United Nations in Albania

The current Programme of Cooperation for Sustainable Development 2017-2021 combines the expertise of 17 UN Agencies with increased synergies, efficiency and effectiveness, to enhance their contributions to Albania’s development, achievement of the SDGs and the EU Integration Agenda. These are the goals the UN is working on in Albania:

Learn more

Press Release

25 October 2021

Albania and UN renew commitment to joint work on sustainable development for the next five years

The Government of Albania and the United Nations Country Team in Albania announced their renewed commitment to a joint programme of work for the next five years this Monday, as Deputy Prime Minister Arben Ahmetaj and UN Resident Coordinator Fiona McCluney signed the Albania-UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework 2022-2026. The signing ceremony took place during a dual-themed event marking the 76th anniversary of the UN held at the palace of Brigades in Tirana. The event was hosted by the Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs with the Office of Deputy Prime Minister of Albania and the UN Albania, with participation of key development stakeholders in the country. In the spirit of the UN Day and the recent launch of Secretary General’s report on Our Common Agenda aiming to strengthen governance for present and future generations, Deputy Prime Minister and Co-Chair of the Albania-UN Joint Executive Committee Arben Ahmetaj announced that the Albanian Government and the UN system in Albania have agreed on a new Cooperation Framework (CF) which will start this January and run through 2026. The new Cooperation Framework builds upon Albania’s key priorities, the accession to the European Union and delivering on the national pledge to the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its nationalized SDG targets, with a focus on the quality of health and education, good governance and rule of law, public service provision, and effective response and recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. It totals an amount of 282 million USD for the full cycle. In his speech at the signing ceremony, Mr Ahmetaj praised the current cooperation between Albania and UN and pledged continuous support for cooperation with UN: “As we complete a successful cycle of joint work with UN agencies in Albania, we are ready to renew our commitment to sustainable development” – he said. On behalf of nineteen resident and non-resident UN agencies and programmes in Albania, the UN Resident Coordinator Fiona McCluney reiterated the principal areas of work of the new Cooperation Framework and the urgency of action to deliver on the Sustainable Development Goals: “In the spirit of our joint action is our commitment to fight poverty, promote human rights and gender equality, protect the environment and tackle climate change, support economic and social reforms” she noted (read full speech here). The UN day is celebrated worldwide on 24 October of each year to mark the anniversary of the entry into force in 1945 of the UN Charter. With the ratification of this founding document the United Nations officially came into being. This year the celebrations of UN day in Albania take place as Albania takes up mandate in the UN Security Council for the next two years. In the words of Minister of Europe and Foreign Affairs HE Olta Xhaçka, who delivered the keynote speech at the event, the SC mandate “is a prestigious achievement that shows the maturity of Albanian diplomacy and a recognition of the constructive role of Albania in terms of security, stability and development”. HE Xhaçka appreciated the role of the UN system in Albania in taking forward the commitments of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Watch a short video showcasing some of the achievements of the Albania-UN cooperation and the way forward: *** More details on the Albania-UN Cooperation framework for Sustainable Development 2022-2026 On January 1, 2022, a new Albania-UN Cooperation Framework comes into force. It offers a tremendous opportunity to scale up the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and demonstrate concrete results on the ground for the people of Albania. This Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (CF) between the Government of Albania and the UN system is anchored by country priorities: The National Strategy for Development and Integration (NSDI) with nationalized goals and targets for selected Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Six priorities of the new Government vision ‘Albania 2030’ Accession to the European Union, The human rights commitments of Albania and other agreed international and regional development goals and treaty obligations Strategic Priority A. Human capital development & social inclusion Outcome A. By 2026, there is increased and more equitable investment in people, removing barriers and creating opportunities for those at risk of exclusion Strategic Priority B. Sustainable, resilient and green economic growth and resource management Outcome B: By 2026, innovative and integrated policy solutions accelerate sustainable, productive and inclusive economic development, enhancing climate change adaptation and mitigation and transition to a green and blue economy Strategic Priority C. Effective, people-centred governance, rule of law, human rights and gender equality Outcome C1: By 2026, governance is more transparent and accountable, enabling people (women and girls, men and boys, and persons at risk of exclusion) to enjoy quality, inclusive services, enhanced rule of law and access to justice in line with Albania’s human rights commitments Outcome C2: By 2026, gender responsive governance strengthens equality and non-discrimination, promotes women’s empowerment and human rights, and reduces violence against women and children. *** Download the Press Release in Albanian

