Supporting youth to become entrepreneurs Migi’s Food Boutique

If you ever go to Tirana, do visit Migi’s Food Boutique. It offers a unique food experience. She has put her heart and mind into this business. It was not easy to get there. With commitment, right guidance, coaching and hard work she succeeded.  Here is her story: “I have a Bachelor’s degree in Finance and...

Social Inclusion through education: Meet a physicist to be

Eni, 12 year old is studying at the Institute of the Blind in Tirana. He was born with retinitis pigmentosa, a condition that makes his vision very low. Today he is excited: He is able to read independently and even for his parents. “I am so happy I can read my school books without any need for help. I wish I could...

Albania launches new EU-funded regional programe to foster local democracy

A new regional programme funded by the European Union - “The Regional Programme on Local Democracy in the Western Balkans (ReLOaD)” - was launched in Tirana today. Around 40,000 citizens in Albania and across Europe will be the direct beneficiaries of this intervention. Albania and five other countries from the...

Opendata.tirana.al is the first open data portal in Albania.

www.opendata.tirana.al- is the first open data portal in Albania. The Municipality of Tirana is the first one in Albania to build an information and data management system based on open data. United Nations in Albania supported this initiative. The data is collected from the directorates of the Municipality of Tirana...

UNDP Executive Board welcomes appointment of Achim Steiner as new Administrator

New York – The President of the Executive Board of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) today welcomed the appointment of Achim Steiner as the Organization’s new Administrator. Mr Steiner’s nomination for UNDP Administrator was forwarded by Secretary-General António Guterres to the General...

 8 stories
VIDEO: 8 stories, 8 Roma women and men,8 news jobs

"ROMA STORIES" is a chain of video stories featuring Roma and Egyptians who managed to find employment thanks to the support provided by UNDP and the EU.

Turning despair into hope: With Swiss Government, UNDP helps women with special needs break free from isolation

When Sanije and Hasan started married life together, their daily life and dreams for the future were vastly different than they were some months ago. Their dreams were shattered when their one year old daughter Sentilijana was diagnosed with spastic cerebral palsy tetraplegia-a condition that affects all four...

20 Business ideas introduced by young people in Albania

20 young people, who have completed the training phase under the Self-Employment Programme, presented their business ideas in front of a jury. Their business ideas are various, with a wide scope, at the same time meeting the market demands. They touch upon many areas, such as information and communication...

World’s most marginalized still left behind by global development priorities: UNDP report

A quarter-century of impressive human development progress continues to leave many people behind, with systemic, often unmeasured, barriers to catching up. A stronger focus on those excluded and on actions to dismantle these barriers is urgently needed to ensure sustainable human development for all. These are...

Ministry of Justice and UNDP embark on a new project: "For a more Accessible Justice for Women and Men in Albania"

The Ministry of Justice and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) signed today a new project that adresses the need  of vulnerable groups  for more and equal access  to justice. The project will  be implemented over a period of 16 months. Part of project interventions include  provision of technical...

Albania's Stunning Coastal Beauty

Turquoise waters. Rich underwater fauna and biodiversity. Ruins of sunken Greek, Roman and World War II ships. This is Karaburun Sazan Peninsula – the first and only national marine park of Albania.

Findings of the Opinion Poll "Trust in Governance 2016" presented in Tirana

The Institute for Democracy and Mediation presented today the findings of the Opinion Poll “Trust in Governance 2016” conducted during 12- 24 December 2016 across 61 municipalities of Albania. The Public Opinion Poll explores levels of public trust towards government institutions as well as citizens’ attitudes towards...

Karaburun-Sazan Marine Protected Coastal Area

Have a look at the first Marine Protected Park in Albania

Making homes violence-free in Albania

If you want to know how a woman feels when she is being abused, ask Tone. Her story is painful but also inspiring for many. Tone is 33 and a mother of three children. She used to live in a village in Puka, north Albania. Married for ten years, she experienced daily violence from her husband, sometimes even in the...

EU-UNDP initiative supports equal access to employment for Roma and Egyptians in Albania

Zymyle Seferi, a 23 years old young Egyptian never gave up her dream of becoming a midwife. She lost her father when she was one month old. She was brought up by her mother. Together with her older sister, they lived in poverty with 10 other members of her immediate family. When she grew up, she learned that...

UNDP, Council of Europe Development Bank to boost Development Goals in Europe

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Council of Europe Development Bank (CEB) today agreed to extend their cooperation for another five years, aiming to scale up their support for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Southeastern Europe, Turkey, Moldova and Georgia. The...

