#WeAreMoldova – National Campaign for Strengthening Social Cohesion and Interethnic Dialogue in the Republic of Moldova
The “ #WeAreMoldova – National Campaign for Strengthening Social Cohesion and Interethnic Dialogue in the Republic of Moldova ” project was implemented by the Centre for Civic Initiatives for National Minorities (ICPMN) with the support of Switzerland within the framework of the COSMA programme. The project partner was the Agency for Interethnic Relations of the Republic of Moldova (ARI).
The problem addressed by the project: The Republic of Moldova is a multi-ethnic country inhabited by Moldovans/Romanians, Gagauz, Bulgarians, Ukrainians, Roma and representatives of other ethnic communities. Despite the significant potential of ethnic and cultural diversity, the lack of direct interaction between communities, persistent stereotypes, the politicisation of ethnic issues and disinformation contribute to mutual distrust and social polarisation.
Among the Moldovan/Romanian majority, there remains a perception that autonomous regions and national minorities are primarily focused on their own interests and are insufficiently integrated into national processes. Within national minority communities, there is, in turn, a perception that central authorities do not sufficiently take their needs and cultural specificities into account. The lack of direct communication and joint initiatives contributes to the persistence of such stereotypes and creates a favourable environment for disinformation and political manipulation.
As a result, a vicious circle is formed: a lack of knowledge and communication leads to the growth of stereotypes and prejudices, which can be used for political purposes, increasing alienation between communities, reducing social cohesion and weakening trust in democratic institutions.
The goal of the project was to reduce social polarisation and strengthen trust between different ethnic communities in the Republic of Moldova by developing interethnic dialogue, encouraging direct interaction between communities, engaging young people and implementing a national information campaign promoting social cohesion, mutual respect and a shared civic identity.
The project included a set of interconnected activities combining national dialogue, work with young people, interethnic exchanges and a large-scale information campaign.
One of the central activities was the National Forum of Ethnic Minorities, which brought together representatives of ethnic communities from different regions of the Republic of Moldova, central and local authorities, civil society, the media and international partners. The Forum addressed social cohesion in the context of political polarisation, the participation of ethnic communities in the country’s development, existing barriers to interethnic dialogue and mechanisms for cooperation between state institutions and national minorities.
An important component of the project was the national media campaign “We Are Moldova – Stories of Cohesion”. As part of the campaign, the main #WeAreMoldova video was created in five languages—Romanian, Russian, Gagauz, Ukrainian and Bulgarian, promoting the idea of unity and a shared belonging to the Republic of Moldova regardless of ethnic origin.
The project also produced and distributed 10 Human Stories featuring representatives of different ethnic communities in the Republic of Moldova. Through real-life stories, the campaign presented positive examples of civic activism, entrepreneurship, work in local communities, journalism, youth leadership and interethnic interaction. The media component brought the topic of social cohesion beyond individual events and reached a broad audience through social networks and other information platforms.
A separate component was the “50 Young Ambassadors of Social Cohesion” programme, which brought together 50 young people aged 18 to 35 representing different ethnic groups and regions of the Republic of Moldova. Participants took part in an educational programme covering democracy and civic participation, human rights and non-discrimination, social cohesion and intercultural dialogue, conflict resolution and mediation, leadership, work with local communities and media literacy.
The programme created a network of young leaders capable of promoting social cohesion, civic participation and interethnic dialogue in their communities.
As part of the “We Are Moldova – Open Us” initiative, 5 interethnic exchange visits were organised to create direct contact between residents of localities with different ethnic compositions. Participants learned about one another’s culture, traditions and everyday lives and took part in open discussions, cultural events, workshops and joint activities.
Unlike traditional events dedicated to interethnic dialogue, the Open Us format focused specifically on direct human interaction. Representatives of different communities had the opportunity to communicate directly, ask questions, discuss existing perceptions and stereotypes and identify shared interests. This approach helped move interethnic dialogue from the institutional level to the level of individuals and local communities.
As a result of the project:
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a national space for dialogue was created between ethnic communities, state institutions, civil society and international partners;
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representatives of different ethnic and regional communities gained new opportunities for direct interaction and cooperation;
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a national multilingual information campaign was implemented, promoting positive examples of interethnic interaction and shared civic identity;
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the main #WeAreMoldova video was created in five languages, together with a series of 10 Human Stories about representatives of different ethnic communities;
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50 young representatives of different ethnic groups and regions completed the “Young Ambassadors of Social Cohesion” programme;
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5 interethnic exchange visits were organised, allowing representatives of different communities to get to know one another through direct communication and joint activities;
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young leaders’ knowledge of democracy, human rights, civic participation, intercultural dialogue, mediation and media literacy was strengthened;
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new connections were created between young people, local communities, authorities and civil society organisations;
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the project contributed to breaking down existing stereotypes and forming a more positive perception of Moldova’s ethnic diversity.
The #WeAreMoldova project demonstrated that strengthening social cohesion requires not only public discussion of problems, but also opportunities for direct interaction between people. Combining national dialogue, youth leadership, interethnic exchanges and a positive media campaign made it possible to address both the causes of social distance and existing stereotypes.
As a result, the project contributed to building new connections between representatives of different ethnic communities and promoting an approach in which ethnic diversity is seen not as a factor of division, but as an integral part of a shared civic identity and the democratic development of the Republic of Moldova.