1 of 2

Speech

25 October 2021

Speech by UN Resident Coordinator Fiona McCluney on UN Day 2021 and Signing of the new Albania-UN Cooperation framework for Sustainable Development 2022-2026

Dear Deputy Prime Minister Ahmetaj, Dear Minister Xhaçka, Dear Ministers, Ambassadors, colleagues and friends, It is a pleasure to join you Deputy Prime Minister and Minister Xhacka in welcoming guests here this morning to the Palace and to this beautiful room. I extend a greeting too to those joining us online. UN Day, and especially this one, where we will also sign the new five year framework for Cooperation is anchored in the commitment made by Albania – and all Member States – to advance on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), improving the lives of all people while taking care of our planet. It is also a crucial moment to remember the ambition set for the UN when it was established in 1945. Seventy-six years later, the Secretary-General, addressed the General Assembly in September. He painted a bleak picture of global issues we face. He sounded the alarm. We are on the edge of an abyss — and moving in the wrong direction. He also said there’s hope, if we commit to working together to overcome the many layers of challenges we currently face. The coronavirus pandemic has completely upended the world, threatening our health, destroying economies and deepening poverty and inequalities. The Secretary-General warned us all: About scorching temperatures, shocking biodiversity loss, polluted air, land and climate related disasters at every turn. On vaccines, he noted, we passed the science test, but we are getting an “F” in ethics for global distribution, On climate change he signalled code red for humanity. The window to keep to1.5 decree temperature rise is rapidly closing, and we are lightyears away from achieving our targets. And highlighted a scourge of mistrust and loss of faith in the essential values on which the Charter is based. Solidarity, he said, is missing in action. But also presented a call to action, in what is now termed – Our Common Agenda - a call to strengthen global governance, to address issues of global public goods and the systemic trends undermining trust, and build a United Nations fit for a new era. The call is specific with 90 recommendations, laid out as our pathway to a better more peaceful world. It builds on the blueprints we already have, the Charter, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals, and the Paris Agreement on climate change. It puts forward real action to bridge Six great divides, The Peace divide. Where there is a need to invest in prevention and peacekeeping. The Climate divide, building more ambition to mitigate and meet concrete reduction targets, more ambition on finance and more ambition on adaptation to build resilience. Member states must not wait for others to do their part. They must use the full force of fiscal powers to make the shift to green economies to sustainable green jobs and sustainable food systems. Commit to no new coal plants. Real action to Bridge the gap between rich and poor and also within and between countries. This starts with an urgent global vaccination plan – for 70 percent of world’s population. But we also need a reformed global debt architecture. With this in place we can forge a new social contract, with reformed tax systems, with the end of tax evasion, money laundering and illicit financial flows. The Gender Divide – COVID-19 pandemic exposed and amplified the power imbalance between men and women. Wherever you look, the majority of frontline workers are women. They are the first to lose their jobs, are the most impacted by school closures. It’s about time to shift the balance of power, with women fully represented to contribute and make decisions everywhere including through large scale urgent investments in the care economy are also urgent. Actions to address the Digital divide to really connect everyone. The digital space opens tremendous opportunities, including for businesses and for learning at all ages. Worryingly, it also produces tremendous risks of use and abuse of data. Used commercially, our behaviour patterns can be manipulated for control, ultimately, violating human rights. We also urgently need to bridge the Divide between generations. Young people will inherit the results of our decisions. Young people need a seat at the table to take part in the decision-making that will affect their future. It is hard to take fine, global