Government Donor Dialogue Issue No 48-March 2011

ISSUE No. 48, Monthly Newsletter - March 2011 A Joint Effort of the Department of Strategy and Donor Coordination and the Donor Technical Secretariat www.dsdc.gov.al

www.aidharmonisation.org.al

Photo: French Ambassador, Maryse Daviet and Minister of Public Works and Transport, Sokol Olldashi, signing the agreement to fund a study on upgrading Designing and Implementation Technical Standards and technical norms in relation to projects in the Water Supply and Sewage Sector

Photo: Minister of European Integration, Majlinda Bregu and the Ambassador of the EU Delegation, Ettore Sequi sign the IPA 2010 Financing Agreement

EU and Albania sign IPA 2010 Financing Agreement Over the course of the next two years, Albania will be able to benefit from a total of 83.2 million Euros of assistance from the EU to support efforts for improvement in strategic areas. The funding will target the prosecution, the prison system, the Parliament, rural roads, including damaged roads due to the flooding in Shkodra, water and sewerage systems, employment, food safety and the environment. These areas of intervention were determined by continuous dialogue with government, civil society and donors and seek to address some of the problems identified in the 2010 Analytical Report. The agreement was signed by the Minister of Integration Majlinda Bregu, and the Head of EU Delegation to Tirana, Ettore Sequi, during a ceremony held on 24 March 2011. After signing the agreement, Minister Bregu said that “During the period 2007-2013, our country will be supported by this financial instrument, aiming at strengthening democratic institutions and rule of law, reforming public administration, performing economic reforms, respecting human rights and minority rights, promoting gender equality, supporting civil society development and promoting regional cooperation. The Head

of EU Delegation, Ambassador Ettore Sequi emphasised that “the regularity of the Commission’s assistance underlines the seriousness of our commitment to Albania’s EU future”. “In this spirit of friendship the EU believes that it is of outmost and crucial importance that Albania engages effectively in its European Integration path and that paves the way to the needed reforms for the benefits of all the people of this country and their future”, he said, adding that “in this respect, with the same spirit of friendship, EU trusts the incoming elections will be conducted in a dignified way. We trust the full implementation of the Electoral Code will be insured, as well as the full implementation of those recommendations made by ODHIR that can immediately improve electoral practice, particularly those that are part of the confidence measures for a fair campaign and accurate results of elections”.

Ten main projects in three strategic priority axes have been identified. Through IPA 2010 Financing Agreement, the prosecution will be supported through 3 million Euros to modernise its information and communication systems. Prison and police infrastructure and capacities will be

improved through 18.2 million Euros assistance. The Assembly will be supported through a 1.5 million Euros twinning project to support the process of approximation of legislation with the EU acquis, to improve its oversight role, as well as its management of financial and human resources.

Infrastructure will be heavily funded. The focus will be on rural areas with 20 million Euros for rural roads and 1.5 million Euros for the reconstruction of damaged roads in Shkodra’s flooded areas. Improvement of water management, waste water treatment and sewerage will be supported by 26 million Euro spread around the country, targeting water systems in Velipoja, Elbasan, Berat, Korça, Kuçova, Lushnja, Fier, and Saranda. Food safety infrastructure will be supported by 4 million Euro. Another 3 million Euros will support the State Labour Inspectorate and the National Employment Service to better promote employment and improve the ability and opportunity to be employed of the Albanian workforce. The capacities of the Ministry of Environment will be supported through 4 million Euros to improve the inspectorate services of the Ministry as well as to strengthen the Environment Protection Agency.

March | 2

In this issue •

EU and Albania sign IPA 2010 Financing Agreement

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World Bank explore options to increase the resiliency of agriculture to climate change

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U.S. Ambassador, Prime Minister inaugurate new Tirana Taxpayer Service Centre

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A new high-tension electric transmission line funded by the Italian Cooperation

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Women’s network seeks presidential support for election gender balance

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National conference on Gender equality and local governance

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New prospects for regional Development in the Shkodra and Lezha regions

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USAID’s Local Governance Program conducts final National Conference

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Sector Working Groups on Tourism Development and VET

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Conference promotes examples of Roma inclusion

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Visit of the UNICEF Regional Director for Central and Eastern Europe, Commonwealth of Independent States

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Germany supports the creative economy

Message from the Minister of Agriculture, Food and Consumer Protection Distinguished readers, It is my pleasure to share with you the latest developments in the framework of aid co-ordination between the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Consumer Protection as the beneficiary and the donor community, as well as our short and medium term programming in support to the agriculture and rural development sector. The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Consumer Protection is the beneficiary of various EU, USAID and IFAD funded projects. I would like to also mention the emergency fund that has been offered from the World Bank in support to the immediate intervention in Shkodra and Lezha areas after their severe flooding early this year, as well as the grant related to the feasibility study in these areas. Several positive achievements have been reached with the joint efforts of various projects and the Ministry staff in the field of Agriculture and Rural Development during the recent year.

The draft the Pre-accession support for the agricultural sector - IPARD Programme is prepared and is submitted to Brussels by the end of February 2011.

The draft programme is based upon the horizontal analysis of agriculture and rural sector and vertical analysis of core sectors such as dairy, meat, fruit, and vegetable. The consolidation of Payment Agency and the preparation of the accreditation are also supported by the project.

The National Food Authority, as a newly created agency now operates at central level, with a total staff of 48 at the Headquarters and 12 regional offices with a total staff of 267 persons. The National Food Authority will carry out the inspection functions while the policymaking and the preparation of legislation in this area will continue to remain under the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Consumer Protection.

The registration and creation of a farm register with a unique code in compliance with EU requirements is a major activity for the importance of the problem it addresses and the main output that will generate. The creation of this administrative register will be crucial for the Integrated Administrative and Control System of Albanian Rural Development Agency (ARDA) and will create the normal conditions for the agency to administer and control the applications according to the IPARD as well as national procedures.

Several laws have been drafted and submitted for further discussion or approval such as the Veterinary Law, Food Law, the Law on Cooperatives in Albania, and the secondary legislation partially or fully harmonized with EU legislation regarding the Food Safety, in particular the Hygiene Package and Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP)based procedures in food establishments has been approved.

Amongst the priorities for the period 2011-2014, I would like to highlight: The main priorities of the MAFCP will remain the support to the sector of Agriculture and Rural development. Taking into account the recommendations stated in the last European Commission’s An-

March | 3 alytical Report and Opinion, as well as its strategic documents, the Ministry has submitted for approval a project proposal under IPA 2011 for an EU fund of 10 million Euros in support to agriculture and rural development.

The protocol 2010-2012 between the Albanian and Italian Governments is under a punctual programming of three projects with an amount of 10 million Euro that is a soft loan aiming at supporting ARDA to set up the Integrated Administrative and Control System an important condition to implement IPA for Rural Development, setting up an Agricultural Subsidized Insurance system in Albania and Support for the production and processing of table and olive oil. A close co-operation among Italian Experts of the Ministry of Agriculture Policies, Forests, Water Administration and Fishery of Italy and MAFCP experts is going on.

We are currently in negotiations with the World Bank and Financial Institutions in support to Water Resource Management and Flood Protection with a loan of 40 Million USD. Agriculture sector remains a priority for the EU as it reflected in the MIPD 2009-2011 and we expect to get consistent financial support in the years to come under IPA 2012 and IPA 2013 and from other donors as well. The priorities to be addressed in the medium term are related to the strengthening MAFCP human resource capacities; further consolidation of the Paying Agency, Programming Rural Development 2014-2020, Improve standards in Food safety and Strengthening the Plant Protection Service. I am sure that coordinated efforts and new ideas that we share during our common Sector Working Groups will bring new opportunities for further supporting the sector.

I wish you all a continuous success in your everyday efforts.

