Newsletter III-rd EDITION

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 Swiss Deputy State Secretary for Foreign Affairs visits Shkodra 1 Meeting new Mayors in the framework of the Coordinating Committee 2 Functional Area Programmes 3 The first constitutive meetings for Centres of Competence, 2015-2017 4 Interviews with members of Centres of Competence

III-rd EDITION JULY - SEPTEMBER 2015

Swiss Deputy State Secretary for Foreign Affairs visits Shkodra Helvetas Swiss Intercooperation, through its decentralization and local development program (DLDP), was selected from the Swiss Cooperation Office in Albania (SDC), to present main investments and the results of a successful cooperation during the visit of the Swiss Deputy State Secretary for Foreign Affairs, Mr Georges Martin, accompanied by the Swiss Ambassador, MR Christoph Graf and his staff in Shkodra. The Swiss delegation during the visit on the 8th of September, 2015, met the Shkodra Mayor, Mrs Voltana Ademi, which among others thanked the Swiss Government for the continuous support it gave to Shkodra, and Northern Albania in general, through different programs on waste management, finance management, and public administration

modernization, where the One Stop Shop of the municipality was mentioned as the example of a successful investment. The women elected on June local elections as members of the City Council, as well as women MPs had the opportunity to discuss with the Swiss delegation problems and challenges women in politics face. There is a lot of interest from sides of the political aisle on the cooperation of the Women MP Alliance with women councillors of city councils. At the end of this meeting, DLDP presented a short movie that showed the history of Women in Politics Network, its many

activities, internal cooperation and the prospective future of this network after the DLDP support expires.

The Swiss Gover nment has continuously supported the water system and waste management system, so the visit continued with a trip to a collection and recycling centre, which is the result of publicprivate partnership. Then the Swiss delegation visited Waste Water Treatment Plant in Shiroka, set up with the funds of the Swiss Government, and Bushat waste disposal landfill, a joint initiative of local and central governments.

Meeting new Mayors in the framework of the Coordinating Committee In the framework of its activities, DLDP organized on July 27th, 2015, in Rogner Hotel the Coordination Committee meeting focused mainly on introduction with the new mayors selected from the 21st June local elections. Invited in this meeting were 18 mayors of Qarks where DLDP program operates and the Swiss Ambassador in Tirana, Mr. Christoph Graf. Representatives of the line ministries, Star Program and DLDP partner organizations who piloted the Functional Areas Program were also attending.

The opening remarks were held by Mrs. Valbona Karakaçi, DLDP Program Manager. She thanked the new mayors for the acceptance of DLDP invitation even though legal procedures for the setting up of the city councils are yet to be concluded in all municipalities.

She said that “we evaluate that the local authorities need platforms where their voice can be heard, and the Coordinating Committee is one of them.” Karakaçi stressed that 11 out of 18 municipalities of the DLDP program area (5 Qarks) were present, while for the sake of the

great importance that a number of f o r t h c o m i n g r e f o r m s h a v e, representatives from line ministries on national level have joined this meeting of DLDP Coordinating Committee.

Further, Mrs. Karakaçi stressed the importance of this meeting who is being held in a period corresponding with DLDP planning its support packages for the second semester of 2015. Then she invited the Swiss Ambassador to address the meeting.

H.E. the Ambassador underlined possibilities and new challenges in local development that are present after the implementation of the new territorial reform. He said that there is progress in local governance, and international partners, including Switzerland, have supported the reform with the aim to improve the administration of local issues in Albania. The Albanian Government and the new municipalities need support so that they successfully implement the reform and to maximize the potential offered with the new configuration. “New challenges require new responses and DLDP, other Swiss-supported

programs and other international partners' projects are ready to help.” he stressed.

The message of the Ambassador for new mayors was: “...You, as freshly elected mayors of municipalities, are part of an important milestone regarding local governance in Albania. Time and possibilities have presented themselves to make decentralization a reality, and to show the Albanian citizens that a more efficient administration will be established in the new territories can be established.”

After the Ambassador's speech, Mrs. Karakaçi presented more in detail the DLDP program, its action lines, a brief history of the program since 2006, and then made an introduction of each medium-term support packages: September – December 2015.

fap functional area programme

Functional Area Programmes

Continuing the work started with functional zones, during July the DLDP specialists have worked in eight functional zones in nine new local governmental units to prepare the Functional Areas Programs (FAPs). FAPs include the part of economic analysis, of key public services and of local governance. The priority project selection has been carried out.

