Newsletter no. 11

Newsletter Dldp aims through this newsletter to share to the readers the main achievements of each quarter as well as the main activities planned for the next quarter.

This format further enriches the ways of transmitting information through our website www.dldp.al CONTENT 1 Women's Political

Empowerment workshop

1 Successful profile: From local to national engagements Senida Mesi

2 25 years of support and

collaboration with Swiss Government in Albania

2 ZA Fest - Music and stories in the shadow of the mountain

3 Lucerne University of Applied

Sciences and Arts study tour in Albania

3 Exhibition of the General Local Plan in Tropoja Municipality

4 Practitioner Training Course Bio-Waste Management in Austria

4 The digital platform

supporting the public administration

XI-th edition JULY - SEPTEMBER 2017

Women's Political Empowerment workshop Although most women around the world have the right to vote and to run for office, there is a big disparity between the number of women and men who are actively involved in politics and who hold seats in elected bodies from local to national level. Furthermore, the issue is more than simply about numbers: it concerns women politicians' influence and impact both within their parties and the legislative body to which they may be - or aspire to be - elected. In an effort to strengthen the work Helvetas is doing in this domain and to build on their initial experiences, the GOP team and GSE Coordinator co-organised a 5-days International Workshop in Tirana-Shkodra held on 25-29 September 2017. The Albania team hosted the activity, and in turn shared their rich learning on the subject matter based on their experiences implementing the Decentralization and Local Development Program (DLDP) among others.

The workshop was attended by team members from Albania, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Guatemala, Kosovo, Kyrgyzstan, Lao PDR, Nepal and Sri Lanka.

The workshop promoted an interactive

and practical approach, including a field visit day to Shkodra. Each day focused on addressing a specific dimension of Women's Political Empowerment. The mornings featured more conceptual inputs from both facilitators and pre-identified participants, while the afternoons favored interactive group work and exchange.

The third day of the workshop took place in Shkodra, the home of the DLDP. The trip to Shkodra included a brief visit to Rozafa castle and an interesting photography exhibition at Marubi museum, showcasing the very early historic days of 'photo-shopping' where different political and religious figures appearing in original photographs were conveniently absent from altered versions; this was done especially during periods of political turmoil and transition in the country. Following this, the group had the good fortune of being able to visit the local One Stop Government Service Center supported by the DLDP, and meaningfully exchange with the Mayor of Shkodra, Mrs Ademi and with the formerMinister of Urban Development Mrs Gjermeni, and a local council member, Mr. Galiqi.

The exchange raised questions around

balancing both personal and professional life, the demands, the challenges and opportunities of being a woman in politics.

There were discussions about strategies for engaging youth as the next generation of leaders, how to engage men, and social media influence on their work. The speakers gave recommendations on how civil society and international organizations such as Helvetas can better support in particular women in politics. Training before but also mentoring/coaching during their tenure was highlighted. Emphasis on public relations, visibility including online social media presence support was also suggested among others.

The exchange was very frank and in depth, even personal at moments, as our politicians discussed openly the challenges and opportunities a life in politics brought them.

In the final day of the workshop participated SDC colleagues who in turn actively contributed to a very comprehensive exchange on engaging men for women's political empowerment.

Successful profile: From local to national engagements - Senida Mesi Successful profile: From local to national engagements – Senida Mesi Please meet our new Vice-Prime Minister of Albania, Mrs Senida Mesi.

After being elected as member of the Parliament this summer, on June 25, 2017, she was appointed as no two of the Government of Albania.

Congratulations to you Mrs Senida Mesi, one of the very active member in the Women in Politics Network, a network which is supported by the Swiss program dldp.

Below is her short profile, part of the catalogue of Women in Politics Network, published by dldp in September 2017.

Senida Mesi She was born in Shkodra on 16 December 1977. She graduated in Business Administration at the University of Tirana. In 2009, she also graduated at “Procredit

Banker's” Academy in Frankfurt, Germany, whereas in 2013 she received the title “Certified Accountant” by the Certifying Authority of the Ministry of Finance.