words and make them reality. But in many ways Albania offers fertile ground for showing the way. The country joins the Security Council – one of the 10 elected members for the period 2022 -23. In this forum the hard issues of global peace and prevention will be debated, and multi-lateral action agreed. For example declaring climate emergency a security matter opens space for Albania to participate in debate and discussion on the climate divide. Of the 17 members of the Government’s new cabinet 12 are women, with crucial presence in parliament too. And a growing number of women are leading private firms. Women in these key positions not only act as role models, know well the pressures to balance family and work, forms of discrimination and can lead action on other aspects of the gender divide. In response to the Afghan crisis just a couple of months ago, Albania stood up for welcoming and extending support to Afghan evacuees, to provide a safe haven and support for people in crisis in their darkest hour. and last weekend commitment for refugees signed with city of Tirana, both examples of solidarity which should inspire other countries. And we also see efforts to bridge the divide across generations, youth having a voice, not only today, but as part of the UN delegations to global events and throughout next year with the opportunities presented as Tirana become European City of Youth for 2022/23. Initial steps in a number of areas, but the main reason we are here today is the new roadmap, our joint UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework, covering the period 2022-2026 where this work can take a step further. We gather here today as a true UN family, all 19 agencies, funds and programmes all as signatories to our Cooperation Framework. This roadmap for our joint collaboration will boost technical and practical advice, implementation capacity and state of the art global practice. So, I thank you colleagues and team, for the joint contributions to the strategic document that will guide our joint work for the next five years. The Cooperation Framework is a roadmap to achieve important goals: Policies and laws compatible with the European Union. Partnership with the EU is key not only in important post-earthquake reconstruction but also in supporting the vision for the country in embracing European values. The Framework will support Albania to meet key benchmarks and address major gaps in this process. It places a strong focus on building human capital and social inclusion. It includes a comprehensive view on the results to be achieved in several key areas, such as health, education and social protection, no order to Leave no one behind. New focus on sustainability and resilience as overarching themes of the Cooperation Framework. This is particularly reflected in green economic growth, enhanced climate change adaptation and mitigation, and sustainable use of natural resources. The Cooperation Framework dedicates attention to vulnerability and exclusion, to strengthen equality and non-discrimination. This includes a specific outcome on gender responsive governance that promotes women’s empowerment and human rights, and reduces violence against women and children. In four outcome areas, we agree with government on joint results framework with targets and indicators, we anticipate delivering over $280million of programming, with half of resources already committed, and the remainder to be organized locally and in this context the SDG Acceleration Fund will continue to serve as financial vehicle for joint UN action, supported by our partners. Delivery on the Cooperation Framework is anchored in a network of strategic partnership across Ministries and Municipality, with the Parliament, human rights institutions and the statistical institute, confirming the importance of reliable data to measure progress. We will continue nurturing partnership with civil society, academia, while aiming to accelerate more private sector capital that supports the SDGs. We are proud of UN’s partnership with development partners. They have been supportive as the UN reform advances in the country level and tangible results are achieved. But at the same time- accompany us to “deliver as one”, more effectively. So much to be grateful for in your support. Colleagues and friends, We look forward to working with you all to deliver on the ambitions and results set out in this Framework and bring about the real changes needed to bridge divides. Faleminderit Shumë!