These priority projects of the FAs are distributed through public campaigns and are evaluated by the general public but from interest groups and local businesses as well. Through a series of criteria, projects were evaluated also by a local experts' group, and the sum of all these evaluations served to list the projects. During the third phase, DLDP has established a budget of about 1 million Euros to support the traditional scheme of grant funds. This fund is open for all nine LGUs that participated in the preparation of the Functional Area Program. To prepare the funds allocation, DLDP specialists have conducted during September meetings with the chairmen and their technical staff in the municipalities under the FAPs program, such as Durrës, Shijak, Dibër, Kukës, Tropojë, Klos, and Mat. From five projects selected as the best from the

public voting (expert groups, councillors, businesses, citizens), DLDP will support the financing of a project with a maximal budget of 100,000 Euro. The selected project must serve the improvement of public services and the increase of cohesion between administrative units, as part of new municipalities. During the meeting of Centres of Competence, on September 25th, in the session with local units

beneficiary of the grant fund, there were invited also partner organizations, DLDP contracted to support technical groups of eac h beneficiary municipality, to set up the full projectproposal for implementation. The bilateral agreements for cooperation and financing will be signed before the end of 2015, while the projects' implementation will be conducted in 2016.

Key principles:

Main steps and timeframe:

LGU proposes the priority project/s Dldp agrees in principle on the project/s proposed Full project proposal /prepared Final decision endorsed by the donor Financing agreement signed

- The new LGUs propose the priority project/s on September ’15 agreement reached with dldp - Full project proposals prepared – approved by the Swiss Embassy on November ’15 - Financing agreement signed, within 2015 -Procurement/implementation/repor ting within 2016

- This line of the grant fund will support each of the LGUs that participated in the FAP with at least one project. The dldp will co-finance up to 100,000 Euro per LGU. The LGU agrees to co-finance at least 20 % of the project/s budget.

- The LGU will propose the project to be financed. These projects are identified as part of the FAP and ranked as one of the top 5 projects. Projects are proposed by the mayors and their administration; confirmation is given by the Local Councils through the commitment to co-finance the projects.

- dldp will offer Technical Assistance for project management and thematic assistance for the LGUs to develop full project proposals.

- The decision-making process will be based on documented negotiations guided by simple and acceptable rules to the parties.

- dldp will support the LGUs (if needed) finance the projects preparation (such as feasibility studies, management plans, detailed designs, sustainability, business plans). Costs of technical assistance during the implementation of the project are eligible.

The first constitutive meetings for Centres of Competence, 2015-2017 Centres of Competence are an important instrument of the DLDP program to distribute the knowledge achieved, to consult products and to exchange experiences. The meeting of September 25th, brought together in a consultative table experts from local administration engaged in fields such as: strategic and financial planning, fund accessing and management through projects, public services (specifically waste management) and administrative services, as well as 22 women members of the local councils, included in the Network of Women in Politics. There were in attendance also representatives of DLDP partner organizations and line ministries. Being that the State Minister on Local Affairs, Mr Bledi Çuçi, has already distributed the draft of the law on “Organization and Functioning of Local Government”, the participants discussed thematically on this draft-law and the new features this draft-law affects the local government and the opportunities for improvements.

In the first session, DLDP invited some of the experts who worked on the preparation of this draft-law or that have participated in the consultative tables, to present their views, explain specifics, and give recommendations for improvements.

Mrs Albana Dhimitri, local government expert, presented the general framework and the new features this law would bring, by giving a summary of the need, situation and steps undertaken for the changes made by stressing the amendment of an organic law, which will implement a new n o r m a t i ve f ra m ewo r k fo r t h e organization and functioning of the local government.

Mrs Saemira Pino - Gjipali, an expert of gender equality, who discussed the draft-law through gender optics. She stressed the main points that the draftlaw guarantees equality from a gender perspective, but in the conditions when gender discrimination exist, the

legislation must aim to encourage and promote really gender equality. Mrs Gjipali gave tangible evidences for the promotion of the equality and the participation of women in public life. In the end of her speech, she stressed among other things that positive experiences of NGOs supported by international organizations must be turned into law as regards the narrowing of gender distinctions, and especially as regards the promotion of gender equality in local level, such as: the strengthening of the role of women councillors, gender budgeting and gender analysis, local administration capacities' increase, and so on.