Genc Ruli Minister of Agriculture, Food and Consumer Protection

World Bank and Albania work to increase the resiliency of agriculture to climate change The World Bank, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Consumer Protection (MoAFCP) and the Ministry of Envi-

Photo: WB Deputy Country Manager, Greta Minxhozi, Minister of Environment, Forestry and Water Administration, Fatmir Mediu, WB Sector Manager for Agriculture and Rural Development for ECA region, Dina Umali-Deininger, Minister of Agriculture, Food and Consumer Protection, Genc Ruli at the high-level conference organised on 3 March 2011

ronment, Forestry and Water Administration (MoEFWA) are working together to increase the resiliency to climate change of agricultural systems through the Regional Programme on Reducing Vulnerability to Climate Change in Europe and Central Asia (ECA) Agricultural Systems. Through this cooperation, in-depth analysis of the projected impact of climate change on agriculture was undertaken and key adaptation policies, programmes and investments have been identified that can help reduce the vulnerability of the agricultural sector to climate change. As part of this programme, the World Bank, MoAFCP and MoEFWA jointly hosted a high-level National Dissemination and Consensus Building Conference in Tirana on 3 March 2011. This event was the latest step in the programme to Reduce the Vulnerability to Climate Change in Albanian Agricultural Systems, which officially started in May 2009. “Based on experience, collected data, and analyses and assessments, the expected climate change impacts may affect to a great extent provision of food for the poorest rural populations and economic growth in the most vulnerable areas. At the same time, the changes may generate new opportunities for farmers in agroclimatic zones or micro zones, and our country is a typical example of their variety relative to its size,” said the Minister of Agriculture, Food and Consumer Protection, Genc Ruli. Through the Programme, over the last two years, a National Awareness Raising and Consultation Workshop has been held, two Agriculture and Climate Change Country Notes for Albania have been produced, multiple farmer consultations

have been conducted throughout the four agro-ecological zones, and a draft Impact Assessment and Menu of Adaptation Options for Albanian agricultural systems has been produced.

The draft was discussed with partners and key recommendations for policies, programmes, and investments are now being prioritized and finalized in co-operation with the MoAFCP. The Minister of Environment, Forestry and Water Administration, Fatmir Mediu, said “Albania’s Second National Communication under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, which was published in 2009, represents the major policy paper that assesses climate change. In the meantime, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Water Management has started its preparations to draft the Third National Communication that implies the involvement and cooperation of the sectors of energy, industry, agriculture, forests, waste, and transport, to name a few.”

Sector Manager for Agriculture and Rural Development in the World Bank’s Europe and Central Asia region, Dina Umali-Deininger, said that, “The recent devastating floods in Albania highlight the vulnerability of the agricultural sector to growing climate variability and change in the country, and underline the need to implement appropriate adaptation measures to help reduce this vulnerability.” Climate projections indicate that temperatures will increase, while precipitation will both decline and become more variable, resulting in increased extreme events such as flood and drought and decreases in projected crop yields, particularly for such crops as grapes and olives. These changes could

March | 4 significantly affect the country’s agricultural systems and negatively impact the livelihoods of Albania’s rural population. The projected impacts of climate change highlight the need to develop and implement actions which can increase the resilience of agriculture to climate risks in the short and long terms.

The programme has worked to identify measures that can have immediate positive impacts on the agricultural systems while simultaneously adapting to future climate projections, creating “win-win” options and recommendations. This programme is being managed by the World Bank and supported by grants from the World Bank, the World Bank-Netherlands Partnership, and the Trust Fund for Environmentally and Socially Sustainable Development.

Photo: U.S. Ambassador, Alexander Arvizu, and Albania’s Prime Minister, Sali Berisha, inaugurate the new Tirana Taxpayer Service Centre.

EU helps to modernise Albania’s Tax Administration U.S. Ambassador, Prime Minister Inaugurate New Tirana Taxpayer Service Centre On 1 March 2011, the U.S. Ambassador Alexander A. Arvizu and Prime Minister Sali Berisha inaugurated the new Tirana Taxpayer Service Centre.

Established with the assistance of the American people through the Millennium Challenge Corporation Albania Threshold Programme II, the centre provides tax services and information for all businesses operating in Tirana.

The centre opened December 1, 2010, and since that time, up to 1,000 taxpayers a day have been visiting the facility. Since opening, the centre has served almost 50,000 customers. The new centre boasts 19 customer service windows, an IT system networked to the General Directorate of Taxation (GDT) taxpayer data base and other offices, and a state-of-the-art queue management system. The centre’s innovative design reduces long queues for taxpayers, provides them with a higher level of service, and supports the continued improvement of the Albanian business environment. The centre includes one office that serves Tirana-based businesses, and another that serves Albania’s 800 largest taxpayers. The programme has also built a Taxpayer Call Centre to support the tax administration’s revenue collection efforts and provide information to taxpayers.

A 2.2 million Euros project funded by the EU has brought EU know-how from Member States to assist Albania to complete tax legislation and improve working practices in line with those in EU. The project aims to introduce better use of information technology, to improve the efficiency and transparency of the tax administration for the benefit of legitimate businesses and the general public.

This project builds on the improvements achieved progressively in the past and comes in a more direct form with objectives and activities that are tailor-made to Albania’s specific needs. This twinning project between the Albanian authorities, the Swedish Tax Agency and the French Public Finances General Directorate is bringing to Albania experts from EU Member States to complete Albania’s fiscal legislation in this area in line with the EU one; to adopt Internal Audit procedures, aligned with EU standards; to Support the Tax Investigation Department; to establishment a well functioning IT Department and to improve the connectivity with all regional branches through a secure and reliable network.

During the presentation ceremony, held on 31 March 2011, the Head of the EU Delegation to Albania, Ambassador Ettore Sequi said that transparent and efficient tax procedures are an important building block of the EU Internal Market, a huge market where the rules of the game are known, respected and business-friendly. He stressed that the “EU assistance to improve the fiscal system

in Albania in line with EU standards is important in the framework of Albania’s integration into the EU family. More transparent and efficient procedures will benefit businesses and citizens who correctly pay their taxes in the expectation of receiving public services in return.

At the same time, such modern systems will assist in the fight against corruption and level the playing field for business to ensure fair competition.” This project started on 1 March 2010 and will continue until February 2012.

USAID Support Albania’s Garment Industry Over the years, Albanian garment companies have steadily grown both in size and expertise, but many are looking to diversify the services they offer and develop the capacity for full-cycle production that would involve designing, manufacturing and collecting raw materials, cutting, and sewing. The move would mean greater sophistication in the market, higher incomes for workers, and a more robust sector for Albania’s economy. USAID is helping Albanian garment companies increase the efficiency of their factories, and develop and market the quality and professionalism of their companies and products. In the past year, hundreds of companies have attended productivity workshops and seminars organized by USAID’s competitive enterprise development program to learn how to improve their businesses.

USAID sends consultants and industry experts to work one-on-one with compa-

March | 5 A new high-tension electric transmission line funded by the Italian Cooperation

Photo:One of the companies in garment industry supported by the USAID

nies and has sponsored a handful of companies at regional trade fairs to increase market contacts and networks. In the next month, the industry’s business association will launch the first Albanian Garment Industry website. To see one of the companies USAID is assisting, please watch “Anisa& Noemi” Garment Factory, Durres, Albania (March 18, 2011) on USAID/Albania You Tube Channel

OSCE-supported women’s network seeks presidential support for electoral gender balance A group of 40 Albanian women participating in an OSCE Presence in Albania project on gender equality asked Albanian President Bamir Topi for support in ensuring women’s inclusion in electoral candidates’ lists for the upcoming local elections during a meeting on 8 March

2011 in Tirana. The group represented the National Platform of Women, an informal voluntary network of 500 women from political parties and civil society. The network was established by the Presence as part of a three-year project to enhance women’s participation in public and political life throughout Albania.

The Netherlands and Sweden financed the project. During the meeting, the representatives presented a declaration to the President calling on political parties, elected officials, MPs and other state and public institutions to respect and improve legal provisions on gender equality, in particular the 30 per cent quota, for parliamentary and local elections. They also asked that the quota be extended to include mayoral elections and election commissions, and proposed that sanctions for non-compliance with the Electoral Code be strengthened. They requested that candidate’s lists be available for public scrutiny before they are finalized with the Central Election Commission.