EU supports Territorial and Administrative Reform in Albania, new agreement signed with UNDP

The Delegation of the European Union to Albania signed today a financial agreement of EUR 3.5 million which will go to support the consolidation of the Territorial and Administrative Reform in Albania. The EU contribution to the STAR 2 project is part of an enhanced cooperation between the EU and Albania in the...

356 Hours for the Environment- New Campaign kicks off in Tirana

Students of the Polytechnic University of Tirana became part of a campaign called “365 Hours for Environment”. The Campaign is designed as an open competition and invites female and male students to propose   bold and innovative interior designs for the Tirana Aarhus Center. The Center will be built in line with...

Government of Italy furthers its support to public service delivery in Albania

The Government of Italy and UNDP signed a new financial agreement to support the Albanian Government’s public service delivery reform led by the Minister of State for Innovation and Public Administration.Funding will benefit the project Support for ‘Innovation Against Corruption: Building a Citizen Centric Service...

“I choose to live without violence” campaign launched in Tirana

A spectacular gathering of girls and boys, women and men from all walks of life, witnessed the launch of a campaign which aims to put an end to violence against women and girls. Called ”I choose to live without violence”, the campaign will run nationally and include over 100 orange events starting from parades to...

Students form the Institute for the blind to benefit from inclusive education opportunities

The Blind Students Institute in Tirana can now benefit from a renovated resource centre which was inaugurated today in the presence of female and male students, cabinet ministers, civil society, media etc. This intervention features a modern laboratory for Braille books production well equipped with relevant tools...

Albania presents the third National Communication to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change

Albania presented today the finding of the Third National Communication to UNFCCC- a process which took three years and involved stakeholders from several national institutions, experts of  climate related issues, academia, civil society organizations etc. To ensure country-wide ownership, during the design of the...

Government of Italy and UNDP embark on a new partnership to support higher education reform in Albania

Albania’s Ministry of Education and Sports, UNDP and the Government of Italy signed a new project in support for the Higher Education Reform. The ceremony was attended by Albania’s Minister of Education and Sports Ms. Lindita Nikolla, Italy’s Ambassador to Albania Mr. Alberto Cutillo, UNDP Country Director Ms....

Italian Government furthers its support to the Territorial and Administrative Reform: New agreement signed with UNDP

A new agreement worth USD 1.361 million was signed today between Government of Italy and UNDP to support consolidation of the Territorial and Administrative Reform in Albania. This intervention will work to strengthen institutional and administrative capacities of municipal administration to implement the reform as well...

Helping rebuild lives in Albania with a long term sight

  In less than one hour, the water “stole” all that belonged to 75-year-old Qani Shehu. All that remained were the walls of his house standing 3 meters deep in water. Qani still remembers that day as one of the worst in his life. He refused to leave his place, instead finding refuge on his roof where he felt safer....

New techologies improve municipal services through Albanian "One Stops Shops"

Qazim Sejdini, the mayor of Elbasan, Albania, stood in-front of his computer.  Ten kilometers away, in the village of Bradashesh, Fatmir Balla stood waiting at a one-stop shop service center. Balla, the owner of small hardware store, was applying for a permit to use a small parcel of land in front of his shop. Mayor...

UNDP tops global index for international aid transparency for second consecutive year

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) remains the most transparent aid organisation in the world, according to a leading global ranking released today. The 2016 Aid Transparency Index today recognized UNDP as the leading aid organisation among 46 international agencies, representing 98 per cent of...

Free legal aid helps women forge ahead in Albania

Anila, a married woman with three children, had lived in the neighboring Greece for around ten years.  After the heavy financial crisis, her family no longer had a stable job. When they returned home, Anila discovered their hard-earned savings from Greece had been lost to her husband’s gambling habits.By the time...

A new Development Centre in Lushnja Municipality to boost the potential of children with special needs

A new Development Centre for children with special needs was inaugurated in Lushnja. The Centre  offers child-friendly refurbished premises accessible for children with disabilities. Children  can also benefit from  education materails designed for both didactic and leisure purposes.The center  offers an enabling...

Educating boys and girls since early ages for equal attitudes towards men and women- is key

Study shows that efforts should be intensified to educate boys and girls since early ages for equal attitudes towards men and women TIRANA – The findings of the study:  “Public perceptions and attitudes toward gender equality in Albania”, were presented today in Tirana during a forum which brought together...