The implications for local finances as regards this draft-law, were clearly deconstructed by the expert on public finances, Mr. Fran Brahimi, who spoke at length on new features of this draft-law, such as the materialization of internal auditing by establishing a Commission of Finances as an internal auditing mechanism of the municipalities, the issue of the formula, transfers, and the right to establish taxes and tariffs, the way of calculation, gathering and administration inside boundaries and according to criteria described by law, etc.

Mr Eduart Cani, public services experts, discussed the new organic law as regards public services, specifically in the sector of urban waste. An important part was the new features this draft-law brings, such as the principle of multitudes of ways to carry out services, starting from internal structures of the municipality itself to the specifics of public-private partnerships, the sanctioning of the obligation to set up standards on performance management for each of the public services and the obligation for their monitoring, more rights to municipalities by giving way to the freedom of action beyond Qark level sanctions, etc.

The meeting of CC continued its work in parallel separate sessions according to thematic, where members of the CC had the possibility to express their opinions in front of DLDP experts, including their experiences, concerns and recommendations on issues of waste management, finances, funds access, gender equality, as regards the new organic law. A new feature in this meeting was the establishment of CC with the participation of the Network of Women in Politics, as another possibility to strengthen the role of women councillors in their municipalities.

CoE, PLGP/USAID, STAR/UNDP

Interviews with members of Centres of Competence After the meeting of the Centres of Competence, held on September 25 in Tirana, DLDP conducted some interviews with members of different sessions of the CCs to know their opinion on this platform, to evaluate what is to be gained and how much worthy is this setup for their profession, as well as how does it influence the work and how much satisfactory has been this year-long engagement of theirs with the CCs.

Behar Ademi Public Services Department Puka Municipality

Hasan Çuka Territorial Planning and Development and Investments Director Tropoja Municipality

Çeljeta Saraçi Finance Department Director Dibra Municipality

Nirvana Lekaj Member of the City Council Shkodra Municipality

-As a member of the Centre of Competence on public and administrative services, specifically waste management, I think I advanced as regards managing capacities in this field to serve the community; I raised my level of knowledge about other analogue problems and possibilities to give solutions through discussions with field experts. Also, there have been interesting study field trips, enabling us to learn about experiences of others and to share with colleagues and experts the specifics of Puke Municipality as regards waste management.

Through meetings held by the CC, I felt a tangible improvement of the organisational work and technical skills, and also learned more about the legal framework by striving to meet the required standards.

I sincerely do congratulate DLDP program for this initiative on setting up the Centres of Competence, as an open possibility for all, but especially for local administrations' experts.

-We as a municipality have carried out different projects through this Centre, the most important being that of Functional Area, which will serve to Tropoja Municipality for compiling projects.

Personally and professionally it helped me understand and set up a project through very clear models/standards given by DLDP experts.

It is a very positive experience, from contacts with colleagues to the way of setting up meetings, following and finishing projects, and enriching my professional knowledge.

-I learned a lot from the selected thematic and the tangible way of addressing problems, as well as from recommendations to solve them, but also from the possibilities for further discussions in future sessions for other non-resolved issues.

-Being that the Women in Politics Network established the Centre of Competence through DLDP assistance, this platform will help a lot the women councillors, especially the new ones, by acknowledging them better with competencies, their legal rights and obligations. The CC will serve as a strong pillar with the specific expertise it offers, but also as a bridge to exchange positive experiences with other municipalities' women councillors.

It helps us function good as a CC group also the keeping in touch between members, but also with DLDP experts and service providers, by exchanging information and our best experiences during different trainings and seminars that DLDP organizes. I think that with the insistence of DLDP and close cooperation with decision-making bodies, the guides and manuals consulted with DLDP will be made implementable in the near future in the work process of the LGUs.

One of the priorities of the Women in Politics Network is gender budgeting from 2016 onward. With the new geographical extension of Shkodra Municipality, social and economic problems have increased, so that the inclusion of women from rural areas in projects dealing with their socioeconomic development will be another priority for this network.