Photo: OSCE-supported women’s network in Albania ask President Bamir Topi for support for electoral gender balance

On 14 March 2011, Prime Minister, Sali Berisha, and Italian Ambassador, Saba D’Elia, inaugurated the new electric transmission line at 400 kV from Elbasan to Tirana. The construction of this 50 km long electric line has been recently finalized by SAE Power Line Ltd and Terna Jsc, two Italian world’s leading companies in the sector of energy transmission and distribution. The Elbasan-Tirana high tension transmission line is part of a wider programme of investments the Italian Cooperation

Photo: Prime Minister Sali Berisha and Italian Ambassador Saba D’Elia at the opening ceremony of the Elbasan-Tirana line

has been funding to strengthen the efficiency and reliability of the Albanian electric system and to link it to the regional transmission network. The Italian programme for the energy sector totals € 90 millions in soft loans: half of this amount has already been disbursed to cover the construction costs of the Elbasan-Tirana line and additional energy infrastructures such as the new Dispatching Centre and Substation of Tirana 2. Prime Minister Sali Berisha acknowledged his gratitude to the Italian Government for the aid given with the project. Italian Ambassador Saba D’Elia has expressed his wish to boost new investments in order to strengthen Italian-Albanian partnership in the energy field, thus contributing in making Albania a significant actor in energy trading at a regional level.

March | 6 Best practices presented at the Conference “Gender equality and local governance”

Over 100 representatives from central and local government, local partners and donors met in Tirana on 15-16 March 2011 to discuss and share best practices on how local governments can effectively address the rights and needs of women and men. The conference called “Gender equality and local governance “was organized by the Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities in cooperation with UN Women and the Austrian funded “Equity in Governance” programme. The Austrian Ambassador, Florian Raunig, and UN Women Officer in Charge, Heba El Kholy, greeted the event. Participants shared innovative and successful examples from Albania, Macedonia and Serbia, and discussed the changes required in policies, budgets and human resources in order to provide better and more gender-sensitive services.

Ferdinand Poni, Deputy Minister of Interior said that “this conference is successful because it aims to lobby for such an important issue that should not be considered as “an women issue”, but it affects, empowers and essentially defines good and effective governance, giving another dimension to the public participation at the local level as well”. The event aimed to encourage local and national decisionmakers to replicate successful activities

Photo: The Conference “Gender equality and local governance”

and include a gender equality approach in all their programmes and public policies. These rich and diverse experience presented at the conference along with tools and key methodologies for gender mainstreaming in local government will be available soon in a special publication which will be distributed widely and be available on line in the web sites of the respective organizers’ web site.

New prospects for regional Development in the Shkodra and Lezha regions Austria and Switzerland provide four million Euros in funding for a regional development programme that will assist the regions of Shkodra and Lezha in equitable social and economic development by designing and implementing projects benefiting the two regions and strengthening the regions development capacities. A public event took place

Photo: National Conference presents Local Government Best Practices and Experiences from Shkodra and Lezha

on 8 March 2011, marking the start of the Regional Development Programme for Northern Albania with funding by Austria and Switzerland. The event was hosted by the Ambassadors of Austria and Switzerland, the heads of the Austrian Development Co-operation and Swiss Cooperation Office, with key representatives from the DSDC and line ministries. “Regional development challenges can be met only through continued support to the decentralization processes”, said the Swiss Ambassador, Yvana Enzler, stressing the fact the new programme will work alongside other existing programmes that aim at strengthening local government and promoting regional change. “We are financing and implementing the regional development programme together with Switzerland, a partner country which – like Austria – enjoys a long lasting history of successful regional development”, said the Austrian Ambassador, H.E. Mr. Florian Raunig.

He said that Austrian and Swiss experience in this field aim to contribute to the sustainable development of a Balkan region that offers most attractive potentials and possibilities. The event proceeded with speeches by the heads of Qarks from Shkodër and Lezhë and a questions and answers session. The programme will use several instruments in order to contribute to an equitable social and economic development in Shkodra and Lezha, including a 2 million Euros fund that will fund the design and implementation of projects with regional development impact. The programme will facilitate the regions access to other available development funding from national or

March | 7 international sources, will provide capacity building and technical assistance and will influence policies at the central and local government levels.

Local Government Best Practices from Shkodra and Lezha presented at national conference The Swiss Cooperation Office and the Ministry of Interior brought together key actors in decentralisation and local government for sharing their best practices, lessons learned and experiences. Representatives of municipalities and communes were presented with new methods on strategic planning, financial management and public information developed with the support of Decentralisation and Local Development Programme (dldp).

The event took place in the framework of Swiss support to the decentralisation process and empowerment of local government units in Albania. Special guests in this conference included the Swiss Ambassador, Yvana Enzler, the Deputy Minister of Interior, Mr. Ferdinand Poni and the Swiss Cooperation’s Country Director, Mr. Daniel Züst. Other participants included representatives from central and local government, international donors, local experts and NGOs. The event took place on 3 March 2011 and included a session with speeches and presentations and a session with roundtables and open discussions, which lead to policy recommendations. ”Some best practices in decentralisation we can find from our Swiss experience, and from other countries as well. But what is more important, and what we are here to promote today, are also best practices and experiences achieved here, in Albania,” said the Swiss Ambassador, Yvana Enzler.

She said that for Albania to progress towards a full-fledged democracy, it is of utmost importance to have decentralised and empowered municipalities and communes. Participants were also introduced with a set of publications developed through the DLDP project (http:// www.dldp.al) and that serve as knowledge management tools for municipalities and communes. The event constituted a useful platform of exchange for participants coming from different regions over a number of successful practices taking place in Albania.

Photo: The kick-off of the Regional Development Programme for Northern Albania with funding by Austria and Switzerland

USAID’s Local Governance Program in Albania Conducts Final National Conference On 23 March 2011, USAID’s local governance programme held a national conference with representatives from Albanian cities, non-governmental representatives, and private enterprises to present and discuss best practices to support good governance and economic growth for Albanian cities. Since 2007, USAID’s Local Governance Programme in Albania (LGPA) has worked with ten municipalities on a series of activities that foster local economic growth, improve local governance, and strengthen civic and private sector engagement in local development. The project established computer-

ized local tax administration practices in 10 municipalities, initiated municipal borrowing for eight cities to finance large infrastructure projects, helped cities register and manage 3,300 municipal property assets, and developed complete territorial plans for the cities of Kukes and Fushe-Kruja. Through these activities, local government units can improve service provision and be more responsive to citizens. Mayors of the ten USAID-assisted municipalities and representatives of non-governmental organizations and private enterprises that have participated in USAID-led public-private partnerships attended the event and participated in discussion panels. To learn more about USAID’s Local Government Programme, please visit USAID/Albania’s You Tube Channel.

Photo: Mr. Viktor Tushaj, the Mayor of Lezhe, led a discussion panel on the modernization of the local tax administration department at the USAID Local Governance Best Practices Conference.

March | 8 Sector Working Group on VET

The Sector Working Group Meeting on Vocational and Education Training (VET) was held on 24 March 2011. The meeting was organized by the Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities and the Ministry of Education and Science, in cooperation with the Department of Strategy and Donor Coordination, SDC (Swiss Cooperation Office) and the donor partners participating in the Sector Working Group (SWG). The aim was to outline and discuss the priorities and the key challenges in the field of youth employment, with a special focus on transition from school to work.

