1. The issue of the functionality of state power institutions in the pandemic and post-pandemic period, worldwide, and in the Republic of Moldova in particular, needs to be further researched in order to properly conceptualize the COVID-19 pandemic currently underway, but also to highlight viable and plausible solutions to get out of the multidimensional crisis, including by strengthening the functional capacities of state institutions, because it is very important how to capitalize on the experience gained by state institutions, what programs and strategies will be developed and implemented to prevent such multidimensional crises as the one generated by COVID-19. 2. The COVID-19 pandemic, which has spread and reached a global level very quickly, is still far from being overcome, with socio-cultural, economic and political repercussions and consequences essential for man and society. One of the most important consequences refers to the formation of a new relationship between citizen and state, which highlights the activity of the state, interaction, communication with citizens and the level of citizen participation in the management of society’s affairs. It is an extreme test of the limits of the capacities of state institutions in the conditions of activating the multiple risks for the state, society and citizen. 3. The development of the Republic of Moldova in the post-pandemic period will be very diffi cult and will directly affect the majority of the population. The virus that causes COVID-19 disease is spreading rapidly and has affected not only the economic structure, but also the political and social structure of the Republic of Moldova. Given the current situation, it is necessary to act decisively: to take effective measures to stabilize the situation. Therefore, there is a need to effectively predict the consequences, to fi nd ways to minimize the negative impact of the pandemic and to study the long-term social changes. 4. Politically, the COVID-19 pandemic acts as a trigger for the start of processes, for example, the acceleration and approach of early elections in the coming years, as a result of the amalgamation of economic and epidemiological crises, rising poverty and unemployment, etc., because the population faces the derisory level of quality of government which, in the last resort, affects the quality of life of its citizens. As a result, the international isolation of the Republic of Moldova is expected to be inevitable, especially from the European community. 5. In the context of the study, it was scientifi cally proven that in the society of the Republic of Moldova, but also globally, a state of anxiety persists that arises from a situation of uncertainty and mistrust in the future. Anxiety is determined not only by the risk of infection, but also by negative consequences, mainly economic, which indicates a high degree of sensitivity of citizens to all changes. 6. The imposed restrictions, the general panic, intensifi ed worldwide democratic slippages and tendencies to strengthen authoritarian regimes, reduced the area of human rights spread and diminished the degree of personal freedom, with imminent political repercussions. Thus, the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the slippage of the human safety system and the human security system in terms of public health protection, both globally, through the contradictory performance of the WHO, and locally, with negative and long-term consequences. Through the shoulder, human security policy must become a viable strategy for building, including in the Republic of Moldova, a functional human security system, capitalizing on the logistical and methodological contribution that human security theory and practice are able to offer to socio-political and decisional factors.7. The pandemic has led to a signifi cant transformation in many areas of social life. Poverty is an important socio-economic aspect of the pandemic. Freelancers, small and medium-sized enterprises, which did not cease their activity in the previous periods of crisis, but have transformed and survived in competition, are most affected. The consumption basket of citizens is drastically reduced. The most vulnerable category to the impact of the pandemic was the elderly population. On the one hand, the longterm impact of the self-isolation regime, the restrictive measures imposed and the lack of the possibility of full-time work (offl ine); on the other hand, the harmful effect of an aggressive information environment - all this together caused a state of suffering and led to the exacerbation of many psychosomatic diseases, as well as the appearance of emotional disorders. 8. Access to information is becoming a new factor of social segregation. Through the media channels there was a dissemination of all kinds of information about the pandemic, coming from various sources, including rumors, gossip and other unconfi rmed information, which provoked fears and panic among the population. Deliberately, the situation was destabilized, were spread rumors, the population was misinformed, fake news, false facts and data were circulated on social networks. It highlights young people with modest material resources, who are generally very good at fi nding and analyzing information due to education, profession, skills and knowledge of foreign languages. This inequality in access to information has amplifi ed the negative effects on the vulnerable part of the population. Such a negative refl ection of the situation inhibits progress and social development, generating unpredictability and uncertainty. 9. Access to online networks has been shown to adversely affect compliance with social distance measures. More intensive use of social media can be confusing, expose people to fake news, and therefore reduce compliance. With the transition to the online format of many economic fi elds, many people have lost their jobs, and the factor of emotional exhaustion and the erasure of clear boundaries between personal life and work began to appear much more often. 