Currently, she is an independent consultant, a professional in the banking system, finance and economy, as well as a lector with over a 15 years of experience. Without quitting her university teaching, she was also dedicated to the bank system, starting to work in Procredit Bank. In 2003, she was appointed Bank Director for Shkodra branch, whereas in 2011, she was appointed Regional Director for the North.

During this assignment, she participated in many professional training sessions on management, finance, communication, etc.

Senida Mesi: “What we have achieved so far might sound simple, for you who are listening to it, but it is

not at all as such. It requires work, reading, lobbing, communicating and above all being attentive to details and insisting on something. Only persistence and commitment made it possible for three mini-projects to be carried out, if I can call them as such. I don't know how many others are awaiting for us, but I definitely believe that with insistence and commitment, everything can be carried out.”

25 years of support and collaboration with Swiss Government in Albania This year marked 25 years since the opening of the Swiss Embassy in September 1992 in Tirana. In the framework of this anniversary, in the Prime Minister's Open and Dialogue Center took place an event with discussions and g re e t i n g s f ro m d i p l o m a t s a n d governments from both countries.

The event focused on 25 years of Swiss presence and development cooperation in Albania and where Swiss-Albanian relations were very much appreciated. The Swiss ambassador, Mr. Graf highlighted the strong connections between Switzerland and Albania and the progress made in Albania over the years.

The event continued with panel discussions on the achievements and challenges of Swiss Cooperation during these years.

The panel included the former Minister for Urban D e ve l o p m e nt , M rs .

Eglantina Gjermeni, M a y o r o f S h ko d r a Municipality, Mrs. Voltana Ademi and UN Permanent Coordinator, Mr. Brian Williams.

In her speech, Mrs. Ademi stressed that Switzerland's development support program in particular has offered an opportunity to invest in local government as well as supporting the co-operation of citizens with local authorities.

By working directly with municipalities, programs funded by Switzerland has empowered local authorities in: - development of policies and development strategies; - in internal management and civil

participation; - in service delivery and financial management; and in new technical and smart solutions for identifying the problems.

For over eight years there was a very good and close collaboration with Shkodra Municipality and for that reason the Mayor thanked the Swiss Embassy in Albania, the Swiss Agency for Development and Collaboration (SDC), the Program for Decentralisation and Local Development (dldp) and the Swiss Implementing Foundation Helvetas Swiss Intercooperation in Albania.

ZA Fest - Music and stories in the shadow of the mountain In the hottest days of the year, the highest crown of Albanian nature sounded music and stories in the shadow of the mountain!

On Saturday, August 26, the first edition of the Zâ Festival brought together in Theth the best songwriters of Albanian music. Elina Duni, Shpat Deda and Vlashent Sata performed in the first festival devoted to the natural heritage of the Albanian Alps.

At the festival stage, internationally renowned actor Arben Bajraktaraj told to the public stories, legends and tales of the past, as the most precious heritage of our ancestors in these areas.

This festival created the right atmosphere to enjoy the tradition and the rare nature of Theth. An event that overlooked the uninhabited beauty of the Alps.

This important event was organized under the special care of Shkodra municipality and thanks to the support of many donors such as Embassy of Switzerland in Albania through dldp programe.

Interview with one the main organizers of the festival, well know singer, Vlashent Sata.

“Music is the magic that can change life” – Vlashent Sata

Dldp: You were the one that created and made the most to organize this event. What makes this festival so special?

Vlashent Sata: The public was the most special component of ZA Fest. The magic of the event where the people who loved this festival and at the end of the festival I could notice that people where transformed into better people.

Dldp: What is the impact that art and in this case music has in the development of the society and especially in this area?

Vlashent Sata: I overcome many difficulties to organize such event in this remote and isolated but very beautiful area because the people are more timid and skeptical and not so friendly to sudden changes. Music can influence very much the people and their lives and at the end of the festival, I could feel and see they changed and they were more confident and happy to be part of this event.

