Partners Albania Newsletter "Towards a Sustainable Society"

QUARTERLY NEWSLETTER

EDITION NO. 65

DECEMBER 2017

TOWARDS A SUSTAINABLE SOCIETY In this issue:

- Call for applications - Grant and Training Support for CSOs Advocating for Youth Participation page 1 - Financially viable civil society = Active civil society - NPO Academy 2017-2018 page 2 - Monitoring the Freedom of Assembly, Report for Albania 2016-2017 - Best practices on social inclusion page 3 - Winners of Philanthropy Award 2017 announced page 4 - Monitoring philanthropic activity in Albania page 5 - “Education of young jobseekers in the banking sector” starts the program for the 2nd group of young people - Social, economic and political involvement of youth Youth Bank Hub for the Western Balkans and Turkey page 6 - News from LevizAlbania project page 7 - Regional conference “Corruption - free cities of the future” - Regional Decentralization Observatory - Facilitating public input on the World Bank Group strategy in Albania page 8 - The Albanian Crowd, the online platform of Albanian NPOs and social enterprises page 9

The Youth Bank Hub for the Western Balkans and Turkey Network, where Partners Albania is a member together with four partner organizations, has launched the Call for Applications “Grant and Training Support to Strengthen Capacities of CSOs Advocating for Youth Participation“.

Three CSOs from each of the member countries (Albania, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, and Turkey) will be selected through this application process. The selected CSOs will become part of the YBHWBT network. They will increase their capacities through a 6 month training and mentoring program, followed by a 12 months financial support to implement advocacy initiatives around social, economic and political inclusion of young people.

We invite organizations working on youth issues in Albania to apply for this call. Applications can be emailed to ybh_grants@divac.com, with the subject: YBH_Albania_Name of NPO. You can find the complete call package with the relevant application documents on the link:

https://www.divac.com/youthbankhub

Latest news and publications

Philanthropy Awards 2017 winners announced!

For the seventh consecutive year, Partner Albania organized this important event, where five companies and individuals were awarded for their valuable contribution during 2017, in support of social causes in their communities and across the country.

Monitoring Freedom of Assembly - Country Report for Albania 2016-2017

A best practices collection of inclusion in society and in the workplace, of people with disabilities or disadvantaged people.

Full article in page 4

1

Financially viable civil society = Active civil society Following the work with the participating organizations, developing fee for products and services to increase their financial sustainability, Partners Albania presented during this period the latest module focused on the Marketing Strategy Development for identified products and services.

In October, Partners Albania announced the second call for applications from civil society organizations.

Out of many applications, PA selected 22 organizations which will benefit from this program during 2018.

A very interesting part of the last session was the virtual meeting with Peter Gustafik from PDCS and Uros Misljenovic from Partners Serbia, who shared with the Albanian colleagues the experience of their organizations in selling and providing fee for services.

This initiative is implemented by Partners Albania in framework of Civil Society Watchdog and Advocacy Program supported by the Public Affairs Office of the United States Embassy in Tirana.

TOWARDS A SUSTAINABLE SOCIETY

Practice sharing with Partners Slovakia and Partners Serbia

During regional information sessions with civil society organizations in Tirana, Berat and Kukësi

NPO Academy 2017-2018

During October - December, participants of the NPO Academy attended a series of lectures on Financial Management, Providing Public Support and Working with the Private Sector, Providing Grant Support through Grants, and Strategic Communication of NPOs, sharing and learning about the best experiences on the aforementioned issues.

The program will continue in 2018 with other lectures on other important issues related to the work of organizations, as well as a study visit to Slovakia.

NPO Academy is implemented by Partners Albania in cooperation with Partners for Democratic Change Slovakia (PDCS) in framework of the project “Pillars of civil society: More effective cooperation between civil and state sector in Albania”, financially supported by Slovak Aid - Official Development Assistance of the Slovak Republic.

2

On 16 December, Partners Albania presented this report at a roundtable with representatives of the institutions responsible for guaranteeing the freedom of peaceful assembly, such as the State Police and Local Government, as well as experts from civil society. The discussion focused on issues encountered in practice during organization of the rallies, both by the organizers and by the state authorities.

Recommendations were also presented for future advocacy initiatives addressing the issues in the legal framework and the practice of exercising the right to peaceful assembly.

TOWARDS A SUSTAINABLE SOCIETY

This assessment is a brief overview of topical issues and recent developments related to freedom of assembly in Albania, prepared

by Partners Albania. The report consists of an analysis of the legal framework, monitoring its implementation in practice, studying data and consulting with organizations and experts in the field of the right and freedom for peaceful gatherings.

It is part of a bigger report prepared by European Center for Not-for-Profit Law (ECNL) working with local experts from nine countries (Albania, Armenia, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Kosovo, Serbia) on mapping the existing environment on freedom of assembly in their respective countries.

