RIGA, Jan 3 (LETA) - The Central Finance and Contracting Agency (CFLA), has signed the first Multi-Partner Contribution Agreement (MPCA) in development cooperation, LETA learned from the agency representatives.

This is the first agreement since CFLA gained pillar accreditation from the European Commission, which stipulates that CFLA can manage direct funding from the EC.

"For us, CFLA, this is significant next step since gaining accreditation. Accreditation - the official confirmation of the quality of our financial management system - has been followed by practical involvement very soon. This agreement marks the first of, what we hope, will be many projects as an accredited development cooperation agency. The agreement signed together with the partners is essential, as it promises a significant increase in capacity in Central Asia in the field of digitalization," CFLA director Anita Krumina said.

The MPCA was signed together with partners from France (Expertise France), Estonia (e-Governance Academy), and Lithuania (Central Project Management agency) and its main focus is on meaningful capacity raising in Central Asia in the field of digitalization.

This is a massive step for CFLA, as this marks the first of many projects as an accredited agency. CFLA will participate in two of the four components of the project, leading one of them, a group focusing on transparent and inclusive access to public and private connectivity services, with a special focus on rural regions, gender equality and marginalized groups.

CFLA will also collaborate bilaterally with Expertise France, implementing a project component that focuses on promoting the sustainable use of satellite technologies to support the local digital innovation sector and address local challenges.

The ‘Team Europe Initiative on Digital Connectivity in Central Asia’ has been established to address various challenges in the region. The initiative aims to increase capacity regarding digital connectivity, specifically focusing on rural regions and disadvantaged groups offering them the opportunities they otherwise would not get. Other parts of the initiative include improving local legislation, working with higher education institutions to strengthen academic capacity in digital connectivity, as well the creation of local access points as a pilot project to help rural communities connect to the World Wide Web and to test whether such solutions are needed in the region.