Dldp: How do you evaluate your experience in ZA Fest?

Vlashent Sata: My idea was to create something special and amazing in Theth that everyone can envy, and I did it. For me it was the best experience ever but also the most difficult and very challenging one. When I asked the other artists that were part of this event on this

experience all shared the same perception: the best ever experience in our lives.

Dldp: Do you think such event bring positive changes and how?

Vlashent Sata: Theth brightens positive energy and for sure organizing more festivals and events as this one brings positive changes from inside to outside in the way people should think and behave in their daily life. They should focus more in how to improve and make a good living out of this amazing area. At the end of the festival all, the people were interested to participate in the next edition and I hope that we could have the support of dldp program and other donors to make it happen and to turn it in a tradition.

Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts study tour in Albania The Dldp Swiss Program welcomes 25 students of the Master's in Business Administration to inform and exchange on Decentralisation of the local government in Albania In the frame of the study tour on “Perspectives for Business and Society in Eastern Europe”, organized by Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts, a group of 25 participants, of which most were students of the Master's in Business Administration with a major in Public and N o n p ro f i t M a n a ge m e nt , h a d t h e opportunity to have an insight into the present economic and social developments on an Eastern European country such as Albania.

In their fourth day visit in Albania, the group visited Shkodra Municipality. The day opened with a meeting the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mrs. Odeta Barbullushi, who introduced and informed the participants about the history of Albania

transformation focused in specific development and in political, economic and societal challenges. She also informed them on EU integration process and the challenges living space for discussions on the topics.

The visit at the Municipality of Shkodra aimed two main topics: capacity building in strategic planning and budgeting in the frame of the financial and fiscal management improvement, the transparency and easy access to quality information and services through use of innovative communication and information mechanisms.

The dldp Swiss programme which operates in the Northern part of Albania since 2006 welcomed in its premises the group of the students to present them the project aims at supporting the municipalities and communes in Albania towards improved local governance, thus supporting the decentralization and transition process in the country. Dldp Program Manager, Mrs. Valbona Karakaçi introduces an overview of

the administration reform and its implementation, the main intervention areas of dldp in local and national area and the challenges related to the implementation.

Another theme with a great interest presented by dldp programme officer, Mr. Elvin Hoxha on “Public financial management” gave the whole picture on the process and capacity development in absorbing the available funding.

The group continued the visit in a youth center and had the possibility to talk to Albanians and share opinions with them.

Exhibition of the General Local Plan in Tropoja Municipality In the framework of the years-long work of the dldp program, comes the support for the preparation of the General Local Plan of Tropoja municipality as well as of other four municipalities: Malësi e Madhe, Mat, Klos and Vau i Dejës.

In order to insure the social-economic cohesion of the new municipalities e s t a b l i s h e d f r o m t h e Te r r i t o r i a l Administrative Reform, the Albanian Government started to support on 2015 the preparation of General Local Plans for 26 of main municipalities of the country.

After the Administrative reform approval, one of the main challenges of the new m u n i c i p a l i t i e s i s t h e s u sta i n a b l e development of a new territor y, established by units that previously were separated, and in this context, the Plan is one of the strategic and territorial instruments that contributes in the consolidation of this reform.

The legal framework for the planning of the territory, through the guidance it provides for the establishment of the Local Development Plans, makes sure that in the end of the process the Plan is a guiding strategic document for the development of the municipality as a whole. The aims and objectives of the Plan provide for a sustainable development of the municipality in urban, infrastructural, agricultural, environmental and other important aspects for the next 10-15 years.

In addition, among the main objectives of this document the assurance of a social and economic cohesion between administrative units comprises the municipality after the Territorial Administrative Reform.

During the process of the preparation of the General Development Plan, transparency towards the community and consultations with all interest groups,

besides being a legal precondition, has consistently been on the focus of dldp activity. That is why dldp in cooperation with Tropoja municipality opened the exhibition on General Local Plan, which stayed open from July 19 to 26 in the main square of Bajram Curri city.