10. Confi dence in institutions, such as the health system and the government, has had a positive impact on compliance with social distancing measures. Socio-economic characteristics, such as employment, had a signifi cant positive impact on respect for social distance. Moreover, people in danger and retirees were more likely to follow the rules of social distancing. The application of well-targeted guidelines to more skeptical individuals should help increase compliance with anti-epidemiological measures. 11. The use in the research process of the prospective historiographical method regarding the construction of the periodization of the COVID-19 phenomenon showed that during the pandemic period the health crisis degenerated into a regional security crisis in Southeast Europe, especially in the Black Sea region and in the post-Soviet space, being amplifi ed the risks and threats that will exist during the entire presence of the COVID-19 phenomenon, in the conditions of accentuating the geopolitical rivalry between the great powers. In this geopolitical context, it is inevitable to undermine the stability of the regional security environment, as well as to reduce the level of ensuring the institutional capacity of the national security and defense system of the Republic of Moldova to counter the challenges posed by the COVID-19 phenomenon. 12. Ensuring the institutional sustainability of the politico-military cooperation relations between the Republic of Moldova and the North Atlantic Alliance and intensifying the process of consolidating the national security and defense system of the Republic of Moldova, especially in the conditions of the COVID-19 crisis, but also in the context of worsening of diplomatic relations between the West and the Russian Federation, which requires a new approach, at the level of the political class as well as at the level of society, much more pragmatic, consistent and compromising that would guarantee a clear long-term geopolitical perspective of ensuring national security. 13. The geopolitical dimension of the national security of the Republic of Moldova involves updating the geopolitical status of permanent neutrality that substantiates and institutionalizes the national security and defense system and must ensure a high degree of its functionality to defend independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity. The institutional capacity of the national security and defense system of the Republic of Moldova to overcome geopolitical threats on its own, but also the regional security crisis triggered by the COVID-19 phenomenon is low, the alternative being to examine the opportunity to collectively combat these challenges. It is an imperative need for the realization of the vital interests of the Republic of Moldova and a fundamental issue for ensuring national security. 14. It is clear that mere knowledge of the risks is not suffi cient in the context of the current pandemic to combat it effectively. Is needed also a political will to protect people from the consequences of the epidemic, to take steps to save lives and build a safer world. In this context, the capacity of the Republic of Moldova to effectively prevent, detect and respond to security challenges is signifi cantly limited by the international environment, characterized by increased risk. Consequently, in the conditions of the pandemic, there were important changes in the health security system of the Republic of Moldova. 15. The process of modernization, of adjusting to the time imperatives of the international and national security system, is a continuous one and constantly requires new ideas and proposals for improvement and effi ciency, because in the contemporary period, especially in the context of the expansion of COVID-19 pandemic, ensuring human security and personal safety has become a complex and multidimensional concern, incorporating such components as personal security, health, environmental, food, community, political and economic security.1. In order to mitigate the negative impact of the pandemic on the functioning of state power, it is necessary to coordinate the actions of policy makers with the activities of civil servants in the implementation of public policies. In the conditions of the pandemic crisis, which has damaged the economic, social and political life, a transparent, responsible, professional, effi cient and receptive government is urgently needed. Thus, administrative capacity can be strengthened by improving decision-making processes, ensuring better enforcement, assuming political will in coordinating the legislative framework, promoting democratic reforms that can lead on the one hand, to accountability of decision makers and proactive participation of citizens in socio-political life and, in particular, in the decision-making process, and to the need to respect the commitments made by our country in the context of the Association Agreement with the EU, on the other. 2. Democratic governance means both strengthening the institutions of state power so that they adapt to changes in political, economic and social life, and promoting political democracy, leading to the participation and accountability of political decisionmakers in the act of governing, especially in the context of the crisis caused by COVID-19. Systemic changes are driven by the realization in practice of the new development paradigm, the dynamic transformations of the needs of society to achieve good governance and effi cient, highly professional, institutions of state power. The priority strategic direction of development must become the creation of a stable system of continuity of state power, united and oriented towards sustainable development of the state of the Republic of Moldova, based on increasing the effi ciency of government, and this would form a national idea that would unite the whole society. 