1 of 2

Story

21 October 2021

Creativity an important outlet in coping with personal and professional stresses during the pandemic

WHO Emergency Officer and emerging artist Ardian Xinxo exhibited his collection “Pandemic Storytelling’ at Centre of Openness and Dialogue, Tirana this past September. The backdrop for his 23 intricate illustrations and paintings are the regular WHO COVID-19 pandemic updates so familiar to UN and partners over the last 18 months tracking the rise and fall of the pandemic in Albania. Bright coloured paintings on the regular To Do Lists, and situation updates, his illustrations capture the emotion of key stages of the pandemic: the subconscious fear of isolation and virtual goodbyes, the city under lockdown, feelings of loss, the support of friends when news is bad and how mask wearing and violence against women became a new reality. The vibrant exhibition signals the value of creativity as an outlet in stressful situations and important for resilience and our mental health. WHO Albania along with sister UN agencies and programmes of the UN System in Albania have worked alongside Albanian partners on an all-inclusive effort to address the multidimensional impacts of the COVID-19, and to protect the needs and rights of people living under the duress of the pandemic, with focus on the most vulnerable groups, and people who risk being left behind. Congratulations to WHO for encouraging their colleague to share his personal pandemic story.

1 of 5

Story

18 June 2021

Integrated social and health care services -a people centered innovative model of service delivery

Life was hard for Violeta and her family in their little village Kabash, two hours drive from the town of Puka. Everything was in a hard-to reach distance; the health clinic, the hospital, the Administrative Unit. With tear-filled eyes she remembers one time when her little daughter collapsed and hardly regained conscious with no nearby hospital to take her to. Days after, she sadly learned that both her daughters were born with mental health issues and congenital heart disease. Both needed specialized medical care-which was accessible only in town. Violeta’s husband was for years, diagnosed with asthma — making it difficult for him to provide for the family. They hardly made a living through cultivating the soil and growing crops. Being left with no other way out, Violeta’s family moved to the town of Puka to be closer to health facilities so that both her daughters and husband could access medical care services. How do communities receive assistance? Health stands at the foundation of a person’s well-being. Good health enables people to work and participate fully in their communities and support themselves financially. Statistics point to the fact that poor health reduces people’s employment prospects and working hours and increases the likelihood of early retirement and falling into poverty at an old age. In the context of the Joint United Nations Programme “Improving Municipal Social Protection Service Delivery” funded by the Sustainable Development Goals Global Fund, UNDP in partnership with Puka Municipality and “Youth Movement for Democracy “ — a civil society operating in the region, is piloting a model of integrated social care and health services. This intervention is boosting access to mobile health and psycho-social services for children with disabilities living in the remote areas of Puka. Services offered include home physiotherapy, speech therapy and psycho social services. In parallel, the project implements capacity building interventions targeting health and psycho-social workers at local level focusing on how to administer integrated services and work in multidisciplinary teams. Violeta was so happy when she learned of these services offered in Puka and soon her family became one of the beneficiaries. Initially a social and economic needs assessment was done for each member of her family including an assessment of the health and medical needs. Her daughters were supported to follow school regularly and were donated technological equipment to help improve their studies and encourage further learning. Moreover, the family was assisted to get disability living allowance and assistance from the social care basket of services. Thanks to the programme, about 700 people across Albania have benefited from pilot integrated social and health care services. Previously this service was totally missing. “ Integrated health and social services represent an innovative approach to service delivery at the local level, targeting population at risk of being left behind. These services should be based on a well-defined and unified understanding of the role of each actor by referring to available instructions in identifying and managing individual and group cases. The development of guidelines and protocols for integrated health and social services should be a priority. Tailoring services to the needs of vulnerable population is vital” Limya Eltayeb, UNDP Resident Representative Leave no one behind is the moral principle of Agenda 2030 and the SDGs. Violeta’s daughters and hundreds of other people are seeing the Goals on paper, translated into tangible impact in their lives. This is development. The United Nations Joint Programme “Improving Municipal Social Protection Service Delivery” is funded by the Sustainable Development Goals Global Fund and is implemented by UNDP, UNICEF, UNFPA, UN Women and WHO.

1 of 5

Story

16 March 2021

The International Labour Organization (ILO) with the support of the Government of Sweden provides cash transfers for laid-off women workers in the textile and footwear sectors

The Coronavirus pandemic has had an immense impact on the world of work, including the textile, clothing, leather and footwear industry. A high number of factories reduced production or suspended it temporarily; some of them closed down. This led to subsequent bouts of unemployment and layoffs for a large number of poor workers, primarily women, who were left without any source of income and fell below the poverty line. In response to the crises, the International Labour Organization, with the financial support of the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency, is implementing a cash transfer programme for women who were laid-off by textile, clothing, leather and footwear companies. As a first step, the ILO designed a fair and efficient identification mechanism for the beneficiaries. In line with EU practices, this was done in close cooperation with the social partners in Albania, BiznesAlbania, the Albanian Confederation of Trade Unions (KSSH), and the Albanian Confederation of Independent Trade Unions (BSPSH), in order to ensure that the most vulnerable women, who were highly impacted by the crisis, would have access to the resources available under the project through the cash transfer. Among the over 420 beneficiaries who were identified, more than 250 already received the cash transfer. Most of the beneficiaries are women above 50 years of age, facing difficulties in reintegrating into the labour market. Many of them are single heads of the household or part of large households (five or more persons), with additional family responsibilities decreasing their ability to work. In the first group of beneficiaries, there are three persons with disabilities. The cash transfers are distributed by EasyPay, an e-banking institution. This service offered basic financial literacy and supported free-of-charge accounts for un-banked women, and enabled transfers to be made even to remote regions. Mrs. Kujtime Leshanaku, one of the beneficiaries of the ILO intervention says: “I have been working for seven years in different textile factories. When the pandemic hit, I lost my job. Since then my phone calls, applications and search efforts have been countless and I never received a positive response. The financial support that the ILO and SIDA provided came as great help for me and my family in many aspects, not just the economic one. It inspired us to start over.” Alongside with the Covid-19 cash transfers programme, the ILO is supporting ten textile and footwear companies with establishing better conditions for a safe return to work. Furthermore, in light of the expected recurrence of the health crisis for the forthcoming months, some actions are being taken to improve business continuity and the productivity of jobs in the industry.

