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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

"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.

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 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...

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...

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...

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.

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...

Have a look at the first Marine Protected Park 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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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 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...

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....

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...

  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....

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...

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...

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 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...

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...