The discussion revolved around the priorities set out in the National Action Plan (NAP) on Youth Employment. The NAP had been prepared by a working group led by the Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities, with the support of the International Labour Office and the YEM Programme. The Territorial Employment Pact (TEP) for the Kukës Region was also presented and participants had the chance to receive also an update on the outcomes of the Operational Programme for Human Resources Development. The Deputy Minister of Labour, Kastriot Sulka, opened the meeting by highlighting the fact that this was an opportunity to introduce the Youth National Action Plan for Albania and the Kukes Region - Territorial Employment Pact (TEP) - the first of its kind in the Balkans. He stressed the importance of the National Action Plan, indicating how it was bringing together Albania’s youth employment objectives in one coherent framework that was aligned with all ongoing Government’s policies on employment, education, sector development, trade, etc. He stressed that donor support was crucial for the implementation of the NAP. Deputy Minister of Education and Science, Halit Shamata, indicated in addition that his Ministry is constantly engaged in upgrading and enhancing the VET system. Issues raised by the participants included: co-ordination of NAP and OP process; the possibilities to replicate TEP in other regions; enhancement of the co-operation in education and other sectors in Kukës region; Designing of a donor’s map in terms of their possible contribution to the achievement of the NAP objectives; Distribute the OP to the donors, asking their comments/suggestions.

Photo: Sector Working Group on Tourism Development was organised on 4 March 2011

Sector Working Group on Tourism Development In the context of increasing co-ordination and funding amongst donors and their contribution to the sectors that are covered by the Ministry of Tourism, Culture, Youth and Sports, on 4 March 2011, the Ministry organized with donors the Sector Working Group on the tourism development. The aim was to better coordinate the Ministry priorities with the assistance programmes offered by donors. The meeting was co-chaired

by Minister of Tourism, Ferdinand Xhaferaj and UNDP Director for Albania, Norimasa Shimomura. It was attended by donor representatives working in the tourism sector. In his address, Minister Ferdinand Xhaferaj stressed the commitment of the government to implement all priorities in the field of tourism and improvements in this important sector of the economy. The activity continued with a presentation of the Tourism Sector Strategy 2007-2013 and the results of its ongoing implementation and monitoring of this strategy. It continued with the presentation of the Cultural Marketing Strategy and the initiative “Visit Albania Year 2012. Cultural Marketing Strategy aims to improve the image of Albania in the world through identification and promotion of its tourist potential and cultural heritage. Members of the Sector Working Group presented their activities in related to their support to tourism and elements of developing a sustainable tourism. The meeting agreed to co-ordinate their efforts to increase the effectiveness of interventions in the field of tourism.

Citizens key role in revitalizing cultural monuments in Gjirokastra and Berat On 17 March 2011, local authorities in the area of cultural monuments, national and international partners working in the area of cultural heritage, local citizens and owners of monumental houses participated at the launch of a project for raising awareness and informing citizens about their role in the revitalization of historic houses in Berat and Gjirokastra. Mayor of Berati, Fadil Nasufi, during the event thanked all the actors who have been an integral part of the whole process, dealing with the conservation, revitalization and restoration of historical values and cultural heritage. “I encourage all Berati citizens to contribute to our cultural heritage which unites us more because the past and the future of Berati are tightly bounded with cultural heritage”. The project foresees the publication of a ‘how to guide’ on restoration methods, procedures and best practices from Albania. Present at the event, Mr. Erkan Ozçelik, Programme Coordinator of the UN Joint Programme on Culture and Heritage said “With the inscription of Berat and Gjirokastra on the World Heritage List, the role of local actors to conserve and restore buildings is becoming increasingly important as tourism becomes also an even more important lifeline for Albanians. In this respect, this project comes in the right time.” “Of course a single project cannot solve all the accumulated problems but is a step in the right direction. Citizen’s awareness is a long process”, says

March | 9 Sadi Petrela, Director of Gjirokastra Conservation and Development Organization and Project Co-ordinator. “We are also aware that the prevailing opinion is that the main problem in maintaining and revitalizing built heritage is the lack of investment. But we think that by raising awareness and informing citizens we can contribute more to the mobilization of investments by the state, citizens and businesses. We plan to bring these important actors closer to invest more in the revitalization of Built Cultural Heritage.”

This project is implemented by Gjirokastra Conservation and Development Organization (GCDO) in co-operation with the Ministry of Tourism and Institute of Monuments, supported by the UN Joint Programme “Culture and Heritage for Social and Economic Development”. The project is funded by the Spanish funded Millennium Development Goals – Fund.

Conference promotes examples of Roma inclusion in social and economic Life and Provides Recommendations to Government The Help for Children Foundation (NPF) supported by Swiss Cooperation Office in Albania (SCO-A), organised in co-operation with the Roma secretariat at the Ministry of Labour, a conference on Roma empowerment and social inclusion. Swiss Ambassador, H.E. Ms. Yvana Enzler and the Deputy Ministers of Education and Labour addressed the conference presenting some achievements and appealing for further action in order to improve lives of Roma people and their integration into mainstream Albanian life. A conference entitled ‘Roma Empowerment: An Approach for Inclusive Development’ was held on Thursday, March 31st, at Tirana International Hotel. The event included presentations on positive examples of Roma inclusion and empowerment, identified challenges and further steps to be undertaken and provided a list of recommendations for the Albanian government and other stakeholders. The event constituted an important event to increase public awareness on Roma empowerment as a way out from poverty and exclusion. “I am sure we will see more Roma children educated, more Roma mothers enabled financially and more Roma families en-

Photo: Swiss Ambassador Yvana Enzler addressing the opening of the National Conference Roma Empowerment: An approach for Inclusive Development

joy a better life, if we all work together and persist in the noble task of empowering this community”, said the Swiss Ambassador Yvana Enzler. She stressed the special focus Switzerland’s development strategy places on the inclusion of disadvantaged groups such as Roma people.

The conference was held in the context of the upcoming international Roma Day (8 April) and the Decade of Roma Inclusion 2005-2015, a ten year pan-European attempt to integrate the Roma people into the European mainstream. Albania is one of the 12 countries participating in this initiative and this conference marked one of the main activities carried out in this context.

OSCE, U.S. and EU urge authorities to investigate removal of Roma families Ambassador Eugen Wollfarth, the Head of the OSCE Presence in Albania, Alexander Arvizu, the U.S. Ambassador

to Albania, Ambassador Ettore Sequi, the Head of the EU Delegation to Albania, made the following statement on 16 March 2011 concerning recent incidents involving Roma families “The OSCE Presence in Albania, the U.S. Embassy in Tirana and the EU Delegation to Albania understand that during the week of February 20, 2011 dozens of Roma families were violently removed from their settlements in central Tirana by unidentified persons who set fire to their shelters and chased them from their homes…We note that these actions resulted in some serious injuries and the displacement of large numbers of people, including many children…We note that Albania has formally committed itself to the objectives of the Declaration of the Decade of Roma Inclusion and ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Racial Discrimination and the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women…Albania has committed itself to implementing the Action Plan on Improving the

Photo: Roma children

March | 10 Delivery of libraries completed to 900 preschools

Photo: Google map indicating the position of 943 libraries provided to preschools

“Albania Reads”, a joint initiative of the Ministry of Education and Sciences and UNICEF, and supported NGO partners, promotes reading and quality pre-school education for Albanian children. The project has been generously supported by private businesses in and out of Albania. IKEA, Vodafone, Raiffeisen Bank, AC Milan, the National Committees for UNICEF and others joined up to bring books to children. In March 2011, 943 kindergartens have been equipped with libraries and quality books for young children. Endpoint delivery has been controlled with GPS equipped cameras and can be viewed on Google Earth, identifying each single building. On 4 March 2011, in Rrenc (Shkodra) the Ministry of Education and Science, the Institute of Education, the Regional Education Directorate in Shkodra, and UNICEF launched the teacher training component of the initiative. 900 teachers will be oriented on improved pedagogical practices and use of active learning methods in preschool. Under a previous component, more than 1400 compulsory schools received libraries with books for older children.

Situation of Roma and Sinti within the OSCE Area, as well as the 2009 Ministerial Council Decision on Enhancing OSCE Efforts to Ensure Roma and Sinti Sustainable Integration. By adopting the decision, OSCE participating States, including Albania, committed themselves to combating discrimination against and racism towards Roma and Sinti, including in the media…The European Commission, in its Opinion on Albania’s membership application, identified the fight against discrimination and the protection of the rights of Roma as key priority areas needing particular attention from the authorities…In this spirit, we strongly urge the responsible authorities to take the appropriate action by investigating the disturbing February events in order to ensure that such acts are not repeated. We also encourage the authorities to take the appropriate action to provide necessary social assistance, including housing, to those people who have now found themselves homeless…We are confident that the majority of citizens oppose such acts of violence against the minority group…The OSCE, the U.S. and the EU align themselves fully with civil society representatives in calling for an end to discrimination and violence against Roma families and children.”

