UN support to Social Inclusion in Albania The interventions support the Albanian Government to ensure that social inclusion is mainstreamed through sectorial policies, action plans, results frameworks and budget exercises. (The policy domains: financial poverty and social protection, employment and skills, health, education, housing, and social participation and human rights) The ultimate goal is to narrow the inequity gaps faced by the most vulnerable groups through specific targeting; consolidating coverage and improving quality of services.

Stakeholders Excluded Persons and Groups: recipients of economic aid, PWDs, R&E communities, children particularly in vulnerable situations (living in poverty, with disability, in street situations, working children, abused and/or neglected), elderly persons, women living in rural and remote areas, victims of domestic violence. Specialised Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) (representing R&E, PWDs, women, children and families); Authorities (central and local level, INSTAT)

UN support to Social Inclusion in Albania A broad policy framework has been adopted which provides strategic and programmatic guidance to central and local government’s efforts in improving social protection and inclusion. A Social Inclusion Policy Document provides a system for monitoring and measuring social inclusion across sectors through a robust set of EU and national indictors. Albanian authorities are shifting from the strategy and legislation development phase to the implementation process a number of challenges need to be addressed.

Some challenges…. Lack of political interest in social care services: low budget allocations for these services; Low levels of civil engagement and political participation to voice their concerns and influence public policy. Weak governance structure systems at the local level to respond to new and broader responsibilities as the result of decentralisation and social care reforms. Weak capacities of local governments to deliver on their new responsibilities in planning, implementing and monitoring social care services need to be strengthened The need to consolidate financial mechanisms at the local level to enable diversification of types of specialized services as well as quality of services; A number of reforms are being implemented at the same time with new responsibilities assigned to LGUS: TAR, Social Care Reforms, Decentralization, etc. which are not accompanied with a CB strategy; Limited data availability/systems for monitoring and reporting social inclusion for VGs at national and local level Weak inter-sectoral and cross-sectoral cooperation between central and local governments