This is a best practices collection of inclusion in society and in the workplace, of people with disabilities or disadvantaged people, presented by 19 organizations in 17 different European countries.

Partners Albania has contributed to this publication by introducing some successful practices from Albania.

The publication aims to provide a useful stimulus to all stakeholders in the field of social inclusion, to further strategies for the Europe 2020 program on inclusion and active development.

3

Philanthropy Awards 2017 Partners Albania organized on December 1st, the gala ceremony where were announced the winners of Philanthropy Awards 2017.

Since 2011 PA organizes this event based on public nominations, to express appreciation and gratitude to individuals, families and businesses who contribute to improving the quality of life in our society.

The event was attended by a large number of guests from the Albanian government and members of Albanian Parliament, representatives of diplomatic corps accredited in Albania, international institutions and donor agencies, representatives of the business sector, nonprofit organizations and media.

TOWARDS A SUSTAINABLE SOCIETY

The Award for Contribution at National Level was granted to TELEKOM Albania, with motivation: For its contribution to supporting social, health care and environmental development in the country, in particular for the provision of artistic books to the public libraries in Tirana, provision of medical equipment to the “Shefqet Ndroqi” hospital and to the Neurology Service of University Hospital Center “Mother Teresa”, as well as for the special contribution in the research for the fight against dementia, through virtual reality.

The award was presented by Ms. Maryam Salim, Country Manager for World Bank Office in Albania.

The Award for Contribution at Local Level was granted to HAKO sh.p.k, with motivation: For the support given in the field of education, therapeutic services and development of children and young people with special needs in the city of Tirana.

The award was presented by Mr. Adrian Civici, President of the European University of Tirana.

The Award for Individual Contribution was granted to Ms.Albana Osmani, with motivation: For the special contribution to the reconstruction of the Pediatric Oncohematology Service at the University Hospital “Mother Teresa”, and the increase of citizen’s solidarity and awareness to help the children affected by blood diseases through the campaign “You are a sunflower”.

The award was presented by Ms. Majlinda Bregu.

Special Award “Pioneer of Philanthropy” was granted to Mr.Kristaq Zografi (posthumously), with motivation: For his outstanding activity in the field of education and culture, in particular for the construction of the first gymnasium in the village Qestorat in Gjirokastra, the allocation of scholarships for young people and the construction of several public works in and outside the country.

The award was presented by Mrs.Vasilika Hysi, Vice Speaker of the Albanian Parliament.

Certificate of Appreciation was granted to Mr.Gjergji Renja, with motivation: For the continued contribution in support of families in need in the villages of Berat, especially in support of education and integration of young people in these areas.

The Certificate of Appreciation was presented by Mrs. Marjeta Ljarja, a well known Albanian actress.

Click here to visit a photo gallery from this event.

4

Monitoring of philanthropic activity in Albania Findings for October - November 2017 During October - November 2017, the daily monitoring of philanthropic activity registered 46 donation cases, totaling 1,445,296 ALL. The main field of donations ​​ continues to be Support to Marginalized Groups with 33 cases (72%).

Children & Youth without Parental Care still constitute the largest group of beneficiaries, with 20 cases (44%).

The following graphics show summarized data for this period, while more detailed monthly reports since 2015, are available at the PA’s website.

Geographical distribution of beneficiaries and donors

TOWARDS A SUSTAINABLE SOCIETY

Beneficiaries

Fields of donation

5

Education of Young Jobseekers in the Banking Sector, 2017-2018 In December, Partners Albania launched the program Education of Young Jobseekers in the Banking Sector, for the second group of young people interested in a professional career in this sector.

This initiative comes as result of the successful experience implemented during 2016 - 2017, where a group of 12 students benefited from this capacity building, assistance and mentoring program, developing the necessary skills to successfully deal with the recruitment challenges in the private sector in general, and in the banking sector in particular.

At the opening ceremony of the program, the 15 selected students were greeted by Mr. Ardian Angoni, Manager of the Human Resources Department at Credins Bank and Mrs. Lutjana Konomi, Manager of the Marketing Department at Tirana Bank.

TOWARDS A SUSTAINABLE SOCIETY

The first lecture focused on the Banking System in Albania and its development trends, and was led by Ms. Joarda Mema, Head of Segment and Product Development Unit at Credins Bank.

“Youth Bank Hub” for Western Balkans and Turkey

During November - December, Partners Albania organized a series of roundtables with representatives of state institutions and organizations working on youth issues, where presented and discussed the findings from the monitoring of the political, social & economic inclusion of young people. The recommendations outlined in these discussions will serve as the bases to upcoming advocacy initiatives, towards a more effective participation of young people.

The “Youth Bank Hub for the Western Balkans and Turkey” project is being implemented since 2016 by five partner organizations in Albania, Serbia, Macedonia, Montenegro and Turkey. It aims to improve youth participation in decision-making processes in the Western Balkans and Turkey through capacity building of youth organizations, advocacy initiatives and awareness raising activities. The project is funded by the European Union.

