights holders to exercise their rights (Output 1), increasing the capacities of duty bearers to fulfil their human rights obligations (Output 2) and enhancing the human rights culture in the Transnistrian region (Output 3) will lead to creating an enabling environment for an effective exercise of human rights of vulnerable groups in the Transnistrian region. The following results are expected to be achieved:Output 1. Increased capacities of vulnerable rights holders to exercise their human rights- Enhanced human rights skills and knowledge of vulnerable rights holders- Strengthened institutional capacity of partner CSOs and informal groups - Improved service delivery of CSOsOutput 2. Increased capacities of duty bearers to fulfil their human rights obligations- Enhanced human rights compliant regulatory framework in the region - Strengthened human rights institutions: Ombudsman institution - Improved service delivery of duty bearersOutput 3. Enhanced human rights culture in the Transnistrian region- Enhanced human rights capacity of the media- Raised human rights awareness The work on redressing the human rights situation in the Transnistrian region is aligned with a number of SDGs: SDG1 (no poverty), SDG3 (good health and wellbeing), SDG4 (quality education), SDG5 (gender equality), SDG10 (reduced inequalities), SDG16 (peace, justice and strong institutions). The Programme also aims to contribute to the implementation of the National Human Rights Action Plan 2018-2022. Taking into account the role of the Bureau for Reintegration Policies in identifying and including of human rights priority issues on the negotiation agenda, the project will periodically update the Bureau for Reintegration Policies during the project's Steering Committee meetings and ad-hoc when needed with regard to the developments in the human rights field generated with the support of the Programme and the human rights situation in Transnistria in general.