Expand and innovate participatory budgeting in Leova to ensure broader citizen inclusion, transparent decision-making, and sustainable community development. (MDLEO0001)

Commitment ID

MDLEO0001

Commitment Title

Expand and innovate participatory budgeting in Leova to ensure broader citizen inclusion, transparent decision-making, and sustainable community development.

Problem

Leova has gained valuable experience with participatory budgeting in recent years, yet the process has so far reached mainly the town level. With the ongoing amalgamation process, there is a need to extend the benefits of participatory budgeting to all localities, ensuring that the enlarged community can take active part in decision-making. It is also important to capture lessons learned from previous cycles and build on successful practices. At the same time, the process needs further innovation by introducing new thematic areas such as climate change, youth engagement, active ageing, accessibility, and green urbanism. Stronger mechanisms are needed to connect digital and offline participation, ensure direct feedback through community visits and consultations, and provide transparent information on results. In addition, a more sustainable allocation of resources, including an increased and clearly defined budget share, is necessary to consolidate participatory budgeting as a driver of open, inclusive, and sustainable local governance.

Status quo

Leova is becoming one of the pioneers of participatory budgeting in Moldova. Participatory budgeting is fully aligned with local strategic documents, including the Local Development Strategy and the Sustainable Energy and Climate Action Plan (gender-sensitive), contributing to the achievement of sustainable development goals and the implementation of commitments undertaken at both national and international levels. This practice has mobilized citizens to propose and vote on community projects. Results have been shared through social media and community reports, which strengthened trust and awareness. However, the process has so far focused mostly on town residents, while the current amalgamated localities requires expansion to the broader community. A dedicated digital platform with a complete archive, interactive maps, and real-time monitoring is not yet in place. Thematic rounds on issues such as climate change, youth engagement, active ageing, and accessibility have not been introduced. Previous cycles generated valuable lessons, but these have not yet been fully systematized and integrated.

Action

This commitment expands and innovates participatory budgeting in Leova by engaging the entire amalgamated community and consolidating lessons from previous editions. It will raise awareness through targeted communication, develop a youth-led case study, and launch a dedicated digital platform with an archive, interactive maps, real-time monitoring, and online voting. Regular municipal visits and offline consultations will ensure inclusiveness and direct feedback. The process will also introduce thematic rounds on climate change, youth, active ageing, accessibility, and green urbanism, while securing a fixed share of the local budget. A community monitoring group will oversee implementation, and knowledge exchanges with other localities and the OGP Local network will foster learning. Annual public progress reports will sustain transparency, strengthen accountability, and embed participatory budgeting as a long-term pillar of open and sustainable local governance.

How will the commitment contribute to solving the public problem described above?

By extending participatory budgeting to the entire amalgamated community, the commitment will ensure equal access for all residents to influence local priorities. Expected outputs include a dedicated digital platform allowing community monitoring and voting, youth-led case study, thematic rounds on climate, youth, and accessibility, regular community visits, and annual public progress reports. These outputs will lead to outcomes such as stronger citizen participation, institutionalized transparency, more inclusive decision-making, and increased accountability of local authorities. The process will also create sustainable mechanisms for direct feedback and oversight through community monitoring groups. In the broader context, this commitment contributes to Moldova’s European integration aspirations by embedding EU values of open governance, civic participation, and public accountability at the local level, supporting the country’s path toward EU accession by 2030.

What long-term goal as identified in your Open Government Strategy does this commitment relate to?

This commitment directly contributes to the long-term goal of building an open, inclusive, and sustainable system of local governance in Leova, where all citizens of the amalgamated community can actively shape local priorities. By institutionalizing participatory budgeting with digital and offline mechanisms, dedicated resources, thematic rounds, and citizen monitoring, the municipality seeks to strengthen transparency, accountability, and trust. The long-term vision is to integrate participatory practices into all stages of local decision-making, ensure alignment with the Sustainable Development Goals, and reinforce Moldova’s European path by promoting the values of openness, civic participation, and responsiveness. This commitment is a cornerstone in establishing participatory budgeting as a permanent pillar of democratic local governance that serves as a model for other communities in Moldova.

Primary Policy Area

Fiscal Openness, Social Accountability

Primary Sector

Environment & Climate, Public Services (general)

What OGP value is this commitment relevant to?