Visit of the UNICEF Regional Director for Central and Eastern Europe, Commonwealth of Independent States UNICEF Regional Director for Central and Eastern Europe, Commonwealth of Independent States (CEE/CIS),

Photo: Mr. Steven Allen at the multi-disciplinary centre “House of Colours”

Steven Allen, visited Albania from 22 to 25 March 2011, to discuss future cooperation of UNICEF with high level government counterparts and development partners. During his visit, he visited the Albanian National Child Helpline - ALO 116 that has been operating for two years.

The helpline is a free 24/7 phone service, where children can obtain counselling and referral, also for emergency services.

Each year, more than 150,000 children call the Helpline for assistance or information. The helpline uses the Pan-European number 116. The need for help lines has been subject of EU recommendations. Mr. Allen asked how ALO 116 connects children with public services and institutions. He stressed the importance and the impact of such a service on the life of children, and the need for sustainable public and private support to ALO 116. He visited the “House of Colours”, a municipal multi-purpose centre established to protect children from abuse, neglect, violence and exploitation

Photo: Visit of the UNICEF Regional Director for Central and Eastern Europe, Commonwealth of Independent States

March | 11 supported by UNICEF. Key beneficiaries are seven Roma and Egyptian communities in Tirana, a total of 234 families with 530 children and 467 adults.

Children and their families are supported with psycho-social, legal, health services; food; and educational activities. An outreach team works in the communities and street to identify and support new cases. The centre provides emergency 24 hour services for most several cases of children in street situation.

Photo: Training seminars on legal aspects in child abuse/maltreatment cases organised by OSCE Presence in Albania and French Embassy

OSCE Presence, Albanian NGO present reports on antitrafficking The OSCE Presence in Albania and the Albanian Centre for Legal Civil Initiatives presented on 3 March 2011 three reports related to the situation for victims of trafficking at an event organized in Tirana: (i) An Albanian translation of Compensation for Trafficked and Exploited Persons in the OSCE Region, by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR).

It gives a comparative overview of access to justice for victims of trafficking in Albania and other OSCE participating States. (ii) A draft evaluation of the compliance of Albanian legislation with the Council of Europe’s Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings – the first international human rights instrument to strike a better balance between the prosecution of the crime and the protection of the rights of its victims. (iii) A study by the Centre for Legal and Civil Initiatives on the implementation of the law and the performance of the justice authorities in protecting the rights of victims. It underscores the need for

the Albanian justice system to continue working to meet international standards to ensure that the victims of crime – especially of violent crime – enjoy the right of compensation from either the perpetrator or the state. Representatives from civil society, international organizations, the Ministries of Justice, Interior and Labour, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities, the General Prosecutor’s Office, the Serious Crimes Prosecutor’s Office, the Bar Association and the police attended the event.

OSCE Presence in Albania together with the French Embassy organize training seminars on legal aspects in child abuse/maltreatment cases On 15-18 March 2011, the OSCE Presence in Albania in co-operation with the French Embassy organized two days training seminars in Tirana and Shkodra on legal aspects in the cases where children have been abused/maltreated. The training seminars were delivered by two experts - Vjollca Meçaj, executive Direc-

Photo: Albanian NGO present reports on anti-trafficking

tor of the Albanian Helsinki Committee and Marie-Anne Baulon, the French Magistrate who has a long lasting experience in child protection area. At the training seminars participated judges, prosecutors, police officers, Child Protection Units’/social workers who raised different issues and problems related to child abuse/maltreatment cases. The aim of these training seminars was to improve co-ordination/co-operation chain between all these professionals, and taking attention to the sensitiveness of these cases, to give better understanding on how collection of evidence should be done, how investigation in child maltreatment cases should proceed. The experts presented to the participants the Law On the protection of the Rights of the Child that was adopted in November 2010.

Launch of the National Campaign against Violence in Schools The Ministry of Education and Science launched the campaign “for a friendly school, pro positive behaviours” on 1st of March 2011. The four-year programme, supported by UNICEF, uses communication for behaviour change strategies to address violence at schools. The Minister of Education and Science, Myqerem Tafaj, stressed the importance of a friendly school and non-violent environment for the development of a child. The Minister encouraged teacher and parents to adopt new ways of discipline and non-violent ways of communication with students.

“This new alternative will serve not only teachers, parents and students; it is an all-inclusive alternative, for the whole community and society”, said Mr. Tafaj.

UNICEF Representative in Albania, Detlef Palm, stressed the importance of the positive behaviour model and what it has

March | 12 to offer to schools and families. “We all want the best for our children; the best way to deal with violence against or between children is to stop it before it happens”, said Mr. Palm. He said that the mechanisms of alternative ways of discipline are many and that parents and teachers have to set examples. The programme will be implemented in all preuniversity education institutions. 4050 teachers of the preschool education, 25.970 teachers of the basic education and 8.180 teachers of high school education, as well as all educators and teachers of residential child care institutions will be part of this programme. Close to 400,000 students of basic education and 136.200 students of high school education will also be part of the programme.

tection of the Rights of the Child”. According to the law, institutions operating at the regional level have to coordinate policies that impact on the realization of the rights of the child. UNICEF supported the organization of the workshop “Development of Regional Mechanisms for the Rights of the Child”. Participants emphasized the harmonization of efforts of policy makers, the executive, civil society, and citizens because “children’s issues are society’s issues”.

OSCE Presence provides CEC with computers ahead of local government elections

Regional Parents’ Boards: Consolidation of parents’ participation in education in Kukes, Korça and Gjirokastra During February and March 2011 Regional Parents Boards organized debates with parents, teachers, students, representatives from civil society and local government on the current draft law on the Pre-University Education, as well as the new Normative Dispositions. Recommendations are being developed with the help of experts, to be presented to the Ministry of Education and Sciences. For the last two years, UNICEF has supported the establishment of Regional Parents Bodies attached to Regional Education Directorates in Kukes, Korça and Gjirokastra, with the aim to clarify the responsibility and ensure an increased role of parents in education policy and practice.

8 May elections. The computers, which will be returned after the election results have been announced, will be used by the middle-level electoral commissions, the Commissions of Electoral Administration Zones (CEAZs) and the CEC’s Electoral Regional Offices. The computers are provided as part of the Presence’s technical assistance to the Central Election Commission. This assistance aims to help electoral administration bodies improve their performance and increase their professionalism. The Presence also financed TV ads and leaflets produced by the Central Election Commission to inform voters about the importance of their participation in the electoral process. The Presence also hired an expert to support the Commission’s training and public relations department and financed the printing of the Electoral Code and other documents for the CEAZs.

ICITAP Facilitates Donation of Bullet-Resistant to the Albanian State Police

Photo: The OSCE Presence in Albania provided 35 computers to the Central Election Commission

The OSCE Presence in Albania provided 35 computers to the Central Election Commission (CEC) on 30 March 2011. The computers will be used in the preparation and administration of the

On 16 March 2011, the US Deputy Chief of Mission, Deborah A. Jones, the General Director of the Albanian State Police, Hysni Burgaj, and the U. S. Department of Justice’s International Criminal Investigation Training Assistance Programme (ICITAP) Programme Manager for Albania, Gary Bullard signed donation documents for 2,036 bulletresistant vests. This donation of equipment was made possible by the combined efforts of the New Jersey Army Nation-

Government and civil society meet on monitoring of children’s rights On 17 March 2011, representatives of the 12 regional councils, officials of 9 regionally based Child Rights Units (CRUs) and their civil society counterparts operating Observatories of the Rights of the Child met to share knowledge and experience in assessing the situation of children in their respective regions. In October 2010, the Albanian Parliament adopted the law for the “Pro-

Photo: US Deputy Chief of Mission, Deborah A. Jones, the General Director of the Albanian State Police, Hysni Burgaj, and the U. S. Department of Justice’s ICITAP Programme Manager for Albania, Gary Bullard sign donation documents for 2,036 bullet-resistant vests

March | 13 al Guard, the Bergen County Sheriff’s Office, and the United States European Command Bilateral Affairs Office. During a previous visit to Albania, Inspector Michael Bradley of the Bergen County Sheriff’s Office and Colonel Kevin Hegarty of the New Jersey Army National Guard learned of the ASP’s need for additional protective vests and initiated an effort to collect excess equipment from law enforcement and military units across the state of New Jersey. ICITAP joined the effort and provided the administrative support and funding to ship more than 20,000 pounds of vests to Albania. The vests consist of lightweight, concealable models and heavier tactical vests. The vests have been distributed to police units, including RENEA, special operations, and undercover units.

