The Institute for Democracy and Development (I4DD) marked the completion of the “Women Lead Development” project under the slogan “We Achieved Change Together.”The event concluded six months of activities focused on strengthening the capacities of women leaders and creating practical mechanisms for collaboration between local and national institutions.

The project brought together women mayors from the Security Zone and Gagauzia, representatives of law enforcement institutions, public authorities, and experts in key areas such as negotiation, mediation, and communication. The focus was on transforming knowledge into concrete initiatives for communities.

A distinctive feature of the project was its integrated approach: activities connected actors who rarely interact — local public administration, the security sector, and civil experts — creating a functional framework for dialogue and cooperation.

“The results of this project show that when there is a coherent framework and applied support, local initiatives can be accelerated and successfully implemented,”
said Cristina Lesnic, Director of I4DD and Project Manager.

Beyond the practical component, the project contributed to building an active professional community, where the exchange of experience among local women leaders became a key tool for mutual support and addressing shared challenges.

The project also included a reflection and expertise component, materialized in a publication bringing together contributions from 12 authors. It addresses key areas such as security, diplomacy, communication, and justice, offering applied perspectives grounded in field realities.

Development partners highlighted the methodological value of the project and its ability to integrate diverse actors into a coherent process.

“Bringing together such diverse groups in a short period of time and generating meaningful results demonstrates an effective intervention model,”,
stated Tatiana Chebac, Moldova BREN II Coordinator at IWPR.

The final event provided not only a retrospective of the activities but also a space to strengthen professional relationships built throughout the project, emphasizing the importance of continuity and long-term support for communities in the Security Zone.

Through its approach, “Women Lead Development” proposes a model based on interinstitutional cooperation, women’s leadership, and results-oriented action, demonstrating that local development can be accelerated when initiatives are supported by skills, networks, and trust.

This material was produced within the framework of the “Women Lead Development” project, funded through a grant provided by the Institute for War and Peace Reporting (IWPR), with the support of the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

The opinions, findings, and conclusions expressed herein belong to I4DD and do not necessarily reflect the views of IWPR or the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.