1 of 5

Story

01 April 2021

"You Don’t Have to Be a Migrant to Understand"

Ghalia has been a migrant since 2006, when she left her native Algeria to study in Spain - and where she fell in love. Six years later she moved to Albania with her husband. “I can’t express how much difficult was the beginning. I used to live in a well-developed Algerian rural area with more than 5,000 inhabitants and I ended up in a very poor Albanian village with just 13 households, with almost no facilities, no roads, no transportation. It was extremely difficult for me,” she recalls. Despite the warm welcome, when the couple moved to the capital Tirana their problems persisted. All Ghalia wanted was a job with purpose. Finally, in 2018 she spotted an advertisement from a local NGO looking for a translator for migrants from the Middle East and Arabic countries. “I was moved immediately by this call. Something beyond the job position was calling me, the desire to serve to those in need, to migrants, refugees and asylum-seekers” she says. The fact that she is fluent in Berber, Arabic, Spanish, English, Albanian and French meant she was the top candidate and finally found her calling. In 2019 she moved to IOM, supporting people who wish to return home, counselling, translating, offering information to migrants and guiding them through the different process. She loves her work, but finds working with refugees, migrants and people on the move to be extremely challenging. “You have to be strong and compassionate enough to hear the stories of people who are victims of trafficking, victims of war, torture, extreme poverty. You meet unaccompanied children and unprotected women, people in deep need for health services, food, clothes and other basic needs. “You don’t need to be a migrant to feel and understand them, it’s enough to be a human being.” She is also involved with integration, and she especially loves to see new lives begin as migrant and refugee families take root in Albania. “The most beautiful moments for me have been when assisting pregnant women in their routine health checks, meeting with doctors, going to the hospital and witnessing the newborns coming into their families,” she smiles. Work became difficult during the first lockdown in March last year. “it was challenging to as we were not allowed to move. We communicated with our clients through the phone and internet trying to offer information and guidance. “Although the number of the refugees decreased during the COVID time, the health needs and the risk was much higher. They had no idea how to protect themselves, no masks, no protection at all. It was really hard,” says Ghalia. This is something that has been addressed by IOM, who provide medical advice, medication and health supplies to 217 refugees and asylum-seekers in Tirana from April 2020 to December 2021.

