Source: UNISDR Disaster Risk Reduction
This case study was collected through a Call for Good Practices on Reducing Risk across SDG Transitions, launched by the UN DRR Focal Points Group in 2024.
SDGs addressed: 11 (Sustainable Cities & Communities) | 13 (Climate Action)
Chișinău, Leova, Anenii Noi, Sîngera and Căușeni joined UNDRR’s Making Cities Resilient 2030 (MCR2030) network to tackle limited finance, data gaps and centralised decision-making. Through participatory workshops in 2020-24, municipal staff, emergency services and partners completed the Disaster Resilience Scorecard, identifying weaknesses in governance, data management and inclusive planning. The findings fed four city reports (two co-facilitated by IOM and UN Women) and catalysed the Chișinău Resilience Strategy 2024-2030, which embeds Leave-No-One-Behind principles.
Innovation & success Factors
- Structured diagnostics – scorecards translate complex resilience gaps into concrete priorities.
- Participatory approach – workshops engage mayors, finance, health & education staff, boosting ownership.
- Systems thinking – links planning, budgeting and data-sharing across departments.
Key impacts
- 4 city resilience reports endorsed (Leova, Anenii Noi, Sîngera, Căușeni).
- Chișinău Resilience Strategy 2024-2030 adopted by council.
- Raised awareness – mayors connect resilience goals to annual budgets.
- Gender & inclusion – Căușeni workshop analysed gender-budgeting gaps.
Lessons learned for replication or adaptation
- Scorecards simplify risk analysis for resource-constrained cities.
- Mayor buy-in is critical for policy adoption and financing.
- Peer-to-peer learning helps small cities overcome capacity gaps.
- Medium-term wins keep political interest alive beyond election cycles.
Organisations involved
- Lead UN entity: UNDRR
- Supporting UN agencies: IOM, UN Women (one workshop each)
- Local partners: City mayors & departments (health, education, finance), General Inspectorate for Emergency Situations (IGSU)
- Beneficiaries: Entire populations of the five participating cities (≈ 700 000), with a focus on women, the elderly and low-income groups.