The European Union (EU) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) have announced a new cohort of municipalities joining the Mission-Oriented Economy Programme under the broader Mayors for Economic Growth (M4EG) initiative. The programme aims to support local governments in Moldova and other Eastern Partnership countries by helping them design and implement long-term, mission-driven economic development strategies.
As part of this new phase, selected municipalities will begin a structured learning and implementation journey lasting up to one year. During this period, local authorities will work closely with UNDP experts to develop “mission-oriented portfolios,” which combine multiple coordinated projects, policy actions, and investments aimed at addressing complex local development challenges in a unified way.
The initiative provides financial support of up to around USD 60,000 per municipality, delivered in phases. This includes an initial seed grant of about USD 20,000 to design and test project ideas, followed by a possible additional growth grant of up to USD 40,000 to scale successful interventions and expand impact within local communities.
The selected municipalities from Moldova, Armenia, and Ukraine will focus on strengthening local economic resilience, improving governance capacity, and enhancing service delivery through innovation-driven development approaches. The programme encourages experimentation and collaboration between local governments, civil society, and development partners to create sustainable urban and regional growth models.
Launched by the EU in 2017 and implemented by UNDP since 2021, the M4EG initiative has expanded its network across Eastern Partnership countries, supporting hundreds of municipalities in designing innovative solutions for economic transformation, green transition, and inclusive development. The latest cohort continues this effort by scaling mission-based planning approaches to strengthen long-term regional resilience and investment readiness.