1 of 5

View all

Press Release

26 November 2021

UN Country Team in Albania commemorates Albania’s earthquake of November 2019

Today it is two years since Albania’s earthquake, claiming the lives of 51 people, leaving over 1000 injured and 17 thousand buildings damaged. Today, all of us at UN Albania remember those who lost their lives and express deep gratitude for the solidarity and support that followed. We thank all first-aid workers who rushed to the wrecked buildings to save lives and help the survivors. We thank our development partners, institutions, private sector and individuals who offered their support for the people who lost their homes, their schools and their businesses. Earthquake Response by UN Albania: The UN were fast to intervene to rescue people, deploying a UN Disaster Assistance Coordination team from the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs working with the EU-led Civil Protection Team. WHO experts conducted a rapid needs assessment for field hospitals to ensure continuity of health services, provided life-saving risk communication and necessary supplies. UNICEF, UNDP, UNHCR, UNFPA and UN Women through their joint and agency ongoing work were on the ground to provide urgent core relief items. In the immediate aftermath, more than 200 frontline professionals were engaged by UNICEF to provide psychosocial counselling and support to over 3500 children and adult family members residing in temporary shelters. UNDP mobilized staff and volunteers to assess the situation of people affected to generate data that government and international development partners used to prioritize assistance. This information fed into the Post Disaster Need Assessment (PDNA) presented at the “Together for Albania Donor Conference” raising valuable funds for reconstruction efforts. The UN in Albania is a proud partner on earthquake recovery, with interventions of over EUR 126 million Euros designed to rebuild the communities affected in areas of education, economic recovery and resilience, community infrastructure, social protection, child protection and gender equality: 115 million Euro funding by the EU to recover damages from the earthquake on schools and cultural sites and 11.65 million Euro from the governments of Denmark, Finland, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Sweden and the UK as a contribution to the Albania SDG Acceleration Fund to support national earthquake efforts. Under #EU4Schools programme, UNDP is constructing 63 education facilities, benefiting 24.529 pupils and teachers in 11 most affected municipalities. An additional school and kindergarten facility will be built with under with financial support Government of Croatia. Combing the Build Back Better with Build Back Together Approaches, 17 education facilities have already been completed. UNOPS is working with EU under the #EU4Culture programe to restore and revitalize earthquake-affected cultural heritage sites in Albania with a focus on making culture a driver for local social and economic development and boosting tourism. To date, one of the targeted sites (The Monastery Church of Rubik) has been restored and work is ongoing on 3 other sites. By the end of 2021, implementation will start on 4 additional sites leading to a total of 8 sites with works either completed or under implementation. Through UNDP, we are supporting Albanian Government to strengthen the strategic and operational framework for Disaster Risk Management and build capacities at central and local; strengthening the competitiveness and resilience capacities of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSME-s), support Albanian institutions with innovative tools and promote employment as part of the Economic Recovery and Resilience Programme. Through UN Women, we are working to strengthen women’s resilience and building institutional capacities in all 11 earthquake affected municipalities, so women can benefit from better protection from gender-based violence during emergencies. In agriculture sector, FAO is supporting farmers and agro-processors affected by the earthquake through grants aimed at rehabilitation of livelihoods and strengthening resilience to future shocks. WHO is supporting Albania’s early warning and surveillance systems and monitoring water quality and hygiene conditions. Do you wish to receive UN Albania news in your inbox? Subscribe Here.

1 of 5

Press Release

17 November 2021

FAO supports Albania in EU integration and policy in agriculture and rural development

The new project "EU Integration and Policy Support in Agriculture and Rural Development", funded by FAO, was launched in support of Albania to develop comprehensive agricultural policies for family farms, promote rural development, rural well-being and heritage preservation. The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Frida Krifca and the FAO Representative for Albania, Raimund Jehle, praised that the project as one of the recommendations of the Progress Report for the Chapter on Agriculture and Rural Development in accordance with European Union. The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Frida Krifca stressed that the orientation of Albanian agriculture is clearly well defined by the government's ambition to become a member of the European Union. And in this context, the preconditions set by the acquis communautaire, which relate to the approximation of legislation and regulatory framework for the creation of the right environment, as well as the proper functioning of the common European policy, become compasses for the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development. "An important part of the recommendations clearly defined in the EU progress reports, are returned to the Ministry in priorities, such as the farm register to be completed within 2021, the legal framework for organic agriculture, quality policies, the law on wine, and other recommendations in relation to Chapter 11 of the Progress Report on Agriculture and Rural Development. Specifically, work will begin on another EU recommendation, "Drafting the implementation policy for the Farm Accountancy Data Network (FADN)", very important for the farm economy, for a much better follow-up policy, under the direction of the Ministry of Agriculture", added minister Frida Krifca. Thanking FAO for the commitment and cooperation in support of this request of the European Union, Minister Krifca reiterated her commitment to coordinate the agenda of technical cooperation with FAO, for the agreement and the necessary importance of maintaining farm records. FAO Representative for Albania, Raimund Jehle praised Albania's efforts in the framework of EU membership and integration of the agriculture, fisheries, and forestry sector, and in this context expressed the FAO readiness in support of the Albanian Government to provide relevant expertise to required. "The new FAO Strategic Framework 2022 - 2031, with the emphasis on better production, better nutrition, better environment and better life underscores this approach, but at the same time ensures that we are supporting our member countries in these efforts, and Albania as a member of FAO", stressed Jehle. He underlined the National Dialogue on Food Systems approach earlier this year and the developed pathways shows the potential of the agri-food sector, but also the challenges to be achieved in this context. During his speech, Jehle also emphasized on the agreement signed between the United Nations Country team and the Albanian Government on the new UN Cooperation Framework for Albania, where one of the key outcomes is resilient and green growth. "The agri-food sector is a key part of this framework, in the same way contributing to the achievement of the green deal, “Farm to fork" and the biodiversity strategy of the European Union," added Raimund Jehle, FAO Representative for Albania. The project will enable the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to reach new stages such as: establishing a strong farm data-based decision-making process (FADN system), improvements in the legal framework in the approximation with EU rules for quality policy and organic farming, addressing the marketing standards and policy monitoring with program evaluation, considering how institutionally to support food promotion and food export, improving the advisory service for farmers, setting up an operational price information system of addressing the impact of climate change on farmers and small producers.