PAMECA III Criminal Assets Investigation Training Three training workshops were run by PAMECA III under the Serious and Organized Crime component, during the first three weeks in March 2011. The Training was delivered by two United Kingdom financial crime experts, Stephen Maxwell and Ronnie McMurran.

Both have experience on this subject, each having served as senior police financial crime investigators for over 30 years which included much international work.

The training was delivered primarily to students from the Criminal Assets Investigation Sector from the Serious and Organized Crime Department of the Albanian State Police. However a number staff from the Criminal Assets Management Agency, the Financial Intelligence Unit from the Ministry of Finance and the High Inspectorate for the Declaration and Audit of Assets, also attended. Special guest presentations, providing valuable insights into their discipline, were made to each course by a Serious Crimes Court Judge, a prosecutor from the Serious Crimes Prosecution Office, The Director of the Criminal Assets Management Agency, FIU and HIDAA as well as a local criminal assets investigation expert. Feedback from the students indicated that they all thought this was a highly effective method of training. “There were many excellent learning points provided which will help us to achieve success”, said one of the ASP investigators. The final

Photo: UK Minister of Justice, Lord McNally supports PAMECA III training

course was closed by Lord McNally, the United Kingdom Justice Minister along with Deputy Director General Agron Kuliçaj of the Albanian state Police.

USAID Supports the Legal Profession in Albania On 7 March 2011, USAID, in partnership with Albania’s National Chamber of Advocates (NCA), published the first comprehensive collection of the fundamental legal acts that regulate the functioning of the legal profession in Albania.

“This compendium is a valuable reference guide for every defence attorney”, said NCA chairman, Maksim Haxhia, expressing his appreciation for USAID support in its publication, while he received the first copies from USAID. The publication contains the Law on the Profession of Advocates (amended), the

Statute of the National Chamber of Advocates (NCA), and the Code of Ethics for Advocates, thus making a contribution towards greater awareness about these key acts among the members, as well as a better understanding of the legal profession by the Albanian public.

Besides NCA, the copies of the compendium are now available for every practicing Albanian defence lawyer in all the 12 regional chambers of advocates, as well as the 22 district courts. An electronic copy can be downloaded from the USAID Albania website at: http://albania.usaid.gov/JuST. The need for such a publication was also one of the recommendations that came out of the three roundtable discussions on how the legal profession functions organized by the USAID Albanian Justice Sector Strengthening Project (JuST) in cooperation with NCA and the regional chambers of advocates in Vlora, Durrës and Lezha. They took place between December 2010 and

Photo: USAID JuST project Director, Mr. John Carver,(right) delivered the first copies of the compendium of laws and legal acts to the chairman of the National Chamber of Advocates in Albania, Mr. MaksimHaxhia (left).

March | 14 January 2011, and brought together over 100 attorneys from these chambers and neighbouring ones. In the framework of the JuST project, USAID is undertaking several key initiatives to support the legal profession. They include developing and implementing a Continuous Legal Education programme, publishing an Albanian Bar Journal, convening of an Annual Albanian Lawyers Conference, as well as building mechanisms in support of preparing future lawyers, such as establishing the clinical education programme at the University of Tirana Law Faculty, and coordinating an internship programme for law students at state and private institutions. The five-year USAID Albanian Justice Sector Strengthening Project, begun in October 2010, aims at increasing court transparency, fairness and efficiency; bolstering watchdog and anticorruption roles of civil society organizations and media; and strengthening the legal profession and legal education.

Germany supports the creative economy: Call for proposals for local subsidies up to 15,000 Euro for the creative economy in Albania With a call for proposals that has been presented on 24 March 2011, the GIZ supports organizations of the creative economy thereby to increase the professionalization and international competitiveness of its members by enhancing their innovative and creative production developments. It is the pilot phase of the Creative Business Network Programme, belonging to a strategic business promotion programme, which has been developed on the results of an assessment by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Energy (METE), the Ministry of Tourism, Culture, Youth and Sport (MTCYS) and with the support of GIZ. The comprehensive inventory of the creative economy in Albania was made last year and has identified four economically relevant sub-sectors: handicrafts, design, art and advertising. Bashkim Sykia, Director of the Competitiveness Policy Department of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Energy, has highlighted in his presentation of the assessment´s results that the creative economy in Albania has a considerable potential for economic growth and positive employment effects. All four sub-sectors together contribute approximately 0.5% to 1% to the GDP and pro-

Photo: Mrs. Claudia Wiegele, Mr. Ismail Beka, Mrs. Ulrike Gantzer-Sommer, Mrs. Zana Turku and Mr. Enno Bozdo

vide employment to about 0.5% to 1% of the overall workforce. In order to increase their competitiveness, professionalization and innovation, the four sectors are the target groups of the call for proposal to develop networking activities of enterprises; in addition to a fifth group, services for creative businesses. GIZ is therefore looking for project activities that enable transform processes from traditional heritage to creative goods and services. The submitted projects are assessed by a jury in June. GIZ was formed on 1 January 2011 bringing to­gether the expertise of the Deutscher Entwicklungsdienst (DED) gGmbH (German Development Service), the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit (GTZ) GmbH (Ger­man Technical Cooperation) and Inwent – Capacity Building International, Ger­many.

International Arbitration

A new GIZ (Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit: German International Cooperation) subcomponent was recently established within the Open Regional Fund for South Eastern Europe – Legal Reform, by appointment of the German Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). The new subcomponent will concentrate on the regional implementation of alternative dispute resolution methods, including arbitration. It will be carried out jointly with the UNCITRAL, the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law and the German Institution for Arbitration, DIS (Deutsche Institution für Schiedsgerichtsbarkeit e.V.). Albania’s legislative agenda includes a requirement to draft regulations for international arbitration. The drafting procedure has already started with the development of a policy paper on which UNCITRAL has provided comments. The Ministry of Justice, with advice by GIZ, decided that the second step should be to organize a work-

shop inviting all legal associates working in the field of arbitration (judges, practitioners such as lawyers, and members of the business community). The workshop took place on 17 March 2011. Its purpose was to find out what practical problems practitioners might face regarding international arbitration. The outcome will serve as the basis for a working group which will start to draft the procedures. Calendar: As it is the case every year, the Open Regional Fund for South Eastern Europe – Legal Reform, one of GIZ’s GIZ’s (Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit: German International Co-operation) projects, prepared a so called “legal” calendar for all of the Open Regional Fund countries in the region (Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia). Each month is dedicated to an area of legal reform and has a drawing and a text which together explain one legal issue. The topic of the 2011 calendar is “Continuity and Change”. This includes the current initiatives, the progress made regarding to gender and conflict prevention, European integration and the social market economy. Some free copies, in Albanian, are still available from the Open Regional Fund Office for South Eastern Europe - Legal Reform, email orflex-al@giz.de.

