MDG Profile:
Building support for the MDGs from the bottom up
In Albania, the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) provide a tool that enables national stakeholders to advocate for development and discuss priorities. A series of regional advocacy tours, a parliamentary MDG resolution, along with national MDG reports, parliamentary briefing sessions, concentrated media attention, and effective advocacy efforts have inspired the country to localize the MDGs through regional development strategies.
This demonstrates how the MDGs can be used to build support from the bottom up, to assess local poverty challenges and to serve as an engine for comprehensive local development. A nationwide, consensus-building process led to the joint preparation of annual MDG reports together with national development strategy reports and one National Human Development Report on Pro-Poor and Pro-Women Policies.
In adapting the global goals to the context of Albania, a ninth national MDG emerged: good governance. In addition to good governance, UNDP Albania concentrates on poverty reduction, gender equality, and environmental sustainability. Following the advocacy efforts of the United Nations team and donor community in Albania in addressing unequal regional progress and growing disparities, the Government prepared the National Strategy for Development and Integration 2007-2013, based on a number of sectoral and cross-cutting strategies. All regions of the country will contribute in the effort to reduce social and economic disparities.
The coexistence of many strategies and agendas in Albania, in addition to the Millennium Declaration and European Union accession agendas, pointed to the need for an integrated planning system (IPS) that would harmonize the different, yet complementary development platforms. The main instrument in the IPS is the National Strategy for Development and Integration, specifically referring to integration into the European Union and North Atlantic Treaty Organization. The IPS connects all the strategies and agendas into a single system to make sure national priorities are reflected in the midterm budget plan. Albania is the only country in Europe piloting United Nations Reform.
The “Delivering as One UN” programme in Albania was signed on 24 October 2007. The goal of the One UN Programme in Albania is to enhance development results and impact by bringing together the comparative advantages of the UN system within a single strategic programme. The Programme’s objective is to better support Albania in achieving its goals as expressed in the Stabilization and Association Agreement (SAA) with the European Union, national priorities expressed in the National Strategy for Development and Integration and the Integrated Planning System, as well as the programmes of international partners, and harmonization and aid effectiveness in the context of the Paris Declaration.
Last updated 30 July 2008
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