6

www.levizalbania.al

LevizAlbania is a project that aims to strengthen the local democracy in Albania through the engagement of civil society actors and individuals as the champions of democracy. It is implemented by a consortium of three organizations: Open Society Foundation for Albania, Partners Albania and CoPlan, and financially supported by the Embassy of Switzerland in Albania.

Strengthening civil society organizations for effective inclusiveness and participation in policy and decision making In support of LevizAlbania, in order to address the needs of beneficiaries and interested applicants, PA is offering a wide assistance program online and onsite, supporting networking in territories larger than those in which CSOs operate, and their expertise to successfully advocate in the local decision-making.

TOWARDS A SUSTAINABLE SOCIETY

Partners Albania organized in October, an online session exchanging regional practices in working with local government. Experts from the Institute for Policy Research and Analysis from Lithuania shared with colleagues from Albania some of their initiatives focusing the transparency of local government, some innovative methods they use to involve citizens in policy making and decision-making processes.

During November, Partners offered a series of trainings on Cooperative Planning and Strategic Planning, for over 60 representatives of civil society organizations and activists.

Training online

VlorĂŤ

DurrĂŤs

Elbasan

In November, LevizAlbania organized in Berat, DurrĂŤs and Elbasan the Competition of Ideas, within the 4th Call for Applications.

98 selected applicants presented their idea in front of the Grants Board, civil society organizations, interested citizens and the media. As a result, 45 ideas were selected to continue to the next stage.

7

Corruption-Free Cities of the Future

Regional Decentralisation Observatory Juliana Hoxha, Director of Partners Albania was part of a group of 40 experts from NALAS members (Network of Associations of Local Authorities of South-East Europe), Local Government Associations, NALAS Task Forces, the European Commission, development agencies, donors, Civil Society Organizations and academia in a discussion on NALAS Regional Decentralization Observatory.

The event took place from 5-6 December 2017, in Vienna, Austria, with the support of KDZ-Centre for Public Administration Research and OSCE Missions to the region.

The Observatory will be a measuring instrument for decentralization process in Western Balkans focusing in four dimensions such as independence of local government, municipal services, citizens participation and local government responsiveness, LGAs involvement in policy dialogue. The Observatory managed by NALAs will produce regular reports allowing comparison among countries when it comes to advancement of decentralization level at country and regional level.

The first report of the NALAS Regional Decentralization Observatory is expected to be available in 2018.

Facilitating public input on the World Bank Group strategy in Albania During November-December 2017, Partners Albania on behalf of the World Bank Group facilitated the organization of three regional meetings in Gjirokastra, Fier and Kukës, with representatives of local government, public institutions, non-profit organizations, business and media. The discussions focused on the local priorities and the commitment of the World Bank Group to ongoing and future projects.

Kukës

Gjirokastër

Fier

8

TOWARDS A SUSTAINABLE SOCIETY

Juliana Hoxha, PA Director, as part of the Regional Conference “Corruption-Free Cities of the Future”, presented Partners Albania experience in applying the anticorruption aproach in six municipalitites. The event was organized on 7-8 December 2017 in Tirana, co-hosted by the Albanian Ministry of Justice and Ministry of Interior and co-organized by the United Nation’s Development Programme (UNDP), jointly with the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Anti-Corruption Network for Eastern Europe and Central Asia (ACN) and Regional Anti-Corruption Initiative (RAI).

Would you like to join

The Albanian Crowd ?

www.thealbaniancrowd.org The Albanian Crowd is an

interactive online platform of Albanian NPOs and social enterprises. The platform provides comprehensive information on the location, scope of work, areas of activity, beneficiaries, services the organizations and social enterprises offer and projects they are working on.

TOWARDS A SUSTAINABLE SOCIETY

It supports already 146 member organizations from across the country, operating in different fields.

Since it was launched, the platform counts over 20,500 visitors, more than 2 million hits from nearly 150 countries from all continents.

Join the Albanian Crowd by completing the online registration form available at: http://www.thealbaniancrowd.org/ aplikimi-en/

Partners Albania is an independent Albanian NPO established in 2001, working to support civil society and facilitate inter-sector cooperation in order to strengthen democratic institutions and advance economic development.

Partners Albania is a member of Partners Network, a partnership of 22 independent, local organizations in Europe, the Americas, Africa and the Middle East working for peaceful and democratic change.

Rruga Sulejman Delvina, N.18, H.8, Ap. 12, 1022, Tirana, Albania, PO Box 2418/1 Tel. Fax: 04 2254881 Email: partners@partnersalbania.org http://www.partnersalbania.org Follow Partners Albania in: Facebook, Linkedin, Youtube Visit The Albanian Crowd, the online platform of NPOs and social enterprises in Albania

9