3. The Republic of Moldova aims to strengthen the stability of socio-economic development in unfavorable conditions dictated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Many aspects need to be taken into account, including the dynamics of public expectations and moods, the level of legitimacy of institutions, respect for civil rights and human freedoms. Strategic decisions must be preceded by a comprehensive analysis of the situation. In order to increase the voluntary compliance of the population with anti-COVID-19 measures, public health communication campaigns should be implemented, encouraging confi dence in the government and other public authorities. Thus, it is necessary to better understand and measure national capacities for prevention, detection and rapid response to pandemic threats. It is recommended to develop the National Communication Strategy for public health emergencies in the Republic of Moldova. Decision makers need to consider the risks of infectious diseases when developing policies and plans related to climate change, land use and urban planning. 4. The collateral impact of measures taken in the context of the pandemic on the general health of the population in accordance with the WHO definition should be investigated for the sustainability of the approach, analysis and assessment to security risks in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic and to false news attacks, made in order to destabilize the sociopolitical system and for continuing the struggle for political power through undemocratic methods, with abuses and slippages from democratic norms. It is important to take into account in the process of evaluating and adopting measures to combat the COVID-19 pandemic, including in the context of intensifying attacks with false news, the increasing the frequency of mental disorders related to social isolation of restricted citizens, the worsening of the situation related to other diseases in society, the increasing of the mortality caused by other diseases, the assessing the consequences of unemployment and economic recession on the well-being of the human person, communities, humanity in general, the impact on the quality of education in distance learning, etc. 5. The wide range of security challenges and risks has been further diversifi ed in the context of the current COVID-19 pandemic. It is imperative that the precautionary principle of the proportionality of measures be applied universally, in line with the actual hazards, accurately estimated and based on fundamental scientifi c support. The strategies and policies adopted to combat the pandemic must be proportionate to the severity of the danger. The application of this principle is a mechanism to prevent slippage in violation of human rights and fundamental freedoms, especially in the context of the need to implement an effective strategy to counter the attacks of false news media campaigns on public opinion in the context of the pandemic, and in conditions of involvement of expertise and experts, and of the use of truthful and generally approved knowledge by the academic community. 6. In order to strengthen the national security and defense system and ensure the institutional sustainability of cooperation with NATO in pandemic conditions, it is essential to intensify the implementation of reforms, respecting the principle of continuity. Some short-term imperatives must to be develop, in cooperation with the scientifi c community. Among them is the new National Security Strategy which will refl ect the geopolitical context of the international and regional security environment, as well as the emergence / reappearance of new components of the COVID-19 phenomenon as geopolitical risks and threats to national security. Likewise, the Action Plan for the implementation of the National Defense Strategy for the years 2022-2026 and the Action Plan for the implementation of the Military Strategy of the Republic of Moldova for the years 2022-2026 must be elaborated. It is necessary to complete the National Defense Strategy by drafting regulatory amendments to prevent and combat the new challenges posed by the pandemic. 7. Strategies to prepare for local security challenges are required to be developed as part of wider regional and national security planning efforts. The Government of the Republic of Moldova must provide the necessary resources to strengthen the health system, to detect and respond quickly to health hazards. It is necessary to include in the new National Health Strategy 2030 the provisions regarding the national plan for responding to public health emergencies. It is also necessary to create a mechanism dedicated to interaction with the private sector, in order to unite the efforts of the two sectors (public and private) in preparing a strengthened emergency response. 8. Competent management decisions based on scientifi c research need to be made. Such decisions will contribute to maintaining not only the level of social security of citizens, but also the system of socio-economic relations. It is important to identify the main trends in the development of the social sphere in order to follow the main vectors of development, their subsequent analysis in the context of ensuring a qualitative improvement of the socioeconomic component. It is necessary to improve the structure of health care and preventive medical measures, the extensive system of providing educational services and social support for the population. Also, it is necessary to improve the quality and accessibility of education for the massive development of intellectual skills and for obtaining new skills. By directing funding to key social sectors, responsible for the level of education and health of citizens, making effective management decisions, it is possible to ensure the qualitative development of society by restoring the functionality of state institutions affected during the pandemic.