USAID and GIZ Cooperate on Capacity Development for Water Supply & Sewerage Company Supervisory Council Members USAID and GIZ have joined forces to assist and train Supervisory Council members of Albanian Water Supply & Sewerage Companies. Under the Albanian Government’s Water Sector Decentralization Programme, local water enterprises have been formed as publicly

March | 15 owned corporations under the management control of an appointed Supervisory Council. To oversee and sustainably manage these enterprises for the benefit of consumers, Supervisory Council members must have expertise in the field, knowledge of sector laws, policies and regulations and act according to clear and transparent governing principles. In November 2010, the Water Regulatory Authority of Albania, USAID’s Local Governance Programme in Albania, and GIZ’s Support Project to the Water Regulatory Authority signed a Memorandum of Understanding outlining a targeted assistance activity to support Supervisory Council members in the ten LGPAsupported municipalities and eventually in all Albanian utilities. With substantial input and support from the Water Regulatory Authority (ERRU), GIZ and USAID have supported the development of a Manual and Training Guide materials for Supervisory Council members. On 29 March and 1 April 2011, USAID sponsored the initial trainings of Supervisory Council members from ten LGPA municipalities: Elbasan, Fier, Fushe-Kruje, Gramsh, Korca, Kukes, Lezhe, Librazhd, Pogradec and Shkodra. The Water Regulatory Authority will, in the future, collaborate with all relevant actors and lead the periodic updating of the Manual as changes in laws, regulations and conditions require. A formal agreement between ERRU and the Water and Sewerage Association of Albania that specifies the updating process and future implementation of training activities, is currently under preparation.

Italy supports Albanian Health System Reform The month of March was rich in events in the health sector which were supported by the Italian Development Co-operation, showing thus Italian commitment in this field. The third residential course organised by the European School of Medicine took place in Tirana from the 17 to the 20 March 2011. This conference has been hold in the framework of the programme “Development of Transfusion Medicine in Albania towards European quality standards”, a triennal project which through the twinning of Italian transfusion centres with their Albanian counterparts and the organisation of formation courses in Albania and in Europe aims to let the Alba-

Photo: Head of the Water Regulatory Authority, Avni Dervishi and USAID’s Local Governance Program Chief of Party, David Smith, opening the training

nian transfusion medicine reach a series of basic requirements essential to build an acceptable safety in blood donation and to achieve European standards in this specific medical field. The 11th International Congress of Anesthesiology and Critical Care, promoted by the Albanian Society of Anesthesiologists and Intensivists (SIVA) under the aegis of the Albanian Ministry of Health and the Italian Development Co-operation, took place on 23 March. The conference attracted about 200 medical personnel, offering them the opportunity to exchange best-practice methods and know-how on anesthesiology, intensive therapy, pain management and emergency medicine.

The conference was accredited as continuing education and contributed to develop the competencies of healthcare personnel, supporting thus the improvement of medical services quality. Lastly, the Second Conference on Pharmaceutical Control, organised by the Ministry of Health and the National Pharmaceutical Control Centre with the support of the Italian Development Co-operation, took place on March 25th. This second conference, which gathered up to 200 participants, extended the scope of the investigation of the first national meeting, focusing this year on the legislative reforms necessary to achieve European harmoni-

zation and standardization in this sector.

Through the strengthening of continuing education and European standardization, the Italian Development Co-operation keeps on supporting the improvement of Albanian sanitary service and fostering the Government’s commitment to the right of every citizen to enjoy the highest attainable standard of health.

EU funds to bring the Bank of Albania closer to the National Banks of EU Funded by the EU with 1 million Euros, the twinning project launched on 23 March 2011 between the Bank of Albania, and the national banks of Italy and France will improve the working practices of the Bank of Albania in line with the practices of the European System of Central Banks. The project will bring EU expertise and know-how from founding Member States to Albania’s banking system and will train experts of the Bank of Albania to assist the country’s economic integration with the Union. The twinning between the Bank of Albania, Banca d’Italia and Banque de France will draft and implement a plan to raise the capacities of the Bank of Albania in matters such

Photo: Director of the Italian Development Co-operation, Aldo Sicignano, at the opening of the 11th International Congress of Anesthesiology and Critical Care, Tirana, 23th March 2011.

March| 16 as Supervision and Financial Stability; Coordination of European Integration Process; Financial Literacy; Payment Systems; Statistics; Interbank market. Strengthened Supervisory functions of the Bank of Albania are instrumental to a better functioning banking sector which businesses can trust and rely on. The recent economic and financial crisis has stressed the importance of central banks for economic stability. During the launch ceremony, the Head of the European Union Delegation to Albania, Ambassador Ettore Sequi noted the importance of harmonised practices in a globalised world. He said that “such an investment on the side of the EU is yet another indicator of the seriousness with which we have taken Albania’s EU perspective. I am glad that Albania’s national bank will be assisted by the national banks of Italy and France to prepare for economic integration, for this is precisely a step towards economic integration between EU Member States”. The 1 million Euros project will continue until May 2012 and it will be implemented by the Italian and French national banks.

Enforcement agents participate in training for the Monitoring and Control To support the implementation of the law on private enforcement, the building of the capacities of the new National Chamber of Private Enforcement Agents and to enhance the level of know-how of the private enforcement agents, the Balkans Enforcement Reform Project in cooperation with EURALIUS, has been supporting the state and private services. In March 2011, 20 State and 20 Private Enforcement agents participated in a training on issues of monitoring and control and the way how the services should set up mechanisms for a good functioning.

The First Deputy-President of the UIHJ, Bernard Menut was also present. Different topics such as the future continuous training of the enforcement agents and the needed infrastructure for delivering those trainings were discussed and potential candidates were identified. An action plan to be followed is being drafted and will be presented to both services very soon. The training was supported by the Balkans Enforcement Reform Project, a project funded by the Dutch Government and implemented by the Netherlands Centre for International Legal Co-operation in co-

Photo: Consultation meeting on operational programme for human resources development held on 23 March 2011

operation with the German Gesellschaft fuer Internationale Zusammenarbeit and the Union Internationale de Huissiers de Justice) and EURALIUS in co-operation with the National Chamber of Private Enforcement Agents and the General Directorate of Enforcement

First meeting with partners on operational programme for human resources development The Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities in cooperation with the EU funded Project Preparation Facility implemented by the Austrian Development Agency (ADA) held a first consultation meeting with partners, on 23 March 2011, to discuss the first draft of the Albanian Operational Programme for Human Resources Development, programming document for IPA component IV (HRD). The meeting was chaired by the Head of the Operating structure for IPA component IV, Deputy Minister, Kastriot Sulka, and saw the participation of the Deputy Minister of European Integration, Jorida Tabaku, Head of Operations of EU Delegation to Albania, Luigi Brusa, and ADA representatives. Speakers stressed the importance of the consultation process as an inclusive invitation to all partners to contribute to the shaping of OP HRD through establishing a constructive dialogue. The first meeting informed partners of the aims of OP HRD to help strengthen its administrative capacity for management, implementation, monitoring and control of resources for European Social Fund. The staff of the Ministry and PPF experts introduced the draft OP HRD priorities and measures in the field of employment, education and social inclusion that ,once Albania get candidate status, will be co-financed by EU resources. Comments and proposals from social partners will be incorporated into further

drafts. According to an action plan, the first draft OP IV will be submitted to the EC relevant services on 4 April 2011. It is expected that the second draft OP IV will be sent to the Commission on July 2011, with the final version to be submitted on December 2011. Two wider public consultations with civil society and all relevant stakeholders will be held in the coming months. The second draft OP IV will be also made available in the ministries websites and open to the public.

Government completes the 2011 Survey on Monitoring the Paris Declaration Government completed the 2011 Survey on Monitoring the Paris Declaration and submitted all the required reports and questionnaires to OECD/DAC. To finalise the survey, the Government convened a consultation meeting with the donor community and civil society on 30 March 2011. Representatives from DSDC, line ministries, donors, and civil society organisations attended the meeting. The meeting was chaired by the Director of DSDC, Valbona Kuko, and focused its discussion on the preliminary results of the survey assessing how much progress has been made against the Paris Declaration commitments. A presentation of the main results of the 2011 monitoring survey was made, based on the Government Questionnaire, Country Worksheet, and the Country Report, as parts of the survey. The meeting also discussed the additional optional modules: the modules on Gender Equality and Aid Effectiveness, on Inclusive Ownership and Mutual Accountability that were completed by the Government. The first two modules, upon being finalized were sent to the OECD/ DAC Secretariat. While the third module, on Mutual Accountability, which was part of 2010 Development Co-operation

March | 17 Forum of UN, aiming at improving effectiveness and coherence of international development co-operation, was submitted to the UN Economic and Social Council.