1 of 5

Press Release

03 November 2021

Credins Bank of Albania joins the UN Global Compact

Credins Bank Albania recently joined the UN Global Compact – pledging to implement principles of sustainable development into their business practices. The Office of the UN Resident Coordinator in Albania supported the bank during the preparatory pre-application process The UN Global Compact is the world’s largest corporate sustainability initiative, with over 12,000+ member Organizations, of which over 8,000 are businesses, 4,000 nonprofits from around the world. It provides strategic direction and support to enable organizations and businesses alike to achieve their sustainability objectives. Participant entities benefit from experiences and best practices of all member corporations from 160 different countries around the world. Nine entities from Albania are now part of the UN Global Compact including four entities from the banking sector with Intesa San Paolo Bank Albania, Banka Kombetare Tregtare and Risk Averse Business Advisors being the other three. Membership to the UN Global Compact brings positive developments for the whole society and helps advance the sustainable development journey for all. Credins Bank reports that it has been operating in Albania for 19 years, offering banking products and services to over 350,000 bank customers through its 57 branches and agencies and 1,000 employees. UN in Albania supports all Albanian businesses to make the most of the UN resources for their sustainable development initiatives. Recently, in cooperation with International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) in Albania we have published a useful SDG Toolkit for Business to share knowledge with our business stakeholders in Albania and provide direction on how to embrace the SDGs.

1 of 5

Press Release

05 October 2021

UNODC supports South Eastern Europe in implementing the United Nations Convention Against Corruption

UNODC in cooperation with the Regional Anti-Corruption Initiative (RAI) organized a multi-stakeholder workshop on the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) and its Review Mechanism. The workshop brought together 28 civil society, private sector and government representatives from the Western Balkans (including Albania) and Moldova, as well as experts from the UNCAC Coalition and RAI for three-days of sessions and practical exercises aimed to build-up the participants’ capacities and knowledge on anti-corruption, specifically the UNCAC provisions, required to undergo and perform reviews as well as to address the observations emanating from the reviews. More specifically, the workshop focused on Chapter II (Preventive measures) and Chapter V (Asset recovery) of the Convention that are being reviewed during the second review cycle (2016-2024) and included a mock review exercise to provide the participants with practical experience of the review of selected articles, country visit and observations. Furthermore, during the workshop, participants discussed how Civil Society Organizations can be better involved in the implementation of the UNCAC, the only legally binding universal anti-corruption instrument that promotes the active participation of civil society in the prevention and fight against corruption. Non-governmental actors can be involved in the UNCAC review process if invited by their government. Workshops such as this one are instrumental in encouraging this participation by building knowledge on UNCAC and creating a platform where participants can engage in a constructive dialogue on its implementation in their respective jurisdictions, share good practices and lessons learned. The workshop was organized under the UNODC-RAI joint programme “Southeast Europe - Together Against Corruption (SEE-TAC)” (2020-2023) in cooperation with the UNODC Regional Programme for South Eastern Europe and funded by the Austrian Development Agency.

1 of 5

View all