City hall of Cahul, Ungheni municipalities certified for quality management, anti-bribe

Chisinau, 5 December /MOLDPRES/ - The Cahul and Ungheni city halls, for the first time for Moldova, are the first two local public authorities to receive the ISO certificates for the Integrated System of Quality Management and Anti-bribery Management, according to the standards ISO 9001 and ISO 37001. The process of certification was backed by the programme, EU4Moldova: Focal Regions, financed by EU and implemented by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).   
The handing over of the ISO certificates today took place at the national conference titled, Good governance, transparency and anticorruption locally. The event brought together over 45 guests: development partners, governmental central and local authorities, international and local experts, as well as representatives of the academic environment.     
Issued by the International Organization for Standardization (IOS), the Anti-bribery Management Certificate ISO 37001 confirms that the local public authorities have a management system which includes corruption prevention instruments, establishing a culture of integrity and transparency for the carrying out of internal controls, which will enhance the changes of preventing the taking of bribe and reduce its incidence. The Integrated Quality Management System ISO 9001 confirms that the local public authorities have a system of management of quality in the organization and providing of public services, improving the performance on the whole.     
„The way to the good governance, transparency and a society without corruption is a continuous effort. This requires cooperation, commitment and constant improvement on behalf of everybody:  public authorities, civil society, enterprises and citizens. The certificates received today are not only symbols of achievements, but also catalysts for advancing, in continuation, in our common goal of a having a more transparent and more responsible local governance,’’ UNDP Resident Representative in Moldova Daniela Gasparikova said.  
During 2020-2023, the city halls of Cahul and Ungheni benefited from the support of the programme, EU4Moldova: Focal Regions, in the implementation of the local plans of anticorruption action and implementation of the principles of the internal managerial control. All these help for the integration of the good practices and the principles of good governance in the administration of local communities.  
„As we advance, the European Union stays committed to back Moldova in its efforts of consolidation of the good governance, transparency and combating corruption at all levels, including at the level of the local communities and of the citizens from Cahul and Ungheni. We are confident that we can together build a future in which these principles should be deeply incorporated in the mentality of the Moldovan society,’’ a programme manager at the European Union’s Delegation in Moldova, Jan Demidovits-Mekelainen, said.  
The programme, EU4Moldova: Focal Regions (2019-2024) supports the smart, inclusive and sustainable social and economic development in the Cahul and Ungheni regions, in order to ensure a better quality of life. The budget has an overall budget of 23 million euros; it is financed by the European Union and is implemented by UNDP and UNICEF.