The 2011 Survey has provided an opportunity for the Government and its development partners to strengthen their role in aid coordination and management. The results of the 2011 Survey, that are expected by mid May, will offer a contribution for showing the progress done in preparation for the Fourth High-Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness that is scheduled to be held in Busan, Korea, on 8-9 December 2011.

Senior representatives of the Albanian Government conduct a working visit to Germany Invited by German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, a delegation of senior representatives of the Albanian Government conducted a working visit to Germany on 9 to12 March 2011. The visit aimed to bilateral discussion on the progress of projects currently in implementation and preparation of technical consultation which is expected to be organized in October of this year. The delegation consisted of representatives from the DSDC and Ministries of Finance, Public Works and Transport, Economy, Trade and Energy, Education and Science and Foreign Affairs. Meetings were conducted at political and technical levels in the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, the headquarters of the German Development Bank KfW, and the Central Office for International Co-operation (GIZ). The main conclusions of the technical-level meetings held with KfW and GIZ were: (i) Energy is considered one of the most important sectors of cooperation with KfW, with a significant portfolio of 180 million Euros in projects and 50 million Euros in future engagements.

Also a fund of 30 million Euros will be provided in future for the transmission lines. (ii) Water and Sewerage Company is another priority sector cooperation, taking into account the allocated investments involved a total of 227 million Euros, from the beginning of cooperation in the beginning of ‘90. (iii) In terms of sector of the economic development, the German side was acquainted with the latest situation of the sector, as the approval of the Strategic

Photo: The Ambassador of the Republic of Albania in the Federal Republic of Germany, Valter Ibrahimi, Deputy Minister of Finance, Nezir Haldeda, and DSDC Director, Valbona Kuko and Deputy Minister of Economy, Trade and Energy, Sokol Dervishaj during the working visit in Germany

Programme for Innovation and Technology Development of SMEs. In applying the latter was requested to further support SMEs, for the operation of the Innovation Fund, in favour of business services as in undertaking activities for the promotion of technological incubators and industrial clusters. (iv) In cooperation with IPA, the German Government, through the GIZ, will continue to support the development of vocational education, with a particular focus on developing educational centre Kamez, also in continuing the project for strengthening the faculty of applied studies City and activities undertaken in North Eastern.

In conclusion, DSDC after presenting the latest status of implementation of the Integrated Planning System, stressed the importance of a trend towards a smaller number of projects but with sufficient funding in order to achieve the desired impact. Essential was the co-ordination and use of structures in the country for foreign financed projects, it is necessary to increase the effectiveness and sustainability of external assistance.

Monitoring the IPS impact and process continuation The Integrated Planning System MultiDonor Trust Fund (IPS MDTF) which has been funded by seven donors (UK, Austria, EU, Italy, the Netherlands, Sweden and Switzerland), in order for the IPS process, its methodology and products to be better understood and implemented across Government, will be completed by the end of September. The IPS Multi-Donor Trust Fund has been managed by World Bank. It has been financing several components designed to build and strengthen capacities in various government agencies for the implementation

of the Integrated Planning System by ensuring that the core Government policies and financial processes are developed in an integrated manner. The programme aimed at helping to support effective implementation of the IPS principles across the whole government. To analyse the results that have been achieved so far and to lay down the path for the continuation of the donor support to the IPS implementation beyond September, on 24 to 26 March 2011, the CFCU organised in Budva, Montenegro a retreat for the Government officials. Representatives from the DSDC, Ministry of Finance, CFCU, DoPA, TIPA, and NAIS participated in this workshop. The main activity during this retreat was the workshop “Monitoring the IPS impact and process continuation: Analysing the Results Matrix�. The workshop discussed the progress made toward completing all components of the IPS MDTF and analysed the impact of the IPS MDTF support to the different beneficiary government line ministries and institutions, based on the Results Framework Matrix. It emphasised that there have been very positive results for most of the IPS processes supported by the Trust Fund and sustained the idea of continuity to better enable the progress achieved so far. Actually IPS has shifted from design to implementation phase, and by assessing the progress done, the government considers of a very high importance a follow-up phase to the Multi-Donor Trust Fund, which might be focused on fewer components and achieve higher results. The workshop discussed proposals and ideas which will help the Government identify areas that need further support. In the following month, the Government will come up with a concrete plan on its needs. It will be presented to donors to receive their financial support in order to continue the IPS process implementation.

March | 18 WORLD BANK A World Bank Mission for the Public Expenditure and Financial Accountability (PEFA) Assessment visited from 28 March to 1 April 2011. The aim was to discuss with Ministry of Finance and other partners, the arrangements for proceeding with an update of the 2006 PEFA assessment. The mission also explored (a) when and how the PEFA could be undertaken; and (b) financial support and possible follow-up activities on public financial management reform.

Albania Water Sector Investment Project, Pre-Appraisal Mission, took place from 14 to 18 March 2011. The aims were to: (i) meet with Government counterparts and key stakeholders to review progress in project preparation; (ii) following up on baseline data collection and analysis of critical sector issues; (iii) engage in discussions with key counterparts on policy priorities emerging in the new sector strategy and with donor partners, etc.

E-procurement System under Projects Financed by the World Bank, took place from 14 to 17 March 2011. The aim was to (i) discuss with the Public procurement Agency use of the E-procurement system; (ii) next steps in the context of the fiduciary component of the GPF funding; (iii) E-procurement conference and other related activities; and (iv) piloting the use of E-procurement system for a Bank-funded project with the Albanian Development Fund.

Technical Assistance for Strengthening of Flood Risk management; Disaster Risk Mitigation and Adaptation Project, took place from 10 to 11 March 2011. Following the January 2011 scoping mission in response to devastating floods, and grant funding from Global Facility for Disaster reduction and recovery for TA, the mission aims to discuss the next steps.

Extractive Industries and Transparency Initiative (EITI) and Mining Sector, took place from 8 to 11 March 2011.

The aims were to (a) meet with the new EITI Secretariat to discuss key action steps to reach validation point in May 2011, and discuss issues around WB Financial Management and procurement Guidelines; (b) present to the Multi-

In-country Missions Stakeholder Working Group the EITI reconciliation process; (iii) discuss with donors the possibilities of supplementing funding for EITI in Albania.

A World Bank Mission for the Integrated Planning System Trust Fund and Governance Partnership Facility Grant visited country from 7 to 11 March 2011. The aims were to: (i) to meet with the Ministry of Finance and other IPS Trust Fund beneficiaries (DSDC, DoPA, NAIS, etc.) to discuss progress and required actions for the implementation of Trust Fund’s activities and the achievement of its objectives; (ii) to meet with donor representatives to discuss progress toward meeting the IPS Trust Fund’s objectives. Donor representatives may also be invited to participate in the mission’s meetings with the Government; (iii) to organize a round table on property rights and expropriations safeguards to discuss with the Government findings and recommendations of the World Bank research on these issues financed under the GPF Grant; and (iv) To con-

duct a workshop on e-government applications financed under the GPF Grant.

Albania Land Administration and Management Project, Implementation Support Mission, took place from 3 to 15 March 2011. The aim was to review progress since the last mission on agreed actions following project restructuring last month with the aim of accelerating implementation; Integrated Coastal Zone management and Cleanup Project, Notification of Implementation Support Mission, visited country from 1 to 9 March 2011. The aim was to review the implementation progress and status of actions agreed in October 2010. Attention was paid on the investments for the Saranda solid waste landfill, the transfer station in Himara, and for rehabilitation of the Saranda Water Supply and Sewerage System that significantly lag behind, thus giving rise to concern about timely completion of these activities before the Project closing date on 31 December 2012.

As of 15 December 2010 the World Bank took over as the Chair of the Donor Technical Secretariat from the Swiss Cooperation Office.

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