About 30 Moldovan delegates, including mayors and representatives of mayoralties of the European initiatives The Mayors' Convention and Mayors for Economic Growth took part in the high-level conference "Municipalities for Sustainable Growth" in Kiev on 22-23 November. During the conference nearly 400 representatives of local and national authorities, associations of local authorities, partner organizations, etc. from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine, as well as representatives of the European Union, discussed the role of local authorities in identifying and addressing the complexity of sustainable development issues, economic resilience and climate action.

"It is wonderful to see that two key EU initiatives, the Covenant of Mayors and the Economic Growth Mayors joined together to bring more than 320 mayors from the Eastern Partnership region to Kiev. Throughout the world and across the EU, municipalities play an increasingly important role in making real changes on the ground, with a direct impact on citizens' living conditions", said Peter Wagner, Head of the Commission Support Group European Union for Ukraine.

According to Victor Parlicov, national expert of the Mayors' Convention in Moldova, during the conference, the participants discussed how the cities and municipalities of the Eastern Partnership can address issues such as adaptation to climate change, improving energy efficiency and building a dynamic and sustainable local economy.

"Two mayoralities in the Republic of Moldova - Ocnita and Cantemir - together with more than 50 mayoralties in the Eastern Partnership countries, have been awarded in Kiev for the impressive results achieved for dynamic, sustainable development and adapted to the needs of cities and communities," Victor Parlicov , national expert of the Mayors' Convention in Moldova.

During the conference, participants from the Eastern Partnership region identified and shared best practices to address global challenges through local solutions, and discussed the way forward in finding effective cooperative mechanisms and integrated approaches to future challenges. The event also created the opportunity to assess the progress made in implementing both European Initiatives in the Eastern Partnership countries, to examine the relationship between climate, energy and economic development and to discuss the future prospects of EU support for sustainable local growth.