The basic element of communication in this exhibition were the different maps of the Plan. The content of the exhibition included an escalation of information from a wider perspective (regional) to a detailed description of developmental proposal in the level of parcel (land use).The maps represented: Position of municipality in regional level; Vision for development of the Tropoja municipality; Priorities and main objectives; Strategic project proposed and their phases; Land use with relevant explanations, categories and subcategories for land use on all municipal territory.

Practitioner Training Course Bio-Waste Management in Austria

ISWA was delighted to partner with Florian Amlinger of NGO100 for the first Bio-waste Management Study Tour in September 11-14, 2017 in Austria. The diverse group of 14 participants included the largest ever delegation from Albania (supported by the German Development organisation GIZ and Helvetas from Switzerland) as well newcomers to the sector from India, Oman, Thailand, Malaysia and Poland.

The four-day training course is well fitting for

new and developing organic waste management systems with an emphasis on solutions for the local situation in rural as well as densely populated urban environments. Daily site visits (e.g. Vienna Waste Management Centre, Energy Park Bruck an der Leitha, Sonnenerde) in combination with seminars covered financial instruments, best practices for collection and treatment as well as green energy policies and tariffs.

Participants were particularly impressed with the holistic approaches presented for organic waste management: both of urban wastes e.g. food waste prevention and catering services, integration of door to door collection and bring schemes, to high quality composting and energy generation e.g. anaerobic digestion – pyrolysis (bio char) of agricultural, municipal, industrial bio-waste streams as well as sewage sludge from waste water works. A specific focus was given to the successful, flexible and cost effective decentralised composting model in cooperation between small and big cities and agricultural on-farm composting.

The programme also included a full day visit to the outstanding 5th International Practitioner Day & Exhibition on composting techniques and technologies (organised by the Austrian Compost & Biogas Association), so participants could directly connect to suppliers, discuss the innovations and their requirements.

With many great topics, stimulating exchanges and the appealing social programme (when was the last time you stayed overnight in a medieval castle?) - all participants wished the Study Tour could be longer!

The digital platform supporting the public administration

The e-Library project on the public administration entered its consolidation phase of the digital platform, which continues side by side with the process of the evaluation of the quality of curricula (SVC). With the technical and financial support from dldp, ASPA has maintained an information process on the results of the evaluation of the quality with all organizations, partner programs and donors that have accepted to be part of this process. The organizations and

donors expressing the biggest interest to be part of this platform are REC, GIZ, Sh.B.Sh, CoE, Partners, EMA, UND, USAID-PLGP, CoPlan, IDM. Based on this fact, on July 5th, 2017, ASPA organized an “Open information day� on this process, where all participating organizations were invited.

The State Minister on Innovation and Public Administration, Mrs. Milena Harito, and the Swiss Ambassador in Tirana, Mr. Christoph Graf, attended this activity.

Apart the evaluative and applicative process, dldp has presented the importance and the structure of the legal act that will serve as a regulatory and compulsory instrument for all that offer trainings for local and central public administration.

Based on the aim the process of evaluation of curricula has, ASPA and dldp have identified as actors in this process also the private sector, which is very active in the professional qualification of the public administration.

Out of 145 Centres for Professional Development that are active (MMRs database up to 2016), are identified eight of them that offer professional trainings for the public administration.

During August and September there has been an agenda of presentation and consultation with representatives of these centres and a part of them have presented the first curriculum material, with the aim of applying the system of quality evaluation. Meanwhile, because up to now there are published online on the e-Library platform over 50 curriculum materials, out of which 25 have turned into SVC (system of curricula evaluation) and the digital platform has about 328 users, ASPA and dldp have started building the administrative capacities inside the ASPA staff, who will be the moderators of the quality evaluation process and of the platform use. The first training of ASPA staff is conducted for training managers of the ASPA, while an assistive process will continue during the last phase of this project.