"Bashki të Forta" aims to fulfill its objec ves by serving at Albanian ci zens in the country, working with municipal councils, municipal administra on, local leaders throughout the country and in partnership with various ministries and the Albanian School of Public Administra on.
BASHKI TË FORTA INTRODUCING ITSELF TO ITS PARTNERS In December 2018, some 500 people attended an information session on the project Bashki të Forta organised in each of the twelve counties (qark) of Albania.
THE
NEWS LETTER Newsle er No. 1, April 2019
CONTENT Municipalities to measure own performance with the help of Bashki të Forta; citizens and media show high level of interest Bashki të Forta to tackle the challenge of local democracy through municipal councils Empowering women councillors for the upcoming local elections Central government and municipalities exchange information on the transfer of responsibilities for pre-school education
In the meetings, the project introduced its staff members and presented its four main areas of work: waste management, preschool education, municipal performance monitoring and representative municipal councils. The local coordination role of the project's twelve regional focal points was highlighted. There is one such focal point in each qark, who were chosen, as are other staff members, through an open and competitive process.
Information session in Tirana (photo: Bashki te Forta)
The requirements for the position included knowledge of local institutions and proximity to qarks' centres.
Municipalities and counties Regional education authorities Prefect institutions INSTAT regional offices Regional environmental authotities
This project is ini ated and funded by the Swiss Agency for Development and Coopera on, SDC
Twenty-seven municipalities with a clear-headed diagnosis of urban waste management
municipal performance monitoring
Municipalities to measure own performance with the help of Bashki të Forta; citizens and media show high level of interest Reforms in management of public finances will bring changes to the way Albanian municipalities prepare their budget. Mid-term budgeting encompasses the subsequent three years and includes performance targets and indicators. There is also a new, unified classification for expenditures available for use, corresponding to the functions and public services municipalities are responsible for delivering. In 2019, Bashki të Forta will start to assist all municipalities in measuring their performance, and communicating on the process and results to municipal councils and citizens.
In December 2018,
Simultaneously, Bashki të Forta inquired into the interest of
Bashki të Forta carried out
municipal councils and civil society in municipal reports on
a survey of 24
performance. A sample of 81 people from the counties of Fier, Korca
municipalities in the
and Vlora, comprising representatives of local media and local NGOs,
twelve counties of Albania on the current availability of data for measuring performance in the numerous (up to 36) public
expressed great interest in the issue, but also insisted on the need for user-friendly formats and platforms. Bashki të Forta is looking forward to contributing to more targeted and more transparent public spending. Key partners, in addition to the municipalities, are the Ministry of Finance and Economy, Ministry of Interior, and the Institute of Statistics.
service areas under their responsibility. The good news is that half the municipalities declared they have all, or almost all, of the necessary data, while only two municipalities declared they were not in possession of half the data.
Shkodra Municipality Mid-term Budget (photo: Bashki te Forta)
representative municipal councils
BASHKI TË FORTA TO TACKLE THE CHALLENGE OF LOCAL DEMOCRACY THROUGH MUNICIPAL COUNCILS Municipal councillors are the voice and eyes of citizens in the municipal administration. A lively local democracy requires representative and active councillors. Bashki te Forta carried out in-depth discussions in six municipalities with various groups of citizens. Unfortunately, the conclusions of the discussions are rather disappointing: citizens do not see the elected councillors as of any use for conveying their voice and needs to the municipal administrations, and there is insufficient awareness among them of their roles and decision making. Bashki te Forta is undertaking further diagnosis in order to adopt an appropriate approach to support the country's municipal councils. In addition to the need for improving the knowledge of councillors on key aspects of municipal management—such as the functions of municipalities and the roles of councillors, municipal strategic plans and budgets—there are a range of statutory and organizational issues that need attention, including the following: Councillors need to be backed by strong secretarial services that are independent of the municipal administration. Councils should also have their own budget. The job of the council secretary should have a clear description and stringent requirements. Municipal council budgets should endow secretaries with the resources to arrange archives, organise public consultations and ensure the presence of a permanent desk to receive citizens' petitions, complaints and initiatives. They should also be able to interact continuously with the various departments of the municipal administration, and with a sufficient level of expertise. Councillors are overwhelmed by the number of decisions a municipal administration might ask them to make. One way to prevent councils from being a mere 'notary' body is to manage the work flow through discussion and through preparation of decisions on thematic commissions. Such an approach requires municipal administrations to be able to prepare with better anticipation the decisions to be discussed and voted upon by councils.
Municipal Council (photo: Bashki të Forta)
empowering women councilors
EMPOWERING WOMEN COUNCILLORS FOR THE UPCOMING LOCAL ELECTIONS Bashki të Forta considers the participation of women in politics as key for democratisation in Albania. In March 2019, a large number of women councillors from the various political parties established the National Alliance of Women Councillors, with the following two goals: i) to advocate for issues important to women, and ii) to strengthen the role of municipal councils. In three national gatherings of the Alliance, held in Durrës, Korça and Shkodra in March 2019, women councillors decided to address a letter to their political parties requesting they respect the women quota and maintain on their lists those women who have been active councillors. A catalogue gathering the achievements of women councillors was prepared by the Alliance with the support of Bashki të Forta. The National Alliance of Women Councillors is active within the Consultative Committee, an official platform at which central and
The National Alliance of Women Councilors
local governments discuss policies. In March 2019, with the support of Bashki të Forta, the Alliance proposed modifications on amendments to the Law on Economic Aid, the Law on Children in Conflict with the Law, and the Law on Social Assistance.
Leaders of local alliances of women councillors at a media conference supported by Bashki të Forta (photo: Bashki të Forta)
pre-school education
CENTRAL GOVERNMENT AND MUNICIPALITIES EXCHANGE INFORMATION ON THE TRANSFER OF RESPONSIBILITIES FOR PRE-SCHOOL EDUCATION In 2016, Albania’s municipalities received from central government enhanced responsibilities for pre-school education. Bashki te Forta is committed to supporting these municipalities to provide adequate management in this area. On 21 March 2019, Bashki te Forta brought together in Tirana representatives of the Ministry of Finance and Economy, Ministry of Education, Sport and Youth, the Agency for Support of Local SelfGovernance and PLGP/USAID, as well as the twelve Regional Education Authorities and 61 municipalities. Important clarifications were made to the municipalities by the Ministry of Finance and Economy regarding their recently granted greater autonomy over the allocation of resources transferred for kindergartens. Municipalities and the Ministry of Education, Sports and Youth explored together the many issues that need clarification for continuing fruitful cooperation.
Map: by Bashki të Forta with data from National Agency for Territorial Planning
Key facts on pre-school education in Albania: Total number of kindergarten: Pupils: Teachers: Public independent (green) Public in other education institutions (other colours) Private (not on map)
Invited by Bashki të Forta, the Director of the Department for Local Governments of the Ministry of Finance and Economy explaining the financing of pre-school education to municipalities and regional education authorities (photo: Bashki të Forta)
2'063 (2019) 78'942 (2019) 4'820 (2019) 612 (2017) 1'279 (2017) 172 (2017)
Data from Ministry of Education, Sport and Youth
waste management
TWENTY-SEVEN MUNICIPALITIES WITH A CLEAR-HEADED DIAGNOSIS OF URBAN WASTE MANAGEMENT With the support of Bashki të Forta, 27 municipalities from the counties of Durres, Elbasan, Fier, Lezha, Shkodra and Tirana diagnosed their performance in waste management. By spending together every year more than Euro 30 million on the collection of urban waste, they manage to cover 72 percent of the territory with a Contact us: BASHKI TË FORTA Address: Str. Ismail Qemali, bldg 18, floor 4, apt 20, Tiranë, Albania Web: www.bashkiteforta.al E-mail: bashkiteforta@helvetas.org Facebook: BashkiTeForta
regular service. On average, though with large variation among the municipalities, 78 percent of the costs are covered by the users of the service. One of the most urgent issues is the continuing use of 101 illegal dumpsites. Proper management of urban waste, including disposal in controlled sites, is going to require the allocation of additional resources. Bashki të Forta will support 22 of the 27 municipalities in elaborating their local waste management plans. A legal obligation, such plans are needed to organise collection services in an efficient manner and to monitor the service providers. All 27 municipalities will be supported to formulate or update local regulations tackling topics such the obligation to use municipal bins, penalties for nonpayment of waste fees and treatment of complaints.
Controlled landfill in Bushat, Shkodra County (photo: Bashki të Forta)