2023 - Key Partnerships Financing the 2030 Agenda

Key partnerships and support to financing the 2030 Agenda

In 2023, the 19 agencies of the UN in Albania implemented the second year of the UNSDCF 2022–2026 and collectively delivered USD 60 million, of which 96 percent was committed in-country.

The achievements that are outlined below have been made possible only through the collaborative effort of the UN and its valued partners in Albania. This year we have seen our partnership with government strengthened on the SDGs and critical transition areas, and targeted efforts with academia, the private sector and young people continue to build momentum for change. Our work is possible through financial support from key development partners to core funding in country projects and contributions to the Albania SDG Acceleration Fund in joint programme priorities.

In 2023, the 19 agencies of the UN in Albania implemented the second year of the UNSDCF 2022–2026 and collectively delivered USD 60 million, of which 96 percent was committed in-country.

The Government of Albania confirmed leadership and commitment to the SDGs by re-establishing the Inter-Ministerial Committee and Working Group for SDG achievement and Agenda 2030. The Development Finance Assessment (DFA) of the Integrated National Financing Framework (INFF) was drafted and presented to the Inter-Ministerial Committee. Building interest around sustainable finance in Albania continued with a High Level Event on Financing Sustainable Development in Albania and an SDG-focused analysis of the 2023 draft public budget.

The UN contributed to strengthening the Parliamentary Sub-committee on Sustainable Development through organising dedicated events, among these an onsite visit to the Inter-Parliamentary Union and UN agencies in Geneva. The visit served to raise awareness and capacities on the role that MPs can play in advancing the 2030 Agenda, tools for SDG-related self-assessments, and advancing GE and gender-responsive budgeting (GRB). These insights will serve to define the Sub-committee’s annual workplan for 2024.

Government has also committed to preparing the National SDG Roadmap 2024–2030 in 2024 to prioritise actions and measures to achieve the SDGs in accordance with the country’s development priorities and progress in the EU Accession process.

Working closely with government, the UN continued to bring together a wide set of stakeholders in advancing work in key transition areas, as follows:

Education and Food System, where national commitments have been pledged and are being implemented
Global Accelerator for Jobs and Social Protection for Just Transition, where the UN strongly supported Albania in the process of becoming a pathfinder country resulting by end-year in the development of a Policy Mapping and National Roadmap
Biodiversity and Nature, where, among other initiatives under the Cooperation Framework, UN supported the 4th National Communication to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCC)
Digital Transformation, where UN is supporting implementation of Albania’s digital agenda and corresponding action plan with focus on digitalisation of public services and ICT infrastructure, to name a few.

The UN Country Team receives the new EUD Ambassador to Albania Mr Silvio Gonzato and his team at the UN House.

Special acknowledgement goes to the close collaboration with our development partners, whose contribution in support of our work is essential for implementation of UN activities in Albania. These resources are channelled through bilateral agreements with UN agencies and through the SDG Acceleration Fund, which has proved important in increasing the strategic relevance and coherence of UN interventions in support of SDGs acceleration.

The key contributing partners for UNSDCF 2022–2026 this year were the EU, Sweden, USA, Switzerland, Italy and others.

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Partnering with academia in 2023 was pivotal in advancing the SDGs and fostering a holistic approach to address national challenges. Together, we raised awareness of sustainable development and the SDGs among students in Turgut Ozal High School, partnered with the Agricultural University of Tirana to enhance the financial literacy of farmers and agricultural extension service specialists, with Tirana University Faculty of History and Philology to address issues of hate speech and divisive narratives, and with the universities of Tirane, Shkoder and Elbasan to customise continuing education programmes for practising social workers. In addition, we partnered with Epoka University to provide advocacy lectures on sustainable development and an SDG awareness survey with the entire tertiary education sector in Albania.

Private sector companies continued as trusted and valued actors and stakeholders for the UN in 2023, enabling several initiatives including promoting sustainability in business through the following:

SDG Pioneers Award scheme, with 63 applications received and 15 prizes awarded
Tackling discrimination against Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Intersex and Queer (LGBTIQ), people through the UN Free & Equal campaign, engaging around 150 businesses
Promoting more family-friendly, gender-responsive and non-discriminatory work environments, engaging nine private companies.
Efforts continued to promote the UN Global Compact and the Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEP) through awareness raising and workshops. Private sector engagement grew in 2023 with 17 new companies signing WEPs, committing to principles promoting gender equality and women’s empowerment (GEWE) in the workplace, bringing the total number to 54. Notably, 13 WEPs companies contributed to the first-ever Women Entrepreneurship Expo in Albania, bringing together the private sector and women entrepreneurs to facilitate exchange and networking. During the 16 Days of Activism to End Gender-based Violence, 38 companies amplified the key messages of the campaign, including through video and radio, using campaign visuals on ATM screens, airing messages on LED screens and on posters, and during high visibility opportunities such as the football match between Tirane and Partizani. Sustainable development and the importance of mainstreaming SDGs was also presented and discussed with the Albanian Association of Banks.

Youth are critical stakeholders in sustainable development and many activities were implemented for UNSDCF outcomes and outputs addressing global and national issues. For example, jointly with the Ministry of Tourism and Environment (MoTE), the Embassy of Spain, whose country held the Presidency of the European Council in the second half of 2023, the University of Tirana and the Polytechnic University discussed with students climate change and the importance of collective action. Furthermore, supported by the UN, 254 young people contributed to a #YouthManifesto for action against climate change in Albania, calling for immediate government interventions to protect the environment and improve air quality.

In the context of the regional peacebuilding project ‘Strengthening the role of youth in promoting increased mutual understanding, constructive narrative, respect for diversity, and trust’,young people from all over Albania gathered to take part in an innovation bootcamp, showcasing creative ways to combat hate speech and boost youth participation in electoral processes, particularly for the 2023 local elections. Furthermore, jointly with UN Association of Albania and UN Association of Sweden, a youth mock session was organised of #COP28 in Albania for the dialogue to help bring more informed voices to COP28 through the two youth representatives present in Dubai as part of the official delegation.

Continuing to mainstream the Leave-No-One Behind (LNB) principle in all of the UN’s work in Albania, the UN Resident Coordinator (RC) met with disability inclusion organisations and activists to discuss ways to enhance the impact of UN documents and programming for persons with disabilities (PwD) in the context of accelerating achievement of the SDGs.