Albania Steps Forward with New Commitments to Accelerate Gender Equality

During the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA80), Albania reaffirmed its support to the gender equality global action agenda. At the High-Level Meeting marking the 30th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action (Beijing+30), the President of the Republic of Albania, Bajram Begaj, announced two bold national commitments. These will guide action for the next five years, with clear goals set to be achieved by 2030.

"This meeting should serve as a turning point, moving from rhetoric to action. We must mobilize financial resources, strengthen accountability frameworks, and invest in measurable and transformative actions," President of Albania, Bajram Begaj said.

Albania’s new commitments are:

1. Elimination of Violence Against Women (EVAW):

Strengthening specialized services for survivors in every municipality.
Providing regular training for justice and law enforcement professionals.
Increasing financing and improving coordination between institutions.
By 2030: all municipalities will offer specialized services for survivors of violence.
 

2. Gender-Responsive Budgeting (GRB):

Ensuring that government budgets at both national and local levels reflect the needs of women and men equally.
Training budget officers and increasing allocations for gender equality programmes.
Publishing annual updates on how much is invested in advancing women’s rights.
By 2030: at least 90% of ministries and municipalities will apply gender-responsive budgeting, with steady increases in investments for women and girls.
These national pledges form part of a global wave of momentum. At Beijing+30, 106 governments worldwide made 191 commitments to accelerate the full realization of gender equality.

Launched by UN Women, the Beijing+30 Priority Actions Dashboard showcases governments’ voluntary commitments to women’s rights and demonstrates that gender equality remains a rallying force for multilateralism.

These new pledges of Albania build on progress already underway. With UN Women’s support, gender-responsive budgeting has expanded from 9 to 77 budget programmes between 2015 and 2025, now spanning social protection, education, health, agriculture, and justice. Public investment for gender equality rose from USD 90 million to over USD 803 million during this period.

While still widespread in its various forms, Albania continues to give priority attention to eliminating violence against women and girls, by strengthening prevention efforts, integrated protection services to survivors and coordinated action among all actors involved in keeping women and girls safe from violence.

These announcements come at a critical time. The latest global Gender Snapshot 2025, by UN Women and the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs, shows both the cost of failure and the gains within reach. The data makes the choice we face clear: Equality could still be a reality for girls born today, but the world must invest now.

UN Women in Albania will soon publish the new Country Gender Equality Profile, which provides a comprehensive overview of the state of women’s rights in the country, from gender-based violence and stereotypes